Someone just mailed me this pic and I started thinking about spearfishing mishaps and accidents.

I thought there may be some value in it for us all if we start discussing spearfishing mishaps and accidents specifically focusing on what happened, why it happened, the thinking that caused the accident, how it could have been avoided, how it was handled and how it could have been handled better.

So please share your stories, no matter how "small" the incident was. If you prefer, feel free to leave out names locations and dates if it is sensitive or if it involves a fatality and you don't want to discuss it too much.

This can only make us all a bit safer.

Shoot

Rule # 1:

Dont shoot your buddy in the ass. No matter what he said about your mother..

When I first started in this sport, I was told by the guy mentoring me never to unload my gun until I hit the beach, in case I saw a fish in the break. Well, when we are new at something and getting tons of advice and trying to remember everything, etc. it can sometimes be a case of 'information overload'. On more than 1 occasion I'd forget to unload my gun because of that. Once I was cleaning off my kit under the beach shower, only to finally click that my gun was still loaded. Another time I saw my gun was still loaded when I was putting it into my car. The worst was after I'd cleaned all my kit, got home and packed it to one side in the patio area, that I realised my gun was still loaded .

After that, it took me a long time before I could trust myself to unload after I hit the sand. Until I was 100% confident with myself, I made it a policy to unload before entering the break.

The worst was after I'd cleaned all my kit, got home and packed it to one side in the patio area, that I realised my gun was still loaded

Jeesh, that's hectic. Potential horror story with kids about.

I dived with a chap in Durban one day and waited for him topside to finish his bottom time. As he started ascending I dived turning my face away from him, as I reached the bottom in 5m his spear hit a Galjoen the size of my hand not even a foot in front of my face. I could not even manage a few seconds bottom time for a few dives and upon leaving the sea noticed the b@#$%rd not even having this dead Galjoen with him. Him and all others like him is not welcome with me anymore and I truly hope nothing bad should ever happen.

Haha, there have been a few I'd like to forget.

Almost drowning myself after getting my spear stuck in redbait in the surf in the Transkei after unknowingly swimming into shallow water in pursuit of a brusher, and not having a sharp enough knife to easily cut myself free from the resulting tangle that had me pinned to the bottom.

Also exiting the water and only noticing my gun was still loaded while washing my gear!

Going shore-diving in horrible weather after indulging in way too much peri-peri prawns and getting violently ill and weak out at sea - that was a kak one (literally).

The list goes on longer than I'd like to admit... Hahaha.