Learn the basics of becoming a safe and effective underwater hunter in our full day course!
*Disclaimer: There is no course that will immediately make you a top tier spearo or speara because it is a sport that requires time and repetition. However, you can learn techniques that will greatly increase your hunting success, and more importantly the factors to keep at the forefront in order to keep yourself safe in a dynamic environment.
We will spend a couple hours in the classroom to go over hunting techniques, different gear setups, regulations, and safety measures. Then we will hop on the boat and dive the Coronado Islands for its clearer water (usually 10-20' better visibility than coastal San Diego), abundant life, and excellent structure from 5' deep to 60' deep and beyond. Here we will go through some rescues and safety protocols, set up a target to practice loading and shooting, develop fish ID while diving with the gun unloaded, and finish off with some full on hunting.
Our guides are certified freediving instructors who have a passion for spearfishing, and the experience to go with it. Over the years of teaching spearfishing to hundreds of students, our team has found a student to instructor ratio of 3:1 is the maximum to be safe and effective. This means you will get a lot of personalized instruction with someone who is keeping an eye out for safety and is professionally trained to help you improve all aspects of your freediving and hunting techniques. We hand pick our instructors and are obnoxiously selective because in addition to being a skilled diver and hunter, we look for instructors who are personable and able to determine the needs of each individual student. They are also a ton of fun
Pre-Requisites:
The biggest factor in spearfishing is your ability to freedive. You don't have to dive deep, but you need to be comfortable in open water, kicking long distances on the surface, and making smooth dives consistently. If any of these are a challenge, adding hunting with a loaded weapon to the equation is overwhelming at best, and at worst a safety risk to yourself and the others around. Because of this, taking a Beginner Freediver Course is a mandatory pre-requisite. It doesn't have to be through our shop, as long as it is through a reputable agency you are all set (Molchanovs/FII/PFI/PADI/AIDA/SSI). While the best option is to do a freediving course separately, we do offer a combination Beginner Freediver + Spearfishing Course if you want to go that route. We have found this to be too much to absorb for people brand new to the sport, but if you have experience this can be a good option. These are found under our Beginner Freediver Course, with the option to select W1 + Spear at checkout.
Over the past 4 years our team has taught over 1000 students and put what we have learned into our program. Here are a few things that differentiate us from many other freediving schools.
Included: Classroom instruction, captain and guide, charter to Coronado Islands with fuel included
Not Included: Passport, Mexican Fishing License (~$15 for 1 day), dive gear, spearfishing gear, fish processing, food and drinks
Equipment
- A 5mm 2 piece freediving wetsuit is required, along with fins, mask, snorkel, and a weight belt with ~12lbs of weight. Booties and gloves recommended. All gear can be rented through Just Get Wet at a cost of $50 for the full kit per day (if taking the combo course it's $80 for the course duration)
- A speargun and a knife. Available for rent from JGW for $50
Schedule:
- 7-9 AM Classroom - JGW Shop, 3719 Mission Blvd San Diego CA
- 10 AM - 6 PM Charter to Coronado Islands - Pickup and drop off at the Dana Landing Fuel Dock in Mission Bay
If you're looking for a place to stay, please check out our beautiful loft that is right above the shop! With a queen size bed and a pull out couch it can easily sleep 4, and if you plan on taking the boat out with us it’s a short 3-5 minute walk from the shop! Please email us (info@justgetwet.com) with dates you would like and we can book outside AirBnB in order to save you from paying their service charges.
