Spearfishing Spearfishing Environments and Conditions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What term describes the practice of spearfishing for pelagic species such as mahi-mahi, wahoo, and yellowfin tuna far from any reef or bottom structure?
- Drift hunting
- Blue water hunting (Correct answer)
- Pelagic spotting
- Offshore trolling
Correct answer: Blue water hunting
Blue water hunting refers to freediving in open ocean targeting pelagic species that roam the mid-water column, far from any bottom reference.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of chumming (berleying) when blue water spearfishing?
- To mark the dive site location for the safety boat
- To repel sharks from the dive area before entering the water
- To attract pelagic fish by releasing scent and blood particles that form a trail (Correct answer)
- To signal the positions of fish schools to other divers in the water
Correct answer: To attract pelagic fish by releasing scent and blood particles that form a trail
Chumming disperses fish parts and blood into the current, creating an olfactory trail that draws pelagic predators up to the surface where divers can engage them.
Question 3: What are the two primary functions of a dive float and float line when spearfishing in open water?
- Providing buoyancy if the diver is fatigued and storing spare spearguns
- Marking the diver's position for the safety boat and securing a shot fish to prevent escape (Correct answer)
- Indicating current direction to the chase boat and signaling dive completion
- Deterring sharks and anchoring the diver to a fixed underwater point
Correct answer: Marking the diver's position for the safety boat and securing a shot fish to prevent escape
The float makes the diver's underwater location visible to the safety tender, while the float line allows a speared fish to be tethered at the surface while the diver recovers.
Question 4: What is a thermocline, and why should open water spearfishers be aware of one?
- A zone of abrupt salinity change that disorients fish and divers alike
- A distinct layer where water temperature drops sharply, which pelagic fish often concentrate along (Correct answer)
- An equatorial underwater current system caused by temperature differences
- The transition boundary between the intertidal and subtidal zones
Correct answer: A distinct layer where water temperature drops sharply, which pelagic fish often concentrate along
A thermocline is an abrupt temperature boundary between water layers; pelagic species often school along thermoclines where temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are ideal.
Question 5: Why is having a dedicated surface safety person (tender) in a boat considered essential for open water spearfishing?
- It is legally required by US Coast Guard regulations for all spearfishing trips
- The tender holds spare gear and directs the diver to fish schools from above
- The tender monitors the diver's float, can immediately respond to shallow water blackout or shark encounters, and retrieves the diver quickly (Correct answer)
- Engine noise from the boat attracts pelagic fish toward the diver
Correct answer: The tender monitors the diver's float, can immediately respond to shallow water blackout or shark encounters, and retrieves the diver quickly
Open water has no fixed reference points or bottom to rest on; a tender watching the float can respond within seconds to a blackout or shark attack, situations where seconds determine survival.
Question 6: Which surface sign most reliably indicates the presence of a feeding pelagic fish school in open water?
- Unusually flat, glassy calm water with no surface movement
- Actively diving seabirds and surface bait fish being driven up by predators below (Correct answer)
- Floating mats of Sargassum seaweed drifting with the current
- Dark water discoloration from a phytoplankton bloom
Correct answer: Actively diving seabirds and surface bait fish being driven up by predators below
Diving birds actively feeding on frantic bait fish indicate a bait ball being herded to the surface by pelagic predators such as tuna or mahi-mahi, signaling prime hunting opportunity.
Question 7: What technique do experienced blue water hunters use to attract naturally curious pelagic fish close enough to shoot?
- Vigorous swimming and splashing at the surface to mimic injured prey
- Remaining motionless or making slow, deliberate movements that allow fish to approach curiously (Correct answer)
- Making loud underwater vocalizations to stimulate schooling behavior
- Rapidly ascending and descending repeatedly to disturb the water column
Correct answer: Remaining motionless or making slow, deliberate movements that allow fish to approach curiously
Pelagic fish like mahi-mahi are naturally inquisitive; a still, slow-moving diver triggers their curiosity rather than their flight response, drawing them within shooting range.
Spearfishing Spearfishing Environments and Conditions 2
What term describes the practice of spearfishing for pelagic species such as mahi-mahi, wahoo, and yellowfin tuna far from any reef or bottom structure?