This article provides a comprehensive list to guide you through the essential equipment needed to start spearfishing. While each component could be extensively discussed, this article offers a concise overview of each.

While it may be tempting to cut corners on cost early on it is not advisable. We are typically cost conscious people and bought entry level equipment as we got started. The problem we ran into was that much of it did not last and made it more difficult to get more proficient. I believe there is a happy medium that can be found if you make wise purchases and hopefully this helps you with those decisions.

Speargun

A lot to look at here so lets just focus on what would be best for getting started. In the Mediterranean you will typically need a gun that is small, agile, and powerful. You will be crawling through rocks, peaking under ledges and trying to be very quite the entire time. For this reason we find that an 80 – 90cm is the perfect size to wield with enough power to shoot something a little bigger or further away.

We have found that smaller guns may be easier for hole hunting but they can lack power for larger fish that are further away. Larger guns may be better for shooting faster and further away, but its more difficult hunting in the rocks and holes.

There are many different types but the easiest to use and get started with is a single-banded open muzzle rail gun.

Float with dive flag

In Spain, it’s a legal requirement to have a dive flag within 25 meters of you while in the water. This protects you from boats in the area. Additionally, we attach items such as a spare gun, fish stringer, keys, and flashlight to the float.

A cheap inflatable one will do. We have not had much success using the inflatable buoys so we moved on to the rigid floats. They are indestructible but a little more expensive and slightly more difficult to travel with.

This will be attached to your gun or dive weight using a polypropylene rope.

Mask

Find one that is comfortable and fits properly. A poorly fitting mask will leak water, making diving more difficult and uncomfortable. If you have a mustache you may want to trim the top part of your stache to help get a good fit. We have also seen people use vaseline in their facial hair to get a better seal.

It can be helpful to get a low volume mask. When diving you equalize the pressure in your mask by releasing some of the air you have in your lungs. The bigger and more volume your mask has the more that is required from your lungs to equalize it.

Also, watch this video to prevent fogging on your new mask.

Snorkel

Try a few on. It may seem weird but the mouth guards vary from snorkel and it can really make a difference. We typically use either a soft silicone open top snorkel or a valve top snorkel to prevent water from splashing in when the water is choppy.

Knife

Nothing fancy, just something you can use to brain and bleed the fish when you catch them. You will want to wear this on your body either on your belt, arm, or calf. We typically put ours on our calf because it is easy to reach from both hands and doesn’t get in the way.

Fins

There are three types plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. The material affects how they push you through the water. Plastic fins are cheap and will last forever, however they are very inefficient. This means you will use more energy to dive. Fiberglass is slightly more expensive than plastic but is greatly more efficient. Carbon fiber is the most expense and is typically the most efficient fin you can have.

While it may be tempting to start with plastic fins, we highly recommend investing slightly more in fiberglass fins for better efficiency. The efficiency gain from plastic to fiberglass is huge and the cost difference is low. While the jump to carbon fiber from fiberglass is much smaller with a higher price difference. From our experience of using all these the plastic fins really are taxing and you will outgrow them quickly.

Wetsuit

This can be subjective depending on how you handle cold. By June in Barcelona it is about 19° and will stay above 20° until about November.

If you are getting started I would suggest starting in the summer with a 3mm suit. This requires a lot less weight and a much more comfortable suit to get acclimated. Then if you want to continue fishing in the winter you can get a 7mm at the end of summer. This will prepare you for winter and allow you to mix and match tops and bottoms for more warmth in that in-between time.

Some people opt to get a 5mm suit and use that more frequently. There are many people I know that use a 5mm suit for the fall and beginning part of winter.

Weights

Neoprene is buoyant so in order to dive you will need weights to counteract the buoyancy. The thicker the suit the more weight you will need. Finding the right amount of weight can vary depending on the person, season, and type of fishing. However a pretty good rule of thumb is 1kg per 1mm of wetsuit thickness. For example if you are wearing a 3mm wetsuit then start with at least 3 kgs of weight. For me personally I do 1kg more than my wetsuit thickness (4kg for 3mm).

Socks and gloves

Pretty self explanatory. These vary in thickness just like wetsuits.

t Bar or stringer

When you catch your fish you will need to put it somewhere. This is typically a little monofilament with a steel stick attached to one end and a loop on the other. You will attach the loop to your weight belt or float then when you get a fish you feed the metal bar through the gill of the fish and out the mouth. There are other options out there but this is the main one you will see in Spain.

Travel Bag

This gear can be a lot to carry out to where you are going. SInce we don’t have cars we needed something to carry everything in to make it easy. We started off with large backpacks and moved to a ski bag. Ski travel bags are great because they are typically built to carry long sharp objects that could be wet. The bag we got at Decathlon for €10 is amazing for commuting from home to your spot.

Flashlight

Don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of money on this. We have used mostly cheap dive flashlights. This is used for finding fish in holes and rocks. We have lost several so far and have started buying them from AliExpress. The flashlights are great quality and very cheap.

Dive watch (optional)

This is a luxury but I decided to mention it at least. The main function you will use on it is knowing how deep you dove and how long you were down there. It can be really helpful to know this as you begin pushing yourself to go deeper and stay down longer. It is not necessary though as long as you stay within your limits and dive with a buddy.