Gear Maintenance

Introduction

Spearfishing gear is subject to salt, sand and other elements of nature, proper maintenance is needed if you want to keep it functioning optimally for a long time. One of the main two culprits to watch out for is salt and direct sunlight, it will kill some of your gear in a matter of weeks or months if you do not remove all traces of salt from your gear and keep it out of direct sunlight. 

The most important thing to do after after each time you use is to rinse your gear thoroughly with fresh water. This can be done with a garden hose, in the shower (using a removable shower head) or in the bathtub. If I am going out again next day I usually just rinse it real well with the hose/shower head and let it dry (out of the sunlight). If I will not use it for a while, I do as described above and then I fill the bathtub with lots of fresh water and put in all items that sink and let them soak well for several hours (changing the water at least once). It is important to make sure the gear is well dried before long storage.

I will go through the list of gear most spearfishermen have and share what I do to keep it in a good shape.

Speargun

The speargun is the most complex gear you own, it is also the most important item (you can get away with not having anything else if the need be). Spearguns can oxidize due to salt and air (or even simply the contact of some of the metals that they are made of (e.g. aluminium + stainless steel), the mechanisms can lock up due to oxidization or sand, wooden spearguns can warp, bands/slings can degrade, etc. As mentioned in the introduction the most important thing to do after a hunting session is done is to rinse it well. Special care must be given to the mechanisms (trigger, line release, reel), I try to inject as mush water inside it via the multiple openings as I can. If you put it in the bathtub make sure the spear is on the speargun so it sinks and I let it soak well for several hours. I also make sure I rinse in between where the slings are in contact with anything to remove anything that could help to degrade them during storage. Also important is to make sure it is thoroughly dried to reduce any oxidization. It is also a good idea to take the spears out of the mechanism for longer term storage. Once in a while (I do this every two or three years) you can clean/oil the trigger and line release mechanisms. If you are not comfortable taking apart your speargun then just inject some WD-40 (not too much!) inside the mechanism using the "straw"). Be very careful not to get any on the bands/slings as it eats/degrades rubber (think of what you learned in sex-ed about Vaseline and condoms, same issue!).

Slings/Bands

I have pretty much summed it up on these in the post above (speargun), but I would also add that sunlight is very bad for rubber. It is recommended to store them in a cool dry place out of light. Some people use silicon grease to keep them supple and others go as fare as putting them in a zip-lock bag (make sure there is not humidity inside) and store them in the refrigerator. Some say that the ideal temperature is between 10°C and 25°C and should be stable. Ozone is also bad for the rubber so watch out for this, ozone more prevalent in hot & sunny periods and in smog.

Shaft/Spear/Points

Cheap shafts & tips are made with "standard" stainless steel. This is great for oxidization but not so good for hardness (they deform/warp easily). The good ones are made of a different type of stainless steel, often 17-4PH hardened stainless steel (or something similar). This type of steel resembles SAE 304 in terms of corrosion resistance, which means it is not as "rust proof " as the cheaper stuff. A thin layer of oxidization can form on it but it should not corrode like non-stainless steal. To keep it rust free I do the following:

1. Rinse it well with fresh water
2. Dry it well
3. Put some WD-40 on a rag or paper towel and rub it well against the metal

The idea with step 4 is to deposit a thin layer of WD-40 on the metal to protect it. WD-40 also removes any oxidization that could have already started. When I get ready to use it I rub the metal with a clean rag or paper towel to remove it. As mentioned in the speargun section of this post I recommend storing the shaft off the speargun so any oxidization from either does not contaminate the other.

Reel

If you have a reel make sure you rinse it well. I like to let it soak in the tub so the salt leaves the mechanism and the line. I also inject water where there are small spaces. Let it dry thoroughly, this can take a while with braided line.

Knife

The knife, if not made from Titanium, can rust also. Some knives have a layer of Teflon on most of the blade to prevent oxidization but in some places such as the cutting edge or the region where the blade goes in the handle, rust can form. As with all the gear rinse and dry well, but also use some silicon grease to protect the blade when you are not using it.

Mask

The mask sounds like a no-maintenance item and it mostly is, you can just rinse it well. I like to clean the inside with some toothpaste as mentioned in my "Mask fogging up?" post. I usually let the toothpaste dry so it protects the inside from any oils and when I want to use it I just let it soak in the water a bit and shake the toothpaste out.

