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Does Your Spearfishing Buddy Have Your Back?

September 13, 2021/in News, Public Service Announcements /by Nicola Stepanek

Once or twice a year, we hear of an elite level diver who died while spearfishing alone. Sadly, most of those experienced divers have been in the sport long enough to have had some exposure to or formal training in safety protocols. In other words, they fully understand the risks that come with ignoring freediving safety protocols. Just as if they were driving without wearing a seat belt or driving under the influence, those divers made the fatal decision to spearfish without a buddy. Whether they believed their experience, amassed from hundreds of dives to much greater depths, would allow them to safely dive “within their limits” and handle any dangerous situations that might arise, or whether they believed shallow water blackout fatalities only happen to other people, we’ll never know. They are no longer with us.

So what happens when you’re spearfishing with an experienced diver you (prior to the session) admire, but the diver is not diving safely? How do you handle those awkward situations? Given that such divers are more experienced and older than we are, shouldn’t we follow their lead? In a word, no.

Every spearfishing session should start with a few safety drills, such as LMC rescue on the surface or blackout underwater. This is a great time to warm up and refresh some of the important safety techniques learned in your formal training. Also, this first five to ten minutes of diving sets the tone for the rest of the session. You know you’re both on the same page, and your dive buddy is putting safety (i.e., your life) first.

Above photo: FII-certified freedivers Dylan Currier and Cory Fults practice shallow water blackout rescue drills on the surface. Image by Perrin James Franta.

 

By asking new dive buddies beforehand if they are formally trained in freediving safety procedures and asking to practice a few safety drills at the start of the session, you’re addressing any safety concerns before entering the water with them. Never assume an older, more experienced spearo will always follow the safety rules or is formally trained in safety procedures.During the session, if you notice your partner is distracted by the environment, a friendly reminder before you start your dive like, “Hey, safety, are you watching me?” should bring your partner’s focus back to the number one job. If your partner remains distracted, then it’s time to pull the plug. If you value your life and your buddy won’t follow the safety procedures, then you must finish the dive session. There is a real and present risk that one of you may not come home that night. It’s not only the unsafe diver who’s at risk; you are too because your partner doesn’t have your back. A few minutes of uncomfortable conversation with your dive buddy to end the session is a million times easier than explaining to a hysterical, grieving mother, father, spouse, or child how a loved one died under your watch.

While unsafe and unethical spearos commonly are blacklisted from spearfishing trips, safe spearos become highly sought-after dive buddies, not because they pass the vibe check or are killer spearos but because they have proven an unwavering commitment to following safety protocols. You know that person has your back. Those are the people you should admire.

FreediveSafe! offers formal freediving and spearfishing training to the local community at no cost. To register your interest in an upcoming event, please preregister at www.freedivesafe.org.

shallow water blackout safety protocals

Key freediving and spearfishing safety rules everyone must follow to FreediveSafe!

 

 

 

Tags: dive buddy, freediving buddy, safe spearfishing
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We're super stoked to see this article on our work We're super stoked to see this article on our work by Free Range American www.freerangeamerican.us and @bigisleboy24. It's a great read, go check it out! Photos by @_akrphotography

“These kids get to listen to somebody that they watch their videos online and that they see on Instagram with fish,” Lee said. “It’s so cool to go to these classes and these kids are just sitting on the edge of the seat listening to what you’re saying."

"I tell them, I’ve gotten to see parts of this world that this little Honaka’a boy probably shouldn’t have ever gotten to see,” he said. “But because spearfishing was such a big part of who I am and what I like to do, and advancing the way that I did by doing it safely — that it was my ticket around the world.” @bigisleboy24

Read the full article at www.freerangeamerican.us

#hawaiifishing #hawaiihunting #spearfishinghawaii
#spearfishingsafety
#freedivesafehawaii
#freediverblackout
Our next Big Island youth freediving/spearfishing Our next Big Island youth freediving/spearfishing safety event will be hosted in Kailua-Kona on Sunday, 24th July with @moistmaninis and @merlifehawaii. This full day safety training event is FREE and open to 12-25-year-old Big Island residents. 
Participants must pre-register at www.freedivesafe.org 

We've been having a great year and we're stoked to have already trained forty eight Big Island youth in spearfishing safety! Let's keep it up! 🤙🏽

#hawaiioceansafety
#spearfishingsafety #hawaiifishing #freedivesafehawaii #kona @_popsspearfishingshop_ @konafreedivers @evolvediving #konatown
Our first FREE community safety event on Maui! Mah Our first FREE community safety event on Maui! Mahalo to the County of Maui for granting us permission to host the first spearfishing safety training event on the island! This training is so important for our community and pool access is key to sharing this safety training with our community. Mahalo to our volunteer instructors @garrettandrewmoss and @lionsdenfreediving for teaching the event. Congratulations to our wonderful group of students who showed up on a Sunday to learn lifesaving skills to stay safe while spearfishing. 

We love this sport and want everyone to enjoy it safely!!!!

www.freedivesafe.org 

#spearfishinghawaii #hawaiispearfishing #freediverblackout  #hawaiifishing
We're super excited to return to Kaunakakai on Jul We're super excited to return to Kaunakakai on July 9th, 2022  to share this important safety training with the residents of Molokai! FreediveSafe! Board of Directors member @tpupuhi is a Molokai waterwomen and she's played a key role in the development of FreediveSafe! Hawaii. 

The event will be hosted during the Molokai Holokai Hol'olaule'a, a 2-day paddle festival hosted by Youth in Motion and the Stand Up Paddle Association of Molokai, sponsored by County of Maui and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The FreediveSafe team will be participating in this paddling event to raise awareness for spearfishing fatalities in the islands. This is going to be a fun event and we're excited to be a part of it! 

