Gear Rentals, Dive Shops & Prep. for New Divers

The author with a 50 lbs white seabass speared on California's Channel Islands some 15 years ago.

How do I start spearfishing?

Starting your journey into the underwater world of freedive-spearfishing can be daunting. I grew up immersed in freediving and spearfishing and surrounded by parents, a brother and friends who were all active in the sport. I hopped in the water for the first time when I was 11 years old and speared my first fish with a pole spear the same year. However, not everyone had such an upbringing. Let me start by saying that if you did not grow up in a foraging, fishing, hunting and spearfishing family/community and you are still here determined to pursue the sports of freedive-spearfishing, then I have the utmost respect for you! That takes initiative! But rest assured, just like hundreds that I have taken out before you, this will be an experience you will not forget and will likely be a foundational moment for blazing a new path of outdoor adventures soon follow. And yes, you can definitely learn to be an exceptional underwater hunter.

The Basics: Learn to Swim

You need to know how to swim (though you do not need to be a marathon swimmer) if you want to learn to spearfish. If you do not know how to swim yet, whether you are an adult or a youngster, please go take swim lessons ASAP! Swimming lessons are offered in most every city in the country and many are even free. Many of us learn to swim as kids but some folks do not. A good friend of mine learned to swim confidently as an adult after nearly drowning - he is now one of my best dive buddies. Regardless of your age, please go learn to swim. Even if you only ever walk the beaches, lakeshores and riversides while fishing, learning to swim could save your life. In terms of spearfishing, learning to swim is step one and it is essential.

What should I bring, buy, rent, or do leading up to my first dive?

I strongly encourage folks to rent gear rather than buying gear at this stage. Most dive shops will do a full freedive or "skin dive" gear rental consisting of a mask, snorkel, hood, 5mm or 7mm thick wetsuit, gloves, booties, fins and weight belt for $60-$70/day. I provide spears, floats and pry bars (for sea urchin/scallops). I 100% recommend calling the dive shop at least a few days in advance of the dive and providing info (like your name, number, height and weight) so that they can set gear aside for you. I also strongly recommend getting to the dive shop with 20 minutes to spare as they will want you to try on your suit to be sure it is a good fit before you rent/dive. *Note: not all dive shops are open seven days a week (or early in the morning) so you may need to pick up gear the day before. For gear rentals, I recommend the shops below (and I underlined my favorites).

Bamboo Reef in SF and Monterey are great shops for freedive-specific rentals

Northern CA: Freedive Shop (Sacramento), Bamboo Reef (San Francisco), Dolphin SCUBA Center (Sacramento), Seals Watersports (Santa Rosa), Marin Diving Center (San Rafael)

Monterey and San Luis Obispo: Bamboo Reef (Monterey), Aquarius Dive Shop (Monterey), SLO Ocean Currents (San Luis Obispo)

Southern CA: Lost Winds (San Clemente), Malibu Divers (Malibu), Pacific Wilderness (San Pedro), Hollywood Divers (L.A.).

My friends Greg and Vanessa own Freedive Shop in Sacramento. It is a great shop!

*Note: Some shops rent you most of the gear that you need and as you get to the checkout line they break the bad news that they only sell booties and gloves because their rental gloves and booties wear out too quickly. If you call the shops a week in advance you will know which ones are going to try to pull this one over on you and you will be able to buy some booties and gloves online for a fraction of the price that they will offer. If you cannot tell, I am not a fan of shops doing this since rental gloves wearing out through use is a tax write off for them. Most shops will not do that to you, but I figure I should give you the heads up so that you can be on the lookout.

During and after Intro-Level Freedive-Spearfishing we can discuss the pros and cons of various types of gear so that you will know what you want to buy for future dives if you decide to start assembling your own gear. *Note: many folks insist on buying gear before the first dive without discussing these purchases with me first and much of that gear ends up not being what they want in the long run. If you are going to buy gear, remember that I want you to get the best gear for your budget, gear that will last, and gear that will make your diving experience as effortless and enjoyable as possible. That being said, if you are following up after a dive or two and are ready to move on from rentals and start building your own kit, I recommend the following CA shops for purchasing your own gear as you continue with the sport:

Northern CA: Freedive Shop (Sacramento), Bamboo Reef (San Francisco)

Monterey: Bamboo Reef (Monterey)

Southern CA: Blue Tuna (Ventura), Lost Winds (San Clemente)

Pre-Dive Exercises: Equalization and Breath Hold

The best exercises to do leading up to Intro-Level Freedive-Spearfishing includes practicing equalization (aka "clearing your ears") and breath hold. Practicing your breath hold can be done while watching your favorite YouTube channel (Catch N Cook California) or T.V. show at home (but not while driving or operating heavy equipment) as it is unlikely but possible to pass out while you begin practicing. * We will discuss the dangers of shallow water blackout in a future blog post. Equalization can be practiced anytime it crosses your mind throughout the day.

