Spearfishing, Hunting, and Not Being “That Diver” in Florida

Benjamin Hadfield   Jul 06, 2026

Spearfishing, Hunting, and Not Being “That Diver” in Florida

I love hunting underwater.

There, I said it.

I love a good lionfish hunt. I love watching a diver slowly build the skill, patience, control, awareness, and discipline it takes to legally and ethically bring home dinner. I love seeing someone go from flailing around with a pole spear like they are jousting a ghost to calmly hovering in trim, making a clean decision, taking a clean shot, and coming back to the boat with a fish they can actually identify, measure, and eat.

That is awesome.

But I also need to say the other part out loud.

Some divers should not be hunting yet.

Not because they are bad people. Not because hunting is bad. Not because I am trying to ruin anybody’s fun. It is because the moment some divers pick up a spear, their brain leaves the building. They stop being divers and become swimming dinner missiles.

Suddenly, buoyancy is gone. Trim is gone. Buddy awareness is gone. Gas checks are gone. The reef disappears. The only thing they see is a fish-shaped dinner plate with fins.

That is where the problems start.

At Stuart Scuba, we are not anti-hunting. We teach hunting for a reason. We support legal, ethical, responsible harvesting. We encourage lionfish removal. We believe hunting can make someone a better diver when it is taught properly and done with discipline.

But hunting is not an excuse to tear up the reef, break the law, shoot protected fish, waste animals, or turn a beautiful dive into an underwater circus with sharp objects.

So let’s talk about it.

First Rule: If You Are Not Going to Eat It, Do Not Shoot It

This should not be complicated.

If you are hunting for food, then hunt food. If you are removing invasive lionfish, do that with purpose and care. But shooting fish just because you can is not hunting. It is not conservation. It is not tough. It is not cool.

It is just wasteful.

The ocean is not a video game. The reef is not a shooting gallery. Fish are not there for target practice because you bought a new pole spear and watched three YouTube videos.

A responsible hunter has restraint. Sometimes the best shot is the one you do not take. If the fish is too small, if you are not sure what it is, if the shot angle is bad, if it is too close to coral, or if you are not going to eat it, the answer is simple: don’t shoot it.

Nobody ever came back to the boat and lost respect because they passed on a questionable fish.

Plenty of people have lost respect because they shot the wrong one.

Protected, Prohibited, and “Nope” Fish

Florida has rules. Lots of them.

And no, “I didn’t know” is not a dive plan.

FWC defines spearfishing as taking a fish with a hand or mechanically propelled spear or lance while swimming at or below the surface. FWC also lists species that are prohibited for harvest by spearing, including sharks, tarpon, goliath grouper, snook, spotted seatrout, red drum, permit, lobster, and families of ornamental reef fish such as angelfish, butterflyfish, damselfish, parrotfish, seahorses, puffers, and others.

So let’s say this very clearly.

Do not shoot parrotfish.

Parrotfish are not “just colorful fish.” They are not “practice fish.” They are not “well, I saw someone else do it once” fish. They are reef fish that need to be left alone, and FWC includes parrotfish in the ornamental reef fish families that may not be harvested by spearing.

Porkfish are another one divers ask about. They are beautiful reef fish, and FWC lists porkfish under Marine Life rules. Those rules are not the same thing as shooting one on scuba and tossing it in a cooler. Porkfish may show up in the regulations, but that does not make them a spearfishing target for dinner.

The simple Stuart Scuba version is this: if you cannot clearly identify it, leave it alone. If it is protected, prohibited, regulated as marine life, out of season, undersized, over the bag limit, or you are even a little unsure, do not pull the trigger.

The fish gets to win that round.

Out of Season Means Out of Season

This is another one that makes me crazy.

Out of season does not mean “almost open.” It does not mean “my buddy said it was fine.” It does not mean “we are pretty far offshore.” It does not mean “just this once.” It does not mean “I already shot it, so I might as well keep it.”

Out of season means out of season.

If the season is closed, we do not take it. Period.

Hogfish are a perfect example. I get it. Hogfish are amazing. They are one of the classic Florida hunting fish. They taste great, they are fun to hunt, and they will absolutely make you feel like you did something right when you bring a legal one back to the boat.

But on the Atlantic side of Florida, the recreational hogfish rules are very specific: minimum size is 16 inches fork length, the daily bag limit is 1 per harvester, and the season is open May 1 through October 31. FWC also lists the same Atlantic federal water rules: open May 1 through October 31, 16-inch minimum, and 1 fish per person.

That means a short hogfish is not legal. A second hogfish is not legal. A November hogfish is not legal. A hogfish you “thought was bigger underwater” is still your responsibility.

And yes, fish look different underwater. That is why we train, measure, practice identification, and make conservative choices.

