Spearfishing in Puerto Rico: the gear and the rules
Spearguns, floats, long-blade fins, low-volume masks, weights, freediving wetsuits and computers, fitted when you buy at our Bayamón shop. We also re-rig spearguns.
Spearfishing in Puerto Rico: the essentials
- Freediving only. Recreational fishers may not use a speargun and scuba at the same time. Lionfish have their own rules.
- Not at night. No spearfishing from sunset to sunrise, except lionfish.
- Not near shore. No spearfishing within 100 ft of the coast, and the gun stays unloaded inside that zone.
- Not in these places: piers and docks, rivers, estuaries and reservoirs, swimming areas, marine reserves and artificial reefs.
- No spearing lobster.
- License. A DRNA recreational fishing license is required from age 13.
A summary of Puerto Rico’s fishing regulation (Reglamento de Pesca 7949). Rules change, so check the current regulation with the DRNA before you go.
Guides and tools
- Choosing a speargun, and the full rules
- Your first spearfishing day: the gear checklist
- Lionfish: hunting rules, stings and eating them
- How to clean and cook lionfish
- Speargun service: bands, tips and lines
- Freediving: safety, gear and instructors
- How much weight? Includes freediving
- What wetsuit should I wear today?
- Fin size finder
- Diving conditions by month
- Diving emergency: what to do
What we carry
Spearguns & floats
Spearguns and pole spears, plus shafts, bands, tips, lines and surface floats.
Freediving fins
Long-blade fins, fitted with the right foot pocket.
Masks & snorkels
Low-volume masks for easier equalizing, and freediving snorkels.
Weights & belts
Freediving weights and belts, including coated weights.
Freediving wetsuits
Suits cut for freediving and spearfishing in Caribbean water.
Freediving computers
Garmin dive computers with freediving modes. We help you set one up.
Brands for spearfishing and freediving
A few of the 29 brands we’re authorized to sell. See them all.
Speargun service
Bring your gun in for new bands, tips and lines. We look at it first and confirm the work and the price with you before we start.
Learn to freedive first
Spearfishing is freediving with a speargun. We don’t teach freediving or spearfishing courses, so see our freediving page for the safety basics and the Puerto Rico instructors we recommend.
Never freedive alone: always dive with a trained buddy watching from the surface.
What people ask us about spearfishing
Is spearfishing legal in Puerto Rico?
A lot of people ask us this. Yes, on freediving or snorkeling gear. Not on scuba. The rest of the rules are in the essentials on this page.
What length should I start with?
On average, we start most people on a 75 cm gun. Not too short, not too long. It depends on how tall you are, your reach, how deep you’re going, and whether you’ll be on the reef or in blue water. Sometimes a 40 or a 50 cm, which is a lot shorter, works better. And some people just want a longer gun and to buy it once, so they go with a 100 or a 110 cm. More in choosing a speargun.
What’s the cheapest gun you have?
Beginners ask us this all the time. You can buy a cheap gun, but in our experience expect it to last 1 to 2 years, mainly because plastic trigger mechanisms start to fail. We try to guide people to metal trigger mechanisms, so you’re less likely to have a gun fire on its own.
How do I set up my float?
It’s not rocket science. Tie a line to your float and stay on the other end of it. You can also tie the line to your speargun, so if you shoot something big you don’t lose it. And in Puerto Rico you need a dive flag in the water, so a float with a flag is the way to go.
How do I know my gun needs to come in?
Bands that crack near the wishbone, or anywhere when you stretch them, need to be replaced. A tip that’s dull and won’t go through a fish needs to be sharpened or replaced, and tips can usually be sharpened down quite a bit first. If the line starts to look frayed or bad, it’s time to replace it. Bring it in and we’ll look at it first.