Neoprene (wetsuit, socks, gloves, etc)

The wetsuit requires special care too. I rinse it very well and let it dry out of sunlight. UV light degrades rubbers and Neoprene is essentially rubber with nitrogen bubbles in it. It is important to dry it inside and out; if you do not mold could settle in and this is very hard to remove (and it stinks!). I have read that you can wash a wetsuit if it starts to smell (mine never have). Some people just use a little laundry detergent (the kind you use to hand wash wool/silk) mixed with water in a tub. Just rub the neoprene well, let it soak some, rinse well and dry. I have even read some people sick it in the washing machine on the delicate cycle (the one for wool) and let it run (using the same type of laundry detergent). I am not sure I would try, I guess it depends on if the first method failed, but if you do try make sure the temperature and the spin is low (it should be if you have a dedicated wool cycle). Never, I repeat, never use the drying machine! To store a wetsuit is is best to lay it out flat in a cool dry place out of light. You could also try one of those wetsuit hangers but since apnea wetsuits are more elastic than scuba wesuits you could get some deformation from the pull of gravity. If you have an open-cell wetsuit, try to keep the rubber from touching itself to prevent it from sticking. You could for example stuff it with cloth.

The rest of the gear

The rest of the gear is essentially minimal maintenance, just rinse & dry well and store in a dry dark place.

Conclusion

If you rinse your gear well after every use and store it correctly it should last you much longer than if you do not. As with everything is is a question of inverting time to care about your investment but sometimes circumstances make it harder to do it well. In this case just stick to the minimal maintenance which is: rinse & dry well and keep out of sunlight.

As with all my posts, if you have questions or comments please don't hesitate to write below in the comments section!

Review: Omer Alien Mask

Introduction

The Omer Alien mask is a low profile frameless mask that has a small internal volume. It is one of the most popular masks out there and it was built with spearfishing/freediving in mind. The build quality is good, it is all back but I believe you can get camo, green or brown too. It is light, fits well and looks good:

Specifications

• Internal volume: 115 cm³
• Field of vision is 106cm x 145cm (H x W)
• Weight 164g
• Skirt material: silicon
• Lens material: tempered glass

Design

It has a simple design, no extra stuff that is not really needed. The one I got was all back. It has no frame which gives it a smaller profile, the buckles are directly attached to the skirt which further reduces the drag. The strap is quite good. it has big "teeth"/ridges/whatever they are called, this means it does not change settings easily, even when you take it off; I hate masks that loosen easily.

Fit

Masks are rather personal as they have to fit really well. I must mention I have a neanderthal's forehead, so this makes finding a good fit not so easy for me. A good fit means two things: It doesn't leak: to test this put it on without the strap and suck in all the air through your nose, if you put your face down (look at your feet) it should not fall off. It should not have pressure points: to rest this I press on the mask (towards my face) to simulate pressure and hold it like that for a couple of minutes, usually less. You quickly see if there are points that press on your face more than others. Imagine now having that for 3-5 hours, that will translate to pain. The mask should also have a low profile so that you don't have to equalize the air inside as much) thus losing valuable oxygen. Another important part is the access to the nose, some masks don't have enough space to fit fingers with thick glove (to equalize, not to pick your nose ;-)), the Alien has a good access. Then there is the skirt color/opacity. A transparent skirt sounds nice (don't go there...) but it may allow light to reflect on the inner glass, a black opaque skirt is better in that regard; some people feel claustrophobic with a black skirt however. The skirt itself is soft and feels good even after a couple of hours of wearing it.

Facial hair

I have facial hair, so when I go spearfishing I have to shave, even with this mask. A slight stubble and it leaks, I have not found a low volume mask that does not have this issue. I have an old non-low volume mask, the kind for snorkeling that hugs your face like an octopus once you go 3m deep, that can handle a goatee with no issues. I heard some people put Vaseline on the mustache but I try to stay away from greasy substances that could make my mask fog up. I wondered if mustache wax could work but I decided to just shave as it is easier.

Conclusion

I find this mask to be quite good. I tried about 7 different masks in the store before buying this one, it had the best fit. I think you can't go wrong with this mask, if the fit is good for your face.

Mask fogging up?

Some of you may have issues with your mask fogging up. This is usually due to some sort of greasy residue on the inside of the glass (I'm supposing you have tempered glass). If the mask is new this is often caused by the manufacturing process; if it is not new this is often due to you touching the inside of the glass with a greasy finger (e.g. with sunscreen, body oil, sweat). A foggy mask can ruin a dive. I have tried using spit, this worked ok but not as well as I expected. I tried special sprays, this didn't work as expected. I found this tip and have used it successfully ever since, after a dive:

1. Rinse the mask well with fresh water; this removes the salt.
2. Clean the inside with liquid dish detergent (the kind used hand wash dishes); this removes the grease. You can skip this step if you don't have any, it should be ok.
3. Once dry, spread (using clean fingers) toothpaste on the inside glass and let it dry; this cleans any hard to remove residue without scratching the glass and protects it while in storage.
4. When you want to use it just submerge it in water and shake it around; the toothpaste will go away (it may take a minute or two).
5. Do not ever touch it with greasy fingers!

I hope this helps someone.