Spearfishing for Beginners: Gear, Safety & Tips

Spearfishing for beginners usually starts with a gear list. It should start with breath-hold diving, because the sport's real risk is not the gun or the sharks. It is blacking out underwater with nobody watching.

Get the diving and the safety habits right and the rest follows quickly. Below we cover the order to learn things in, the rules that differ across Australian states, the safety practices every diver should build from day one, what to buy first, and how to find people to dive with.

Learn to Dive Before You Learn to Hunt

Spearfishing is breath-hold diving with a task attached, and the task is what gets people into trouble. Chasing a fish makes divers stay down longer than they planned, and adrenaline hides the signals that would normally send you up. Hypoxic blackout, often called shallow water blackout, is a major fatal risk in the sport, and it can arrive with little or no warning, most often during or just after the ascent.

A sensible order

1. Get comfortable in the water with mask, snorkel and fins, no gun.

2. Learn to equalise properly. The frenzel technique is what divers use, and it is worth learning early rather than forcing your ears.

3. Do a freediving or spearfishing course. Experienced divers recommend this ahead of any gear purchase, and short introductory courses exist.

4. Dive in a wetsuit and weight belt a few times before adding a speargun.

5. Add the gun last, once the diving is relaxed and familiar.

If you come from scuba

Treat yourself as a beginner. Divers who have made the switch are blunt that scuba skills carry over very little. The equalisation technique is different, the risks are different, and the rescue skills are different. Being comfortable underwater on a tank does not mean you understand breath-hold limits.

The Safety Habits That Matter Most

These are not optional extras. They are the practices that keep the sport survivable, and they cost nothing.

Never dive alone, and dive one up one down

A buddy standing on the shore is not a buddy. The practice taught in Australia is one diver down while the other watches from the surface, trained and ready to perform a rescue, and continuing to watch for a short period after the diver surfaces. The reason is simple and worth stating plainly. A diver who blacks out does not drown from the blackout itself, they drown because they cannot help themselves. Someone has to be there to bring them up.

Rest longer than you think

Repetitive diving with short recovery is what catches people out. Guidance varies on exactly how long, which is worth knowing. The Australian Institute of Sport position statement on breath-hold training specifies a minimum of two minutes between breath holds, while some freediving agencies teach a surface interval of two to three times the length of the dive. Either way, go longer for deeper, colder or repeated dives, and time it rather than guessing. Many divers find they were taking far less surface time than they believed.

Never hyperventilate before a dive

Breathing hard and fast before descending feels like preparation. It is not. It lowers carbon dioxide and so suppresses the urge to breathe, without meaningfully increasing your oxygen. The warning you rely on arrives late or not at all.

Other basics

• Weight yourself conservatively so you remain slightly buoyant near the surface rather than sinking

• Carry a knife on every dive

• Display a dive flag on a float or vessel so boats can see you, noting that requirements differ by state

• Never point a gun at a person, and never bring a loaded gun out of the water

• Start in sheltered water with good visibility and little current

• Call the dive when you are cold, tired or uneasy

Know the Rules Where You Dive

Spearfishing is legal across Australia, but the rules are set state by state and vary considerably. Checking before you dive somewhere new is part of the sport.

What to check every time

• Licence or fee. Requirements differ. In New South Wales, people aged 18 and over generally need to pay the recreational fishing fee to spearfish, subject to exemptions, while other states and territories take different approaches.

• Closed areas. Marine parks, aquatic reserves and specific bays are commonly closed to spearfishing, including popular swimming beaches.

• Protected species. Some fish cannot be taken at all. The eastern blue groper is protected in New South Wales, and penalties for taking protected species are significant.

• Size and bag limits. These apply to spearfishing exactly as they do to line fishing.

• Gear restrictions. Taking fish with underwater breathing equipment is generally not allowed. The Northern Territory and South Australia prohibit scuba or hookah while spearfishing, and in New South Wales fish may only be speared while snorkelling, though scuba is allowed for some shellfish. Western Australian rules vary by location, so check the specific area.

• Distance rules. New South Wales guidance asks spearfishers to stay at least 50 metres from swimmers, snorkellers, scuba divers and other fishers. Similar separation expectations apply elsewhere, and some places restrict spearfishing near jetties and structures.

Your state fisheries authority publishes all of this, and the closure maps are the part most worth reading before a trip. Local clubs are also a reliable shortcut, since members know which spots are open and which are not.

What to Buy First

It is easy to overspend early on the wrong things. This order gets you diving safely without buying gear twice.

Choosing a wetsuit

Thickness depends on where and when you dive, and southern Australian water is cooler than visitors expect. Open-cell spearfishing suits are warmer than surfing suits of the same thickness and fit closer, which matters on long dives. Browse spearfishing wetsuits and check the sizing details on the product page before ordering, since fit is what keeps water out.

Fins and knife

Long blades are standard. Beginners do well on softer blades, and composite blades can come later once you know you are staying with the sport. Our fin range and the explanation of what carbon construction changes cover the options. A dive knife belongs on every dive, for entanglement as much as for dispatching fish.

Guns come last

Gun length should suit your water. Shorter guns handle well in close reef and poor visibility, longer guns suit open water and bigger fish. Local divers will tell you what works where you are, which is a good reason to meet some before buying. When you are ready, our speargun range is sized for Australian conditions.

Finding People to Dive With

This is the most valuable thing a beginner can do, and it is free.

• Join a state or local spearfishing club, which also gives you dive partners

• Follow regional spearfishing groups online, where locals post conditions and advice

• Go along to a club competition or social dive to meet people and see gear in use

• Ask about gun sizes and spots for your area rather than copying footage from elsewhere

Diving with people who know the area shortens the learning curve dramatically, and it solves the buddy problem at the same time.

Your First Few Dives

1. Pick a sheltered spot with easy entry, good visibility and no current.

2. Go with someone experienced, and agree who is diving and who is watching.

3. Leave the gun at home for the first session or two.

4. Practise equalising on gentle descents rather than chasing depth.

5. Time your dives and your surface intervals rather than guessing.

6. Stop while you are still comfortable, not when you are exhausted.

Fish come later, and they come faster than you expect once the diving feels easy.

What The Safety Guidance Says

Agreed across the sport

• Never hyperventilate before a dive. It delays the urge to breathe without adding useful oxygen.

• Dive one up one down, with a buddy who is trained to rescue you and who keeps watching after you surface.

• Weight conservatively so you stay buoyant near the surface.

• Scuba experience is not a substitute for freediving training, since the risks and skills differ.

Where the detail varies

• Surface interval guidance differs between agencies, from a minimum of two minutes to two or three times your dive time, so follow an instructor rather than a single rule.

• Blackout is a major fatal risk, though attributing a precise share of deaths to it is not well established.

• Rules on licences, closures, protected species and breathing equipment differ by state and sometimes by location, so always check locally before you dive.

What To Do Next

Book a course, find a club, and get a mask that fits. In that order. The gear can wait a fortnight, and the skills you learn first are the ones that keep the sport enjoyable for decades.

How Aimrite can help

Aimrite is an Australian veteran owned family business building gear for local conditions. When you are ready, start with a wetsuit and fins rather than a gun. Our frequently asked questions answer the common beginner queries on sizing and setup.

Key Takeaways

Learn to dive before you learn to hunt, and treat a course as your first purchase. Never dive alone, use one up one down with a buddy watching the surface, rest at least twice as long as your dive, and never hyperventilate beforehand. Check your state's licence requirements, closures, protected species and limits before every new spot. Buy a mask, wetsuit and fins before a gun, carry a knife and a flag, and find local divers who know your water.