Great Lakes Spearfishing Safety Guide

Become comfortable with your mask, snorkel, fins, weighting, equalization and buddy procedures before adding a loaded spear. A recognized freediving course should include breath-hold physiology, recovery breathing, blackout response, rescue, weighting and safe depth progression.

• Never use spearfishing as your first attempt at freediving.
• Never hyperventilate or use rapid, forceful breathing to extend bottom time.
• Do not chase personal records while hunting.
• A fish, shaft or speargun is never worth a risky ascent.

A buddy somewhere nearby is not enough. Only one person dives at a time while the other actively supervises.

• Agree on maximum depth, search area, signals, expected dive duration and return time.
• The surface buddy tracks the diver, meets or closely supervises the final ascent and stays within immediate assisting distance.
• Watch the diver through recovery breaths and confirm they are alert before the next dive begins.
• If you lose visual contact, surface immediately and follow the agreed lost-buddy procedure. Do not continue hunting.

Do not judge conditions only by looking at the beach. Great Lakes conditions can change quickly and may differ beyond the shoreline.

• Check the nearshore marine forecast, wind direction, wave height and period, water temperature, fog, thunderstorms and beach hazard statements.
• Set conservative limits before entering and reassess conditions throughout the session.
• Do not enter when waves make entry, exit or buddy supervision difficult; when fog reduces visibility; when lightning is possible; or when the current exceeds the team's ability.
• Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature.

Some fish-holding structures create unacceptable diver risk. Avoid or give an extremely wide berth to:

• Piers, breakwalls, jetties and gaps where structural currents and reflected waves can form.
• River mouths, drainage outlets and channels that can carry a diver offshore.
• Harbors, marinas, boat launches, navigation channels and shipping lanes.
• Dams, locks, spillways, water intakes, discharge structures and power facilities.
• Commercial nets, active fishing piers, trolling paths and areas with heavy fishing line.
• Restricted areas, private property, protected sites and waters where diving or harvest is not clearly permitted.

A dive flag warns other water users that people are below the surface. It does not create a protected barrier and does not guarantee that a boat operator will notice you.

• Use the correct flag, dimensions and display method required by the state and waterbody.
• Mount the flag high enough to remain visible between waves and keep it fully open and upright.
• Remain within the legally required distance of the flag.
• Keep the float line away from legs, fins, the weight-belt release and shooting line. Never wrap it around your wrist or hand.
• Secure harvested fish and loose equipment to the float rather than hanging them from your body.
• Lower or remove the flag after diving ends.

Treat every polespear and speargun as though it is loaded.

• Inspect bands, wishbones, trigger, shaft, tip, shooting line, crimps, reel and connections before entering.
• Load only after entering the water and clearing other people.
• Keep the point directed away from buddies, boats, docks and shore. Keep your finger away from the trigger until taking an intentional shot.
• Unload before approaching a boat, ladder, dock or shoreline. Never pass a loaded speargun to another person.
• Before shooting, positively identify the species, confirm the fish is legal and verify the entire shooting path and background.
• Never shoot into darkness, vegetation, a crevice or poor visibility when you cannot see what is behind the target.

The Great Lakes can remain cold even when the beach and air feel warm. A properly fitted wetsuit, hood, gloves and dive socks or boots may be needed for the actual water temperature.

• End the dive for persistent shivering, numbness, poor coordination, confusion, unusual fatigue or difficulty handling equipment.
• Do not wait until the cold feels unbearable. Exiting through waves, over rocks or after a long surface swim requires reserve energy.
• Keep dry clothing, water and a way to warm the diver available at the exit.

Weight conservatively and keep every release accessible.

• Use a quick-release weight belt and practice ditching it in controlled conditions.
• Do not route float lines, stringers or other gear over the buckle.
• Reassess weight whenever you change wetsuits or equipment. Do not overweight yourself to make descent easier.
• Carry an accessible purpose-built line cutter or dive knife and make sure your buddy knows where it is.
• If entangled, stop and assess. Pulling harder can tighten line or create additional wraps.

Inspect the entry and exit before gearing up. Identify slippery rocks, breaking waves, drop-offs, hooks, broken glass, current direction, boat traffic and an alternate exit.

• Enter with the spear unloaded and controlled.
• Do not carry more equipment through breaking waves than you can safely manage.
• For boat dives, stop or disengage the propeller before divers approach.
• Maintain a dedicated lookout, account for every diver before moving and keep loaded equipment out of the boat.
• Unload before climbing a ladder or passing equipment aboard.

Leave a dive plan with a reliable person who is not in the water.

• Include the site, names, vehicle or vessel description, entry and exit points, expected return time and when to call for help.
• Know the nearest usable address or GPS coordinates, vehicle-accessible exit and hospital.
• Assign who will call, provide first aid, meet rescuers and account for the rest of the team.
• Keep a charged phone in a waterproof case or a marine VHF radio when appropriate, plus first-aid supplies, thermal protection and emergency signaling equipment.
• Call 911 for emergencies. On navigable waters, VHF-FM Channel 16 is used for marine distress communications.

Calling a dive is a safety skill, not a failure. Cancel or exit when:

• Conditions exceed the team's training or agreed limits.
• Visibility prevents effective buddy supervision.
• The flag will not remain visible or boat traffic becomes heavy.
• A diver cannot equalize, feels cold, anxious, exhausted or unwell.
• Equipment malfunctions or the planned exit becomes unsafe.
• The team loses track of a diver.
• A diver experiences loss of motor control, blackout or significant breathing difficulty. End the session and seek appropriate medical evaluation.

Spearfishing rules vary among Great Lakes states and can change by species, season, location and equipment type.

• Confirm that spearfishing is legal in the exact waterbody you plan to enter.
• Verify licenses, legal species, seasons, size limits, possession limits, reporting rules and dive-flag requirements.
• Boundary waters, parks, tribal waters, federal property and municipalities may have additional restrictions.
• Do not rely on old screenshots, social-media posts or another diver's memory as your only legal source.
• Do not shoot unless the species is positively identified and the entire shot can be made responsibly.