Spearguns

Q: Should I choose a wood, carbon, or aluminum gun?

Wood: naturally buoyant, quiet (no metallic ting), and stable, with excellent recoil absorption. Bulkier, and it may need a bit more care.Carbon: light, stiff, and slim, so it tracks quickly through the water.Aluminum: affordable, durable, and low maintenance. A solid choice for a first gun.

Q: Should I use a reel, a float line, or both?

A reel mounts on the gun and works well for reef and kelp hunting where fish are small to medium. Reels are also a great choice in very clear water, where fish can see a float line and get wary, and in spots with a lot of current. The downside is that reels can jam without warning, and if that happens on a big fish, the gun can be yanked right out of your hands and lost. In the kelp, the line can also wrap into a huge knot.A float line connects your gun to a float on the surface, so you can fight the fish from the surface, and the float doubles as your dive flag. For pelagics, a float line is the standard. Many divers run a float line in the kelp too. As long as you don't take a lot of turns and the line is free of knots, it pulls right through the kelp. For kelp diving, you can use a snake float, a long, slim float designed to slide through the kelp without hanging up. You can also clip your catch to the float line or the float. And if you drop your gun in murky water, like on a shore dive with limited visibility, the float line leads you right back to it. With a reel, that gun is gone.Use one or the other, not both at the same time.

Q: Single flopper, double flopper, or slip tip?

Single flopper: the standard for most reef and kelp fish.Double flopper: better holding power on larger fish.Slip tip: the tip detaches and toggles inside the fish for maximum holding power. Best for big pelagics.

The Spearguns collection covers spearguns used for spearfishing up and down the West Coast, from shorter guns suited to hunting in kelp forests and rocky reefs to longer guns built for open water and bluewater species. This includes mid-handle and rear-handle band guns favored for accuracy and rate of fire on reef fish. Our staff spearfish these waters themselves and can help match gun length and power to the type of hunting being done, whether that's close-range shots in the kelp or longer shots on open bottom structure. There are several ways these guns can be rigged: with a reel, in-line, or breakaway.

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Spearguns FAQ

What size speargun should I get?

Sizing a gun depends on where you normally dive and what you intend to hunt. There is no one-size speargun for every situation.

75 to 90 cm: the shorter guns, oriented toward cave, reef, and kelp forest hunting, places where maneuverability is paramount.
90 to 120 cm: usable inshore and in reef situations, but mostly used in mid-water, and they handle pelagics too. The larger end of this range is a little more clumsy and a tad overpowered for the tighter spaces.
120 cm and above: your pelagic guns. Extra size and extra power, truly adept for your larger species.

What is the difference between a roller and a traditional speargun?

A traditional speargun has its bands mounted at the muzzle. Very simple: pull back and load the wishbone onto your loading tab.

A roller speargun has bands that wrap around the end of the gun, putting more power behind the spear. Rollers let you load the main band along the underside of the gun for more tension, and most roller guns also have a smaller auxiliary band rigged at the muzzle.

What is a pneumatic speargun?

Unlike traditional and roller guns, which use rubber bands to generate power, pneumatic guns use compressed air and are loaded much like a muzzle-loaded black powder gun. With no bands, pneumatics are compact, powerful for their size, and great in tight spaces. The downside is that they need to go back to the manufacturer for service.

What is an inverted roller?

An inverted roller takes the roller idea a step further. The bands are anchored back toward the handle, and a Dyneema line runs from the bands around the muzzle rollers to the shaft. When you take the shot, the bands snap back toward the handle while the shaft drives forward, so the forces largely cancel each other out: no kick, more power.

The result is a gun that is powerful, quiet, and accurate with very little recoil. The trade-offs are more lines and rubber to manage, slower loading, more maintenance, and a higher price.

Should I choose a wood, carbon, or aluminum gun?

Wood: naturally buoyant, quiet (no metallic ting), and stable, with excellent recoil absorption. Bulkier, and it may need a bit more care.
Carbon: light, stiff, and slim, so it tracks quickly through the water.
Aluminum: affordable, durable, and low maintenance. A solid choice for a first gun.

Should I use a reel, a float line, or both?

A reel mounts on the gun and works well for reef and kelp hunting where fish are small to medium. Reels are also a great choice in very clear water, where fish can see a float line and get wary, and in spots with a lot of current. The downside is that reels can jam without warning, and if that happens on a big fish, the gun can be yanked right out of your hands and lost. In the kelp, the line can also wrap into a huge knot.

A float line connects your gun to a float on the surface, so you can fight the fish from the surface, and the float doubles as your dive flag. For pelagics, a float line is the standard. Many divers run a float line in the kelp too. As long as you don't take a lot of turns and the line is free of knots, it pulls right through the kelp. For kelp diving, you can use a snake float, a long, slim float designed to slide through the kelp without hanging up. You can also clip your catch to the float line or the float. And if you drop your gun in murky water, like on a shore dive with limited visibility, the float line leads you right back to it. With a reel, that gun is gone.

Use one or the other, not both at the same time.

Single flopper, double flopper, or slip tip?

Single flopper: the standard for most reef and kelp fish.
Double flopper: better holding power on larger fish.
Slip tip: the tip detaches and toggles inside the fish for maximum holding power. Best for big pelagics.

How do I take care of my speargun and bands?

Rinse your gun, line, and bands with fresh water after every dive. Store the gun unloaded, out of the sun and heat, since UV breaks down rubber fast. Check your bands for nicks, cracks, or fading before each dive and replace them as soon as they show wear. We carry replacement bands and wishbones in the shop.

What are the basic speargun safety rules?

Only load your gun in the water. Never point it at anyone, loaded or not. Keep the safety on until you are ready to shoot, and still handle the gun as if the safety were off. Always unload before climbing out of the water or back onto the boat. Most accidental shootings happen getting in or out of a boat, or getting in or out through the shore break.