Free Divers

Free Divers in South Africa

Free Divers has designed, tested and manufactured spearfishing and freediving gear in Durban since 1997, and the company was started by Shane Breedt. In the shop it covers the guns, the spares and line that keep them working, and the bags, floats and weights that go with them.

Choosing a speargun

The Protege Elite and the Infinity Stratos are single-band guns with a 16mm band and a 6.5mm spear, and the Rubicon Horizon is the next step for reef and pelagic hunting without a heavy rig. The Ranger Elite, Rubicon Zenith and Infinity Sphere each come in a blue water version as well, for longer shots in open water. The Kraken and Leviathan are roller guns: the band runs over a roller muzzle, which keeps it under tension for more of the spear's travel. A longer gun reaches further in clear water and turns more slowly in a gully, so match the length to where you dive. Compare the range in spearguns.

Matching the gun to the diver

Free Divers lists a level on each gun, which is a useful starting point. The Protege Elite and the Rubicon Horizon are listed as beginner to intermediate and the Infinity Stratos as entry to intermediate, all on aluminium barrels from 50cm to 120cm in 10cm steps. The Rubicon Zenith steps up to intermediate, with a single 20mm band and a 7mm single notch spear. The Ranger Elite and the blue water versions are listed as advanced, and the blue water guns carry two 16mm bands and a 7mm double notch spear for more power over distance. More band means a harder load, so a first gun that a diver can load cleanly on the surface tends to get used well.

The bigger guns come in aluminium or carbon fibre. On the single-band Sphere, Zenith and Ranger the carbon barrels run from 80cm to 120cm, and on the blue water versions carbon is offered at 100cm, 110cm and 120cm, so check the length you want is listed in the barrel you want. The Kraken and Leviathan rollers come in 90cm to 120cm, with or without bearings in the rollers. Free Divers describes the non-bearing rollers as suited to sandy ground and the bearing rollers as giving a faster release. The Leviathan adds a kicker, with one 16mm band on the kicker and one on the roller muzzle, and both rollers come with a 35cm load assist for loading.

Spares, rigging and the kit around the gun

A speargun is a set of parts that wear at different rates. Speargun rubber and hollow bungee are sold per metre, with a roller rubber attachment kit and DIY wishbones for re-rigging. Triggers, trigger cassettes, safeties, line releases, handles and muzzles are sold separately, so a damaged part can be swapped without replacing the gun. Spears come as single notch, double notch and shark fin, with spare barbs. See spears and barbs and speargun spares and rubbers.

Rubbers, spears and line

Speargun rubber is US latex, sold per metre in 14mm, 16mm or 20mm with an amber core, and the DIY wishbone plugs in with no tools. Spears are high tensile spring steel with an anti-corrosive coating, in lengths from 90cm to 1.7m in 10cm steps, and each comes with a Free Divers barb fitted. Spare barbs with pins come in 65mm, 82mm and 92mm. Match a new spear's diameter and notch pattern to the gun it's going on, and if in doubt, compare it with the old one. Dyneema cord in 2mm is listed at 22kg and suits shooting line and soft wishbones, while 2mm braided reel line comes in four colours.

Between the gun and the surface there are horizontal and belt reels, braided line and Dyneema cord, gun and float boingis and float line, in reels, lines and boingis, plus snoek and couta flashers, a fish stringer and clips in flashers and clips. A 5.5 litre pressurised float, an inflatable float and an alpha dive flag mark a diver on the surface; find them in buoys and floats. Cray bags, a cray net, a crayfish measure, a cooler box and padded gun, gunnel and fin bags are in spearfishing bags. Rubber weight belts, leg straps and retainers are in weight belts, lead and drop weights in weights, and the black open cell wetsuit, in 3.5mm or 5mm, is in freediving wetsuits.

Weights and floats for the session

The Free Divers rubber weight belt is monoprene, which resists salt water, sunlight and temperature changes, in S to XL and black, blue or green, with weights sold separately. A leg strap, in M or L, stops the belt sliding up the body. The drop weight has a quick-release clip for extra lead on the descent that can be let go. On the surface, the 5.5 litre pressurised float is low density polyethylene, 53cm long, orange, with clips at each end. The inflatable float has a high-visibility yellow top and grab loops, and works as a training base, a rest stop and a position marker. For training set-ups and down lines there's 11mm static line by the metre, and the PVC fish chiller bags run from a 20 litre Baby to a 130 litre Large.

Reels and spool capacity

The horizontal and belt reels share a glass-filled nylon body, a stainless steel bracket and a dynamic drag. Each takes a 50m standard spool or a 40m slim line spool, and the line you choose sets the capacity: the standard spool holds 50m of 2mm braid, 60m of 1.8mm dyneema or 70m of 1.5mm dyneema, with 10m less of each on the slim line. Both reels can be ordered with no line or with braid or dyneema already wound on. Float lines come in 15m, 30m and 40m, and float boingis in 1m, 3m and 5m to soak up the pull of a fish on the float rig.

Caring for a speargun

Salt and sun do most of the damage. Rinse the gun, reel and rubbers in fresh water after every session, work the trigger and line release while they're wet, and let everything dry out of direct sun. Latex rubbers perish faster in heat, so store them unloaded and away from the car's back window. The hollow bungee wants the same treatment. A rubber spear tip protector covers the point in transport, and the padded gun bag, at 190cm, and the 2m PVC gun bag keep a long barrel from taking knocks. Check the wishbones and rubbers for nicks before each trip, and replace a rubber that shows cracks before it's loaded again.

Spares and fitting at the Glenvista shop

Our servicing desk handles regulators, BCDs, cylinders and dive computers, so spearguns aren't serviced there. What the shop can do is match parts. Tell us the gun model and we'll help you find the right part. If you also scuba dive, the gear servicing page covers what we take in.