Cameron K. is a spear fisherman. One day, he was underwater fishing with a friend off the coast of Florida.
The two men were diving in 180 feet of water, taking turns, and diving one person at a time.
They were anchored to a boat, but each time the dove they were getting swept away.
As Cameron’s friend came to the surface, he appeared fine, so Cameron dove.
But when Cameron reached about 75 feet underwater, he noticed his friend’s speargun float by.
That’s when Cameron looked up and saw his pal upside down drifting unconscious.
The underwater current was strong and no one else was around, so it was up to Cameron to save his pal.
At first, Cameron took off his weight belt and swam as hard as he could toward his friend.
Cameron knew that both men were near their oxygen limit, and they would both die unless he surfaced soon.
Cameron was out of options to save his friend.
So, with no other choice, Cameron fired his spear gun at his pal, aiming for his leg in hopes it would be the safest place to shoot him with the speargun.
After shooting his friend in the swimming fin, Cameron returned to the surface.
Once in the boat he cut the anchor and reeled in his speargun that was attached to his friend.
When his friend was on the boat Cameron noticed he was blue, bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth, and completely limp.
Cameron felt a faint pulse on his pal and started CPR in an attempt to save his life.
The boat was about 70 miles offshore and the crew notified the coast guard of the incident.
After about 15 minutes of CPR Cameron’s friend was able to squeeze his hand.
Forty-five minutes after the accident the boat met up with a coast guard helicopter that airlifted the man to a Tampa hospital.
He suffered severe lung damage but survived with no brain damage and made a full recovery.
Now, I’m not an expert fisherman, but speargun fishing is one of the most popular forms of fishing in the world.
During a survival situation, you might have to hunt for food.
And speargun fishing might be an option worth considering.
What is speargun fishing?:
Speargun fishing is like hunting fish with a rifle.
A speargun is a fishing device with a tethered spear that’s used to impale fish.
Spearguns are mostly used in underwater fishing.
If you are going to use a speargun you will need other gear such as a mask, snorkel, and swimming fins.
In addition, you will likely want a wetsuit, belt, and gloves.
You could get started by spending about $100 on gear but it wouldn’t be the top of the line.
Where can you go speargun fishing?:
In theory, you can speargun fish in virtually any body of water (oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers).
But it’s important to follow state and local laws when speargun fishing.
Some states have laws that limit the types of fish you can shoot with a speargun.
Also, many people who speargun fish have a boat and move to locations where fish are plentiful.
You don’t need a boat to go speargun fishing, you could always swim from the shore and find fish to shoot.
What sort of fish can you catch with a speargun?:
A good rule of thumb is to use a speargun for fish that weigh at least 15 pounds.
Anything smaller and the speargun could destroy the fish.
The exact fish you are hunting will depend on where you are and the body of water you are in.
Just make sure you follow all laws related to fishing.
Of course, if you are in the ocean and encounter a shark the speargun wouldn’t help much.
You could use it to push the shark away from you, but I wouldn’t recommend shooting a shark with a speargun.
Should you get a speargun for a survival situation?:
Whether or not a speargun would be useful during an emergency depends on where you live.
If you live near the ocean or a large body of water a speargun could be beneficial for finding food to eat.
It’s also the type of tool that you should be familiar with and not just pick it up during an emergency.
It’s still a gun that fires a projectile (spear), and you should practice with it like you would any other gun.
Speargun fishing is a unique way to fish and could be a good way to find fish during an emergency.
But it needs time and skill to be good at it.
However, if you don’t feel like squeezing yourself into a wetsuit, stepping into swimming fins, and floating through the murky waters with a spear…
You can always stock up on survival food, so it’s already on hand when you need it.