See you soon Molokai 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

#molokai #hawaiispearfishing #imua #letsgo!
Thanks for joining us, Kirah! We really enjoy shar Thanks for joining us, Kirah! We really enjoy sharing this important safety training with our young divers. Most of us didn't have access to this training when we started out spearfishing or freediving and we weren't aware of the risks involved in the sport. By making these courses accessible we are ensuring the next generation is starting out on the right foot and can enjoy this incredible sport, safely!

 www.freedivesafe.org
FreediveSafe! Hawai'i, 501(C)(3) is providing spea FreediveSafe! Hawai'i, 501(C)(3) is providing spearfishing and freediving safety training to Hawai'i residents at no cost. This video was shot during our recent 2022 Big Island Youth Spearfishing Safety course at Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea on May 28, 2022. 

The event was lead by USA National Spearfishing Champion, Justin Lee whom many of these young divers look up as their role model! Mahalo to Justin Lee @bigisleboy24 for inspiring and leading our Hawai'i spearfishing community to safer waters. Mahalo to FII Instructors Dylan Currier @thesaltyskipper, Sandy Hammel @sandyseabottom and event organizer Niki Stepanek @nikistepanek.

And thank you to our volunteer team of Moheni , Phin and Jason Wooldridge, Jen Brant, Julia Donath, and Alyssa Rodrigues. 

This program was supported by Kukio Community Fund, Kona Sports Center, and Freediving Instructors International with gear support provided by Kohala Divers. 

www.freedivesafe.org, a 501(C)(3) Hawaii-based nonprofit organization serving the local spearfishing community.

#spearfishinghawaii
Mahalo to our FreediveSafe! Waimea team for anothe Mahalo to our FreediveSafe! Waimea team for another successful event! 

FII Instructors Dylan Currier @makaifreediving @thesaltyskipper,  Sandy Hammel @sandyseabottom

Event Leader & Instructor @bigisleboy24

FreediveSafe! Volunteers Julia Donath @juliadonath, @_allysssa, Moheni, Jason and Phin @saltedberries @hamakua.haole

FreediveSafe! Board of Directors/Secretary @jenbrant 

FreediveSafe! Founder/Event Organizer @nikistepanek 
 
Gear support provided by @kohaladivers

Classroom and pool provided by @hawaiiprep

@hawaiicommunityfoundation
@konasportscenter
@fii_freedive

And everyone who helped spread the word and ensure the success of this event!  #ittakesavillage #behindthescenes #freedivesafehawaii #nonprofitsrunoncommunitylove
Thanks for joining us, Dominic @d.christensen_21 ! Thanks for joining us, Dominic @d.christensen_21 ! We're glad you had a great time, and you're encouraging your friends to take the course! Dive safe 🤙🏽

10/10 🙌

FreediveSafe! Hawai'i
Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Waimea, Big Island 
05-28-2022

#spearfishingsafety #freedivesafehawaii 
#spearfishingfatalityprevention 
#hawaiioceansafety
USA National Spearfishing Champion & FreediveSafe USA National Spearfishing Champion & FreediveSafe Instructor @bigisleboy24 returns from his outdoor adventure travels to lead another youth safety event at Hawaii Preparatory Academy on Saturday, May 28th, 2022. 

We're excited to host another maximum capacity event to help ensure our young divers are trained in important freediving/spearfishing safety training protocols as we enter the key summer months. This free training is proven to save lives!

Mahalo to Justin Lee for volunteering your time to help keep our divers safe!

Photo: Justin with a #winsomelosesomebutitsalwaysfun kine catch. 

www.freedivesafe.org 

#spearfishinghawaij #spearfishing #hawaiifishing #hawaiioceansafety #spearfishingblackoutawareness 
#bigislandspearfishing #freedivesafehawaii #jleestories
We're coming for you, Maui!!! It's been a difficul We're coming for you, Maui!!! It's been a difficult battle to get this event on the books, and we'd like to thank Maui County Parks and Recreation for prioritizing the safety of our divers. 

The event will be hosted at the beautiful Kihei Aquatic Center with FII Instructors @garrettandrewmoss
and @lionsdenfreediving.

Registrations are now open at www.freedivesafe.org.

See you soon!

#mauicounty #spearfishingfatalityprevention #hawaiioceansafety #keihi #mauispearfishing
May is National Water Safety Awareness Month. Here May is National Water Safety Awareness Month. Here is some old data that shows the importance of our work. Since 2011, the sport of freediving has multiplied in popularity - especially amongst our youth!

Freediving and spearfishing accounted for 50% of all fatal ocean incidents involving Hawaii residents between Jan-July 2020 (State of Hawaii Department of Health).

We are entering the most notorious months for spearfishing-related fatalities, and we must raise awareness around the importance of making modern basic freediving safety training free and accessible to all communities. Young lives depend on it!

FreediveSafe! Hawaii is the only 501(C)(3) nonprofit addressing this need in the community. 

Mahalo nui loa to everyone who is supporting our mission. 

www.freedivesafe.org

#freedivesafehawaii
#freedivinghawaii
#spearfishinghawaii
Dylan Currier @thesaltyskipper doing a nice drop t Dylan Currier @thesaltyskipper doing a nice drop to 50 meters/165 feet during an @fii_freedive training session. 

We're excited to have Dylan teaching this weekend at our Waimea event! He is an electrical engineer, spearfisherman, multi-level  FII-certified freediving instructor and owner/operator @makaifreediving. 

www.freedivesafe.org

#hawaiifreediving #hawaiifishing #bigisland #freedivinginstructor #kona #holualoa  #freedivesafehawaii
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