When in doubt, don’t shoot it.

There will be another fish. There will be another dive. There may not be another clean reputation if you keep making bad choices.

The Legal Side Is Real

FWC rules are not suggestions.

Florida law treats violations involving seasons, bag limits, size limits, restricted methods of take, and similar fish and wildlife rules seriously. Florida Statute 379.401 classifies many of these as Level Two violations, and a first Level Two violation can be a second-degree misdemeanor. Repeated violations can bring higher penalties, mandatory fines, and recreational license suspensions.

That means an illegal fish can become a very expensive fish.

It can cost you money. It can cost you your license privileges. It can cost you your reputation. It can cost the boat, the crew, and everyone around you a whole lot of unnecessary stress.

Nobody wants the dive day to end with coolers open, officers asking questions, and everyone standing around pretending they suddenly do not know the guy who shot the illegal fish.

Do not be that diver.

Read the rules before you splash. Know the fish. Know the season. Know the size. Know the bag limit. Know the area. FWC also makes it clear that fishermen who harvest fish by spearing are subject to the same rules and limitations as other anglers in the state.

Location matters. Species matters. Season matters. Size matters.

Your guess does not matter.

Lionfish Are Different — But the Reef Still Matters

Now let’s talk about lionfish.

We encourage lionfish hunting. Strongly.

Lionfish are invasive. They do not belong here. They eat native juvenile reef fish, compete with native predators, and cause real problems for the reef ecosystem. FWC encourages divers, anglers, and commercial harvesters to remove lionfish from Florida waters to help limit negative impacts to native marine life and ecosystems.

Lionfish are also one of the best examples of how hunting can be conservation when it is done correctly. FWC lists no minimum size limit, an unlimited daily bag limit, and an open year-round harvest season for lionfish.

So yes, please hunt lionfish.

But do it correctly.

A lionfish being invasive does not give you permission to destroy the reef while trying to remove it. If you smash coral to get one lionfish, congratulations, you just tried to fix one problem by creating another one.

That is like putting out a kitchen fire with a bulldozer.

And let’s also be honest about something else: lionfish are good eating. I am not just saying that because I own a dive shop and like sharp things. I was even written up in Home Cooking Magazine for my lionfish and grouper recipes, including mango salsa lionfish served over a bed of cilantro couscous. That is not “eat it because it is invasive” food. That is “you may want seconds” food.

That matters because responsible lionfish hunting gives us a rare win. We get to remove an invasive species, protect native reef fish, educate divers, and put something genuinely delicious on the table.

But again, we do it like divers who respect the reef, not like underwater raccoons with spears.

Remove lionfish. Eat lionfish. Share lionfish. Teach people why lionfish matter.

Just do not turn the reef into a crime scene while doing it.

Look, But Don’t Touch Still Applies

This is where people get confused.

They think because they are hunting, the normal reef rules somehow disappear.

They do not.

Look, but don’t touch still applies.

Do not touch coral. Do not stand on coral. Do not kneel on coral. Do not use your spear like a cane. Do not wedge yourself into a ledge because your buoyancy is not good enough to hold position. Do not drag your Zookeeper, lobster bag, stringer, gauge console, camera, or whatever other underwater Christmas ornament you clipped to yourself across the reef.

This is not tree-hugger nonsense.

This is basic scuba.

If you cannot hunt without beating up the reef, then you are not ready to hunt.

Hunter’s Brain Is Real

The biggest thing I see with new hunters is what I call hunter’s brain.

Hunter’s brain is when a diver becomes so focused on the fish that everything else disappears. They stop seeing the reef. They stop checking gas. They stop watching depth. They stop watching their buddy. They stop managing buoyancy. They stop thinking about current. They stop thinking about where the boat is. They stop being a diver.

They become a pair of fins chasing a sandwich.

That is not good hunting.

Good hunting is calm. Good hunting is patient. Good hunting is quiet. Good hunting is controlled. Good hunting is a diver making a clean decision, not a diver having an underwater panic attack because a hogfish hurt their feelings.

Hunter’s brain is how people damage reefs, lose buddies, blow through gas, take bad shots, and come up with no idea what happened during the dive.

If picking up a spear makes you worse at diving, put the spear down and go work on diving.

That is not an insult. That is the path.

Learn to Be a Diver First

This is where I am going to sound like an instructor, because I am one.

Be a diver first.

Then become a hunter.

Do not skip the order.

Before you add a spear, you should be able to hover without touching the bottom. You should be able to hold trim. You should be able to frog kick, back kick, turn, stop, and move around a reef without looking like a shopping cart with a broken wheel.

You should know where your buddy is. You should know your gas. You should know your depth. You should know your computer. You should know how much task loading you can actually handle.

