Hey all,

I've been toying with this one for a bit... a harpoon in a PSK. I'm in the caribbean, where if in trouble that could be a key componet in my kit (either edc or regular PSK). But I havn't been able to find anything that would look like it would work. Where I am, it would mainly be for fishing when free diving.... or protecting yourself from a barracuda (don't know if it'll do the job, they are nasty buggers!).

Does anyone have any experience with harpoons, using/abusing and creating?

There were some posts in the recent past on this topic and someone has something that looked ok, but could it work?

Kris

Well I saw this fired once:


This one thou maybe too big for psk:


Althou my favorite PSK harpoon must be this:


Hey Kris no disrespect just good times

Matt

Matt,

No worries man!

Kris

'cudas are very curious and unless you're in murky water or swimming in their area at dusk - will leave you alone. but it is very unnerving to see them hanging out near you, following you with those gaping jaws with gnarly sharp teeth.

before i knew better i actually allowed a pair of them to chase me out of the water - they followed me from 15' deep water to a point where i was on my butt, backing slowly up onto the beach! what a sight that must have been! hawaiian sling in hand and fins on the feet.

a local almost broke ribs laughing so hard when i told him the story and asked about the 'cudas. yah, mon!

just remember we are in their territory and they are extremely adapted to it. we are not.

sharks are a different story. go for the eyes.

Kris,

You mean a Hoffman-harpoon?

I don't think it's very practical for a PSK or EDC. But for a ship ditch-kit, maybe...

Do a google on 'hoffman harpoon' if you want to know about it.

HTH

Would this fill the bill?
http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.p...5932c1953bee765

I use to dive quite often here, and pretty much every dive you would see at least one. You would get this feeling that your being stalked, then you look behind yourself and there's one about 10 foot back. Once they saw that you saw them, they would scatter or get to 20-30 feet on the left or right of you to take a better look. Then they disappear then you'd get that feeling again.

They don't bother you unless your wearing something flashy. A few years back a tourist was wearing one of those belly chains on a local beach (barracua's swim there often - locals fish for them there). She went out beyond the cove and got attacked right at the belly area. She survived, but probably still can't eat solid food and won't be coming back.

Hummm... that looks like it could fit the bill... Did anyone use it? Try to get some fish or dinner with it? It looks too much like a mini knife blade and probably won't be too effective??? That just seems like it from looking at it... comments anyone?


Jim,
If it works, then I think it would be a very good item for an edc psk - Probably not in an urban setting (i.e. going to work in the city), but when you live seconds from the ocean, and your office is across the road from a dive shop.... it could be helpful. But I see it more of an edc kit i would have on me when i'm stuck on a boat offshore.

In one of Ray Mears survival programme he shows how one chap lasted for months at sea in an inflatable raft, mainly because he had a spear gun to fish with.
The Sock

Hey Kris,

I have no experience with harpoons but have had lots of exposure to fish spears used on walleye spawning beds in Northern Ontario.

You usually see factory-made, steel, multi-pronged, barbed spearheads with broomhandle/hockey stick shafts or handles cut from trees on-site. Like these http://www.sbtoutdoors.com/fish_spears.htm I have also seen some very crude homemade versions (e.g. pitchforks, nails-poles) but they all kind of follow this idea.

Occasionally you see improvised wooden spears created on-site similar to these http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fishing/spears/spears01.html

Once I saw a snare-pole used for fishing, being a thin wire snare (not unlike what you would use for a rabbit) on the end of a long pole.

A snagger also works well when fish are concentrated during spawning, it could be a large hook on the end of a pole or even on the end of a piece of stiff wire with a wooden T-handle.

When spawning in shallows fish are very vulnerable and often can be harvested in a survival situation with a hoop net, rock, club or even your bare hands.

I think it is well known in the preparedness community that methods which are usually prohibited are the most effective ones in a survival situation.

I have no exposure to barracudas but I did have a young child get very freaked out last summer over a large snapping turtle. The child went into murky water at the beach to wash off "body glitter" and the big turtle surfaced right in front of her. I figure the turtle thought the sparkling flashes and movement were a large school of baitfish.

So even away from the ocean, during certain times of the year on spawning sites, a spearhead/harpoon could be a useful food gathering tool in a survival situation (check your local regulations concerning possession/use of these items in your area).

Mike