A solid breath hold does not come overnight but the more that you practice, the more comfortable you will be and the longer your breath hold will grow. I remember celebrating as a kid when I finally held my breath for one minute (which, leading up to that point, had seemed like an entirely impossible feat). Years ago during a winter storm in Humboldt, my brother and I challenged each other again and were astonished how much we had improved over the years. I ended up holding my breath for six minutes (although admittedly we were just chilling on the couch). We are all born with the mammalian dive reflex (a series of adaptive responses that allow the body to slow the heart rate, calm the diaphragm, limit the urge to breathe and conserve oxygen for prolonged breath holds). Without a doubt, if you think that your breath hold is poor right now, with a bit of practice you can double, triple or even quadruple it! We will talk more about how to really improve the breath hold in a not-too-distant blog post.

Equalization is the process of pushing small amounts of air into the eustachian tubes (ear canals) which balances the pressure differential caused by descending to depth. If you do not do this you will feel intense pressure and pain in your ears and if you ignore this and continue to descend you can rupture and ear drum causing vertigo and permanent damage. Equalization is therefore absolutely essential!

Some folks struggle with equalization and some do not. Equalization was very difficult for me to get comfortable with when I first started diving. Practicing before the dive means that you are giving yourself hours or even days to experiment and learn what method works best for you. This is definitely preferred to attempting to equalize for the first time once you are already in the ocean. The bottom line is that if you cannot equalize on the day of the dive then you cannot dive without risking serious injury. Diving with a cold or sinus infection is therefore not recommended as internal inflammation of sinus passages can impede equalization. Again, this is the single most important exercise to master before your first dive day. An easy way to learn to equalize is Frenzel equalization whereby the diver pinches their nose, places the tip of their tongue on the roof of their mouth, relaxes, and blows air into their nose which pushes air into the eustachian tubes (inner ear). At the end of this post I will suggest some YouTube videos that can help you in learning this process.

Starting in the shallows for perch and nearshore rockfish is the foundation of a skillset that can lead to all kinds of wild foods like lobster, scallops, octopus, etc.

*Mask Fog: If you decide to buy your own mask before the dive then you need to clean it or it will fog up the whole time. It turns out that it is quite difficult to spear fish when you cannot see your hands in front of your face. You can use anti-fog which will help keep a mask from fogging, but nothing beats a solid pre-dive cleaning before anti-fog is even applied. To clean a new mask, scrub the inside of the mask vigorously with toothbrush and toothpaste. The fine abrasive helps to remove the thin film of silicone mist that often sprays onto the mask window while it is attached to the mask skirt during manufacture at the factory. These beads of silicone are a leading cause of mask fog. You may need to rinse and repeat the process a few times to get it to work. Then spit a good amount in it (I know it's gross but it's natural anti-fog), rub it around with your finger, give it a rinse and put it on. If the mask starts fogging after a few minutes, then repeat the process. If the mask remains clear, then it worked! If the mask fogs in one specific spot, then concentrate your scrubbing right there. You can also use an open flame from a lighter for the process of cleaning the silicone beads inside the mask, but it is a bit riskier to apply heat to tempered glass. But by all means look it up if you are interested in giving that a try.

Finally, the list of taboos: Don't do leg exercises at the gym the day before or day of a dive or you will regret it! You are definitely going to get a solid leg workout while diving. Avoid excessive caffeine (yes I still have a cup of Joe the morning before a dive but please leave the Red Bull at home). Caffeine increases the heart rate and will kill your ability to get in the zone, calm yourself and cultivate a solid breath hold. Make sure that you hydrate to avoid muscle cramps. Do not eat a heavy meal before a dive of you may feel sick in the water. Finally, be sure to take sea sickness medication as directed if you are someone who struggles with motion sickness.

Avoiding excessive alcohol the night before is also very important. You can raise hell and a glass or three after your dive but if you show up with a hangover you will regret it, will likely spew in the sea, and it can even be dangerous. No cannabis before a dive. You may think it will calm you down or enhance the experience, but I can assure you that while it may slow your mind a bit it can also increase your heart rate which can negatively affect breath hold. It can also make it harder for you to realize when you need air which can be seriously dangerous. Finally, the sea is plenty "trippy" so save your rendezvou with Cheech and Chong until after the dive. If all went well then you can cook them some beer battered fish tacos afterwards anyway.

Please leave a comment if there is anything that I forgot or something you wish you had known or did leading up to your first dives.

The video below is Part I of a three-part video series on how to equalize/clear your ears and I think they did a great job explaining some tricks and tips for folks who might be having issues with the process. No matter what, if you struggle with equalization, I am convinced that if you practice daily whenever it comes to mind you will get your eustachian tubes used to it through time and soon it will be no issue. Practice makes perfect: Search YouTube for "Introduction to Equalization: Equalizing Part I: ADRENO"