Floats & Buoys

Floats & Buoys

Dive Floats come in two main styles, Hard Floats and Inflatable Floats.

• Hard Floats are the preferred choice for shore divers due to their durability around rocks and reef. Small hard floats are also a great addition to an inflatable float in a bluewater setup as the hard-float won't collapse under pressure. The best hard floats are foam filled this is important as it stops the float from being crushed by pressure if a fish drags it underwater. The increased durability of hard floats does come at a cost, they are heavier and usually more expensive than a similarly sized inflatable float.
• Inflatable floats are lightweight and easy to carry/tow. The cheaper small volume inflatable floats are a great starting point for beginners as they are cost-effective and easy to transport. Larger volume inflatable floats are ideal for Bluewater hunting situations, their lightweight construction allows for larger volume floats that are still manageable to use. The larger volume increases the amount of water that is displaced by the float resulting in increased stopping power for large pelagic fish. High volume inflatable floats should also be pressure rated and used at an operating pressure of at least 1BAR, the higher the pressure in the float the better it will be able to hold its volume when being towed under by a fish. 

Spearfishing Floats make it easy for your dive buddy and boats, to spot where you are. This is important as it is a fact that boats pose more of a threat to spearfishers than sharks! Spearfishing floats are also used to fight your fish and ensure that you don’t lose your gun. Attach your dive float to a float line and then to your gun and you will be able to let your gun go if you shoot a big fish. Even if you just get your spear stuck on the bottom it is important that you can return to the surface and breathe up before diving to retrieve it

Freediving Floats are large inflatable doughnut-shaped floats. They are used to suspend the dive line. They should be large enough to support a minimum of two divers hanging off the side. Freediving floats should only be used in training situations they are not suitable for spearfishing.

Flasher Floats, a flasher float is used to suspend your flasher at your desired hunting depth, make sure not to set your flasher too deep as you may not be able to get to the fish that come in to check it out.