Having done a small introduction about what exactly aspetto means and how it was started several years back, it’s now only fair to see which are the redeeming features of the body and mind that are required from the divers part so as to be effective and always, safe.

Just like all other activities that circle around apnea and spearfishing, the psychology is that which will prepare the diver to meet the expectations of aspetto. Taking into consideration the special equipment needed and the configuration of the sea floor, the diver should have already decided a head of time that he will not deviate from this particular manner of fishing except for very special occasions. This is the first and maybe the most important step in applying correctly this technique. If he ignores the fish that choose the safety of the caves, concentrating on the rest of the underwater world, soon he will realize that he will be able to comprehend its ways, solving at the same time many secrets that would have gone unnoticed. Next, patience and selectiveness will create the bases for the prey that will be lured in. In the beginning the mullets and sea breams may be more than enough but later on, sea bass, dentex, golden groupers and many other predators may approach the diver. Gradually, the diver will have to learn how to control his instincts, choosing when to pull the trigger and when to take a risk, hoping that behind the first fish a true prize may appear. This may sound a bit strange for a newcomer but is a very important step the aspetto technique requires. The same goes for all the others steps the diver must take in his evolutionary course. The bases he will set are the ones that will be responsible for the future outcome. So, after the aspetto for mullets and sea bass in the first 5 meters of the coastline, aspetto’s will follow aiming at silver and gilthead sea breams. After that, deeper attempts aiming at golden and dotted groupers, dentex and pelagic fish will also follow. The observant diver, by doing so, will manage to collect much information about prey behavior knowing when to insist, when to take the shot and when to back off. He will get used to his equipment, to the shots taken in the open water and to the reactions of the fish before and after the shot. Important elements when he will have to face strong, smart prey in an important depth. Finally, systematic occupation with the sea, fishing and aspetto in particular, will give him good potential, being able to execute correctly what he thinks as best.

As far equipment is concerned, things are pretty simple and depend on the depth and the species that is targeted. One can easily understand that in shallow waters weights will be increased, the fins can be from plain plastic and even the mask may have a large internal volume for better sight. The guns will rarely be larger than a meter with “light” shafts and a maximum of 2 rubber bands. In deeper waters everything changes. Here, every detail plays an important role and a serious safety issue comes up. The mask must be as small as possible, the fins efficient and durable, the wetsuit must have good buoyancy needing few weights and finally the guns must be powerful since the fish are usually large and the depth tends to affects the power of the rubber bands. Getting into more detail I believe is useless since each fish has special needs. Not many things change of course, but those that do, are very important. In future articles about one species in particular or one kind of aspetto, we will mention details that can make a difference.
Aspetto and the combined techniques that result from it are located on the top of the pyramid among the methods used by a diver so as to catch fish. It demands important physical powers, good movement in the water, perfect knowledge of the equipment and many psychological reserves since the result may take many hours to become reality… This might sound a bit harsh but it isn’t. The emotions that come from a hit in open waters (that is my opinion of course) cannot be compared with anything else. That by itself is worth a bit more persistence…