Floats

The float is an essential piece of equipment in spear fishing safety as well as a welcomed workhorse to the spearo. There are two major categories of floats; inflatable and foam filled.

• Inflatable floats are less expensive and easier to store and transport. The downside is that they generally provide less floatation and being air filled opens up several points of failure. One obvious point is that an air leak can leave you stranded without a float at all. The less obvious point is that air compresses at depth. With the decreased floatation power, a strong fish will have a better chance of pulling the float under water. The deeper the fish pulls the float, the less floatation power the float will have. Eventually the float will collapse to the point at which it will not be able to return to the surface and you will more than likely lose the fish and any gear attached to the float. This is of greater concern when diving in depths beyond 100ft (30m). Inflatable floats are generally available in torpedo, round, or raft shapes. It is also important to consider the covering when looking at inflatable floats. Some floats have a weak plastic coating, whereas others have a very strong woven nylon or Cordura covering.

Inflatable Torpedo, Round, & Raft Floats
(click picture for details)

• Foam floats are slightly more expensive and can be more difficult to store and transport. However, foam floats offer increased flotation power and can maintain this power to much greater depths. They also have a nearly zero percent chance of failure at the surface. Foam floats are most commonly found in torpedo shapes.

Foam Torpedo floats
(click picture for details) Safety When looking at the safety factors, the float indicates the location of the diver as well as a general signaling to any surface craft that diving activity is taking place within the vicinity of the float / buoy. A flag is often added to a float, and sometimes required by law, to increase the effective range of craft signaling. (Note: a weight on the underside of the float is often required to counter-balance the flag and keep the flag upright in the surf) In general a surface craft is required to maintain a minimum distance of 150’ (46m) from a divers float. This is a very general reference. Please check the laws in the area of which you will be boating or diving. A float can also provide floating refuge for a diver that is injured or suffering from bad cramps. Some floats (torpedo shaped or raft type) provide enough room for a diver to lay across them while signaling for help or resting until regaining strength to swim to safety or get picked up by a boat. Function Floats also provide floating storage for your spare guns, bands, wishbones, etc… as well as your fish stringer. Most floats have many areas to clip these items to and will be greatly appreciated by the free diver during an extended outing. A float also is an essential tool in the recovery of larger prey. If rigged correctly (view the float rigging guide), the float will be attached to the fish by way of the spear. This allows you to track a fish on the run and aids in recovery of the catch. Although floats do not provide as much function to a spearo on SCUBA, they do provide the safety.

Common SCUBA dive flag (click picture for details)
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