Freediving Vs. Scuba Underwater Hunting

The world of underwater hunting is divided into two camps or schools of thought

Free diving vs. scuba diver

Sure, there is cross over between the two - usually you fall in to one group more than the other.

The difference?

Free diving: mask - snorkel - weight belt -knife - wetsuit - speargun -fins
         Pros: Simple - not a ton of gear - quiet
         Cons: bottom time limited to a single breath of air - elitist - 

Scuba: Mask -Snorkel - Weights ( belt and or BC or both ) - Knife - Regulator - Buoyancy Compensator - Tank - Gauges - Wetsuit - Speargun - Fins
         Pros: long bottom time
         Cons: Noisy - Has a hippie, tree hugger factor - a lot of gear - heavy out of water -

Which is better?

Great question - I do both or it could be said go both ways . .. . . . . all kidding aside, there is no one better than another.
Lets start with freediving
Freediving lends itself to some magical connection with the sea that tend to turn  the enthusiasts kind of elitists. Some , not all , but a minor majority think they are more connected to the sea. That there is some magic connected with free diving. To me it is pure physics, how long can I hold my breath to what kind of fish I'm stalking. The magic part I never got. I have read many books on underwater hunting , some are hardly worth the paper they are printed on because of this elitist factor , some that come to mind are the ones by Carl eyes - The best one of recent memory  is the Blue Water Hunter by Terry Mass, highly recommend it

Cool thing about freediving is the simplicity - and the girls are better looking . . .so I'm shallow

Suit up , snap on your weight belt , your good to go -

Time in the water is longer because you are not limited to how much air you carry on you back. My day free diving is 2-3hrs long , while scuba I'm lucky to get an hour total time in water.


Scuba Diving lends itself to some sense of "I know better" because I'm underwater. . . or so I think . . never could figure it out. The majority of scuba people don't hunt that much.  I do. Hunting gives me purpose in the water, I like seafood. Scuba is fun , I love hunting lobster at depth on Scuba.

So back to the question which is better?

Depends on you mood. That is it . I say do both , don't limit yourself.

In general some of the more skittish fish, such as the white seabass, on the west coast are better hunted via the breath hold/ freediver. In fact the only way you can take abalone legally is freediving.
Scuba is fun to hunt halibut, sheep head , calico bass etc. . . .  not to say you cant hunt the more skittish fish on scuba, it is easier to get closer when you are quiet and not blowing bubbles everywhere!
Spiny Lobster I hunt both methods -

Bottom line there is no better method - it is all about having fun!!!

Which do I do more?
Freedive -