Tasos Karteris

Evolution of species.

Summer of 2009. A six-foot man on his monster rib is breaking the waves. He wears a smooth black neoprene suit, while sporting a 120 cm. wooden speargun with two super evolved carbon blades shining in a prominent place. In his full size cooler, a big Grouper and an old lady Dentex are freezing to death! This spearo is proud, no? Nevertheless, this spearo is Sapiens… and Sapiens means wise and selective!

However, things weren't always thus.

Modern spearhunter is also an outcome of human evolution. By that, I don't mean that Apes were dressed in weird physical-mimetic suits, fishing with coconut made guns… Well, if Darwin were a spearo, surely he wouldn't agree on this last one, but whatever. The main issue here is how spearfishing evolved over the past few decades, as many of us seek to understand and describe how this occurred. However, there's even more to talk about, as the modern spearo is a species with a lot of subcategories. Read it all and maybe you will find yourself amongst them. First things first: 

A Brief History

Spearfishing in Europe first appeared in the French Riviera. Coming from Polynesia, it began to expand after the end of World War II. Equipment and techniques were still in primitive stages but the idea of hunting fish in its own natural environment was growing more and more popular. And by “fish” I mean a lot of fish!!! I'm so sick and jealous when I hear the famous stories of those times. Fish were many, big, and stupid! As I read books written in the early 1960s, I freak out: “You only have to dive 4-5 meters, and the Grouper will come out of the rock to observe you. It is the most curious fish of all…” I know what you're thinking, and I think the same: Curious fish only swim in aquariums these days!

Read more: Spearo Sapiens - Article from DEEPWW #1

Stavros Kastrinakis BSc MEng

AIDA Int. Master Freediving Instructor

Member of the AIDA Int. Education Committee

AIDA Int. Judge

Skin diving, breath-hold diving, apnea - many names, one idea: being underwater with one breath of air without any scuba equipment.

“What is the point of that?” Some may ask, “How long can you stay underwater without any equipment?” Well let's take a step back and examine the history of the wonderful world of Freediving to see how it started, and how it evolved throughout human history.  We may find the answers to the above questions.

The Roots of Freediving

As with most things in human evolution, Freediving first started out of necessity - Japanese tradition talks of female Ama divers in the Far East diving for food and pearls more than 2000 years ago. In the Mediterranean, Greek divers were using their “Skandalopetra” or bellstone (a slab of stone which they held to get them to the seabed) to reach depths in excess of 100ft to collect sponges and shells for many thousands of years. History findings even provide accounts of Greek and Roman navy swimmers making underwater attacks on enemy navy vessels hundreds of years BC. For thousands of years, breath hold divers in The Pacific and Indian Oceans, The Caribbean Sea, and Central and South America were diving for food and the treasures of the sea.

Read more: Discover Freediving - Article from Deepww #1