Because hunting adds task loading.

Now you have a spear. A catch container. A fish to identify. A size limit. A season. A bag limit. A shot angle. A retrieval plan. Current. Reef structure. Other divers. Sharks sometimes. And your own ego trying to convince you that “it’s probably fine.”

That is a lot.

Start simple. A pole spear is a great place to begin because it makes you slow down. It makes you get close. It makes you work on control. It does not let you pretend you are better than you are from fifteen feet away with a cannon in your hand.

Do not rush to become “full tactical reef commando” on day one. You do not need a giant speargun, three knives, two stringers, a GoPro, a lobster bag, a Zookeeper, a scooter, and trim that looks like a folding chair falling down a staircase.

Start with the basics. Earn the complexity.

Trim First, Trigger Second

If I could put one hunting rule on a shirt, it might be this: trim first, trigger second.

If your fins are below you, you are going to kick the reef. If your gear is dangling, it is going to drag. If your body position is vertical, you are going to need your hands. If you need your hands, you are going to grab, push, brace, or poke something.

And if you are using the reef for balance, you are not hunting well.

A good hunter should look almost boring underwater.

Flat. Quiet. Controlled. Slow. Aware.

You should be able to stop and hover before the shot. You should be able to make the shot without falling into the reef. You should be able to retrieve the fish without ripping through coral or silt. You should be able to clip off gear cleanly. You should be able to leave the site looking exactly like it looked before you arrived.

Minus one legal fish.

That is the standard.

Slow Down and Stop Finning Like a Madman

Another huge mistake new hunters make is swimming too much.

They hit the bottom and immediately start racing in one direction like there is a Black Friday sale at the end of the reef.

Slow down.

Most good hunting is not about covering the most distance. It is about seeing more.

Work the site. Move back and forth. Look under ledges. Pause. Let the reef settle. Watch fish behavior. Use the current. Make small movements. Stop kicking every three seconds. Let your breathing slow down. Let your eyes do more work than your fins.

Fast divers scare fish, burn gas, miss details, and break things.

Slow divers see more.

The ocean rewards patience. It does not reward underwater cardio with weapons.

Dragging Gear Is Not a Personality

Secure your gear.

I do not know how else to say this.

If your bag is dragging, fix it. If your Zookeeper is bouncing off the reef, fix it. If your gauge is hanging, fix it. If your lobster gear is swinging around like a medieval weapon, fix it. If your spear is being used as a cane, stop it.

Dangling gear damages reefs. Dragging gear damages reefs. Poor trim damages reefs. Bad buoyancy damages reefs.

And here is the hard truth: if your hunting setup makes you unsafe or destructive, your setup is wrong or you are not ready to carry it.

Maybe both.

That is fixable. But only if we are honest about it.

Why We Teach a Hunting Course

We teach a hunting course because responsible underwater hunting is a skill.

It is not just “point sharp thing at fish.”

A good hunting course should help divers understand fish identification, legal harvest, size and bag limits, seasons, gear selection, safe handling, lionfish removal, pole spear technique, shot placement, catch storage, reef protection, buoyancy, trim, awareness, team procedures, and how not to turn into a complete disaster the moment a legal fish appears.

The course is not about making someone aggressive.

It is about making someone disciplined.

The best hunters are not the ones who shoot the most. They are the ones who make the best choices. They pass when they should pass. They know the fish before they shoot. They protect the reef. They stay with their buddy. They keep track of gas and depth. They come back safe, legal, and proud of how they did it.

That is why we teach it.

Not so people can shoot more.

So people can hunt better.

The Stuart Scuba Standard

At Stuart Scuba, we support legal hunting. We support ethical harvest. We support lionfish removal. We support bringing home dinner. We support learning the rules. We support taking a course before developing bad habits. We support becoming a better diver before becoming a hunter.

We do not support shooting protected fish. We do not support out-of-season harvest. We do not support “I thought it was legal.” We do not support wasting fish. We do not support tearing up the reef. We do not support hunter’s brain. We do not support divers using spears, bags, or lobster gear as an excuse to become bulldozers with fins.

The ocean gives us a lot.

The least we can do is act like we were invited.

Final Thought

Hunt like someone is watching.

Because someone is.

Your buddy is watching. The crew is watching. Other divers are watching. FWC may be watching. New divers are watching. And the reef is keeping score whether you admit it or not.

Take only what is legal. Take only what you will use. Remove lionfish responsibly. Leave protected fish alone. Respect seasons. Respect size limits. Respect bag limits. Protect the reef. Fix your trim. Slow down. Think before you shoot.

And when in doubt?

Do not shoot it.

There will always be another dive.

There may not always be another healthy reef.