I’ve used and keep both kinds on the boat but it’s been years since I’ve used a single. Lately my first fish of the trip is a crapshoot. I’ve also been changing the light on my gun. Went too big and backed off to a smaller size with different mounts. Different weights on the end to get used to. I’ll try a single flapper again and see. I started only using double as they tend to dump more energy into the fish and not over penetrate on horizontal shots.

I have been spearfisning since i was 15 both with scuba and apnea. I have great results on spearfishing and i always did it for fun and only shot the fish i could eat with my family or friends. Never more. I am a dealer for many spearfishing companies and i will share my knowledge here for those that will care to test my points below. Every speargun is set to a point of aim according to the hight difference between the resting point near the trigger and the head. If the manufacturer company is serious ( very rare because of no set manufacturing regulations) then all spearguns of the same length and brand should should at the same point. But they dont!!! So you have to try your gun. Dive and shoot while holding on a rock for stability. If your gun shoots high (constanly) then the flipper should be positioned below or under. If its already under then you have to place a spear guide which is a resting point between the trigger and the head of the speargun. When you move the guide back torwards the trigger your shots will get lower. If you have a double barb and your shots are high, change to a single under barb. If you have a double barb and your shots are low, change to a single over barb. And so on. A barb or flipper which is under will pull your shots lower and the opposite. Another tip: The tip of the flipper or barb when closed should not deviate from the spear any more than a milimeter. If there is more deviation of the tip of the flipperto the spear, then there will be more dragging of the spear down if it is an under barb, or up if it is an overbarb. Finally, if your shots are sometimes high and sometimes low, especially from different distances then you have a problem of too much power from your rubber bands ( for the specific barrel of the gun) this can happen even on wooden or carbon barrels if there is excessive power on the rubber bands. (If your shots are going left or right then you need more practice.) A double flipper will hold better a big fish but will get stuck in rock holes. A well smoothly sanded strong single barb will hold any fish up to 50 kg. I have shot a 40 kg fish with a single barb and a very thin spear (6.25mm) but i had patience and waited 30 mins before i pulled the fish in.

I used to use a red or purple filter but now I just turn off auto white balance and white balance in editing software. The filters always get bubbles in them and darkened the already dirty gulf water. I also lost a few when they broke or fell off the camera at different times.

50-60ft offshore crystal river/homosassa Florida