Welcome to Spearfishing School Part 6 of our 80+ part series written for people new to spearfishing. This blog is free for my readers and so is access to Spearfishing School during the beta stage. If you learn something here, sign up for our email list and share this page with someone that is looking to learn about spearfishing. It is a free way to say thanks.
Now that we covered the Dangers of Spearfishing let’s talk about the benefits. Here are some of the many benefits of spearfishing.
Fresh Fish
The most obvious benefit is fresh fish and other game like lobsters and scallops. I feel very fortunate that we have a nice variety of tasty fish off San Diego. I’ve taken Yellowtail, Dorado, White Seabass, Halibut, and a bunch of reef fish.
Exercise
Swimming around looking for fish is great exercise. Depending who you ask you can burn about 800 calories per hour. It takes a lot of energy to keep your body warm even in a spearfishing suit. Add to that the swimming, diving, and other fish shooting related activities and you can see how the 800 calorie estimate is not so farfetched.
Flying
Well you don’t really fly but diving feels like slow motion flying to me. The feeling during the sink phase of the dive when gravity takes over and you glide down through the water is the best. You swoop down silently, motionless, as you approach your target. Poor fish had no chance.
Meditation
No distractions. Even with your dive buddy nearby, it is you and the Ocean on each dive. You relax and are aware of every breath during your recovery breathing. That is one form of meditation. You dive down and while you are down you are completely focused on the present moment – yet another form of meditation. You are completely in tune with your body. I sometimes feel like I can hear my heartbeat. To me meditation is about building awareness. Spearfishing and freediving are a wonderful way to focus the mind.
Get Primal
I remember the first time I shot a fat fish. It was a more than the rush of landing it. It felt right on a primal level that I had never felt before. I knew right there, I was going to spearfish the rest of my life.
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Go to Part 7 – Should I take a Freediving Class?
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Disclaimer
Freediving, Spearfishing, and the related topics discussed here are inherently dangerous. Participating in any freediving activity exposes one-self to the risk of death and/or permanent injury. The content of this site is provided as personal entertainment only. Although portions of the content may be perceived as instructional, do not depend upon it as such. The following article is not intended as a replacement for proper training in any water sport activity. There are no warranties or guarantees, either expressed or implied that the information contained at this site is accurate, correct or reliable. You are responsible for using your own good judgment. We urge you to seek proper instruction from a qualified and certified agency before attempting any sport requiring breath hold freediving.
