HOW TO SET UP A SPEARFISHING BUOY
Have a buoy well prepared is very important. We will be confortable and safe.
We will be more confortable because if we have all the stuff correctly fixed the buoy will be easier to move. Spearguns, nets, drinks… all should be ok: If it´s hanging the buoy is heavier.
With waves or wind, we don´t feel the pulls or will be much softer.
Safety because if we have the stuff ok, we won´t lose it. And the risk to be trapped we could release it easy and fast. And in case we are using a bungee it is elastic and we can go to the surface without release it.
For our safety we recommend NEVER have the buoy fixed to us. There are rings to put in the belt and then fix the buoy with a carabiner (snap clip) or with an anchor weight which have this snap clip. It´s very dangerous and we must never do that. Something that appears easy in the surface or out of the water became complicated under the water, with no time to breathe.
We can see a couple of dangerous situations to understand that (there are much more):
- A ship sailing and hook our buoy line. We will be pulled fast and hard. The shock could be strong and we couldn´t release a snap clip. The bouy must be easy to release (should be able to release itself)
- When we are fishing in the shore. Big waves and we are looking for fish there. A wave could put our buoy over the rocks and we are hooked. If a new wave came we should be able to go out there, and under the water, diving. But if we can´t release the buoy very fast we could be pushed over the rocks too. In that situation we can´t release our belt, because we need this weight to go out under the water.
There are a lot of dangerous situations like these ones, and other ones that we never could imagined. So, ALWAYS, the buoy should be released fast and easy. The best is the anchor weight between the belt and our body. Or a weight like the one we show you (the spetton one) It´s easy to make one like this.
Now we are going to see how to mount the buoy. There are a lot of different ones, this one I think is good, cheap and easy.
We will need:
- Of course, a buoy. We choose one nylon covered.
- A line winder and line. Around 20-25m. The line is 5mm diameter. The one which came with the buoys is not good, we shouldn´t use it.
- Stainless Steel rings, to use with the snap clips or carabiners.
- Plastic carabiners and snap clips in Stainless steel. The carabiners in SS are not good, usually stand opened and we can lose our stuff.
- Snap clip with swivel, to connect the line and the buoy.
- Elastic rope. We will put it crossed, in the bottom of the buoy. We can put there our spearguns, nets… it will be fasten to the buoy, like a whole thing. We won´t lose and will be easier to move in the water. Less effort swimming.
- An anchor weight. There are different ones. Or a weight like the ones that we use in the belt (1kg max)
- Elastic rope between the line and the buoy. It will work as a shock absorber.
We see that this stuff is easy to find and cheap. And we can buy it in www.subandcast.com and they have the buoy made if you want, like a pack.
Now we are going to see how to do. It´s very easy:
First of all we put the rins in the snap clips and carabiners (as much as we want) We use the rings in the buoy. We could use the elastic rope too.
Now we put the elastic rope, crossed, making like a X. it´s easier with the buoy inflated.
We put the snap clip with the swivel in the front part of the buoy. It will be the union line/buoy.
We make the shock absorber with the elastic rope. We put the line in the line winder, and with a knot we joint it together.
At the end of the line we can use a bungee. In my opinion is much better. It can be stretched 4 times it length (Salvimar one) So if you get trapped, the line is in the kelp, a rock… you can swim and go to the surface without releasing the buoy. 4m will be 16 aprox.
We can put in the line small “donuts”, buoys which make the line floating much more. I don´t like it very much, but are people who likes it.
We can see that it´s very easy and cheap. And we will be much safer and confortable.
If someone has doubts about how to use the line winder, we are going to explain it. It´s very easy:
- We make like a circle and pass it through the hole in the line winder. In the hole which is in the opposite where the line go out to the buoy.
- We passed it and take to the other side, passing the “horn” by the middle.
- We tense the line.
- We see that it´s done. One line go to the buoy and other one to the anchor weight. It´s fast and easy and we can change the length that we have in the water.
We hope you like it! And here is the link to the shop where you can find all of the stuff and the complete buoy made:
Mounted buoy (all the pack done):
Link to the forum for comments or questions:
