Level 1 Spearfishing Course

Learn to Spearfish!

Location: Nelson Bay, NSW
Prerequisites: Be able to swim 200m unaided. 
Gear Needed: Just freediving gear. You do not need your own speargun to attend, we will supply spearguns for you to practice with.
Spots Per Course: 8 people max. 
Who is this course suitable for? Complete Beginners to those who have only been spearfishing a couple of times, or those with 'all the gear and no idea'!!

Our most highly requested course is back! Introducing the re-vamped Level 1 Spearfishing Course.

This course is designed to level you up, so that you will skip years of figuring it out yourself. Everything that will be taught is a summation of almost 20 years combined experience, put together carefully to ensure this is the most in depth, safe, up to date and fun beginner spearfishing course that's ever been run in Australia!

The Level 1 Spearfishing Course is run by our freediving & spearfishing instructors, who spear at 30 metres plus depth and have managed to shoot some incredible fish and hold Australian Records for spearfishing. 

Our spearfishing instructors are so dedicated to constantly learning and evolving as spearos, that they are the first ISA certified Spearfishing Instructors in Australia. ISA is the most up to date and in-depth Spearfishing teaching organisation that was written by the biggest names in Spearfishing in the world today. 

Asides from experience, our spearfishing instructors are passionate about helping to educate others on this life changing skill, and won't hold back sharing all of their knowledge.

The course will run over 2 days and will involve a mixture of interactive theory sessions and open water dive sessions. After the jam-packed 2 days, you will have all the tools and skills to become the self sufficient, underwater hunter you've always dreamed of being. Here's what you will be learning:

Day 1
8am-4pm

Two interactive theory sessions covering the topics:

• Spearfishing Gear
• Freediving for Spearfishing (Breath-hold, equalisation, technique)
• Target species and Fish Identification
• Choosing where to dive for the most success
  
• Fish Identification
• How to load a speargun with ease
• Basic hunting tactics that will land you fish
• Fish/Bottom Approach
• Landing Fish Correctly (how to secure your catch once it's been shot)
• How to quickly and safely dispatch a fish once it's been shot
• Laws & Ethics of Spearfishing

The theory sessions will incorporate videos to show examples. 

AFTERNOON CONFINED WATER SKILLS SESSION (1.5 hours)
This first water session will incorporate so many core spearfishing skills that you will need to know before the dive sessions on day 2. 

Day 2
8am-4pm

Morning Open Water Skills Session 1 (1.5-2 hours)

Theory session covering:

• Lobsters & Abalone (How to grab & how to prepare to eat)
• Use of Burley and Flashers
• Spearfishing safety
• Shark behaviour and reducing your risk
• Species Specific hunting tactics (Snapper, Kingfish, reef vs bluewater)
• How to be a great dive buddy & get invited back out on boats
• Learn how to gut & scale a fish
• Learn how to filet a fish (and the difference between when to fillet & when to gut & scale)
• Seafood storage/preparation 

Afternoon Open Water Skills Session 2 (1.5-2 hours)

Limited Spots Available, small group numbers of 8 with a student to instructor ratio of 4:1 for maximum learning. 

Gear Hire
If you need to hire all of the freediving gear, the cost is $60 for the weekend.

Make sure you possess a current NSW fishing licence and download the FishSmart app (nsw.gov.au) to check NSW's local fishing regulations and marine park locations before heading out spearfishing. 


OPTIONAL: After completing the Level 1 Spearfishing Course, you have the option to complete an additional day of theory and practical sesssions to gain your ISA Spearo Certification. These sessions will be broken up into multiple afternoon/evening sessions in the following weeks and will require an additional fee.