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Captain's corner

By BILL HARDMAN
Published August 12, 2006

The heat of the summer is upon us, and the most common sight for shallow-water spearfishermen is the faint outline of a 15- to 20-pound grouper disappearing without offering the chance for a shot.

One technique to get a good shot is to Breath-hold or free-dive the spot before donning scuba gear. Without the bubbles and loud entry, you have a better chance to outsmart and truly hunt these wary fish.

Be careful, though. Don't free-dive without proper training or proper gear. Free-dive spearfishing is more dangerous than scuba spearfishing. There are a few good instructors on the west coast. They can teach you how to avoid the dangers and help double or even triple your depth.

Next weekend, many of the best in the nation will be at the St. Pete Open spearfishing tournament. The weigh-in is from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn Sunspree in St. Petersburg. For details, go to www.spearfishingspuc.org.

Bill Hardman teaches scuba, spearfishing and free diving through Aquatic Obsessions Scuba in St. Petersburg. Call (727) 344-3483.

[Last modified August 12, 2006, 02:50:08]