Buoys and Dive Flags for Spearfishing

Spherical buoys, torpedo buoys, and float boards. Inflatable and rigid buoys for bluewater hunting. Accessories and solutions for transporting gear, safety, and managing your catch during spearfishing.

Dive Floats for Spearfishing: Signaling, Safety, and Gear Transport

A dive float is an essential piece of equipment for anyone practicing spearfishing in open water. It signals the presence of the diver in the water to passing boats, serves as a reference point during ascent, and, in many models, allows you to carry your catch, speargun, and accessories on the surface. In this section you’ll find a complete selection of spearfishing buoys: torpedo buoys, spherical buoys, inflatable Float Boards, rigid buoys with hatch, swim buoy, and all related accessories such as bungee float lines, line winders, flags, and spare parts.

The assortment covers every need, from inshore sessions with light gear to bluewater hunting and offshore trips, where buoy visibility and load capacity become key factors for safety and performance.

Types of Dive Floats

Torpedo Buoys

The elongated torpedo shape is one of the most widely used in spearfishing. Its hydrodynamic profile reduces drag while swimming, and the buoy follows the diver without creating excessive resistance. This category includes models such as the Mares Hydro Torpedo Buoy, available in standard and Large versions, the Mares Torpedo Buoy, the H. Dessault Torpedo Master Buoy, and the Beuchat Dual-Chamber Torpedo Buoy. Some torpedo models feature a double chamber, which helps prevent damage to the inner chamber. The dual-chamber version provides an additional safety feature compared to single-chamber models.

Spherical Buoys

Spherical buoys offer greater volume for the same longitudinal footprint and are more stable in rough sea conditions. The Salvimar Spherical Dive Float, Mares Hydro Sphere Buoy, Mares Sphere Buoy, and H. Dessault HD Spherical Buoy are the models available in this category. High-visibility orange or red coloring is a common feature of all spherical buoys, necessary so they can be spotted from a distance by people on the surface.

Inflatable Float Boards

Float boards are large-surface inflatable buoys that allow you to rest on them, place your speargun and accessories on the surface, and carry your catch in an organized way. Some float boards can be inflated to pressures above 1 bar thanks to PVC dropstitch construction: this technology, also used in the production of inflatable SUP boards, allows the float board to reach a maximum pressure of 2 bar while keeping size (85 x 60 x 10 cm) and weight low. They are equipped with D-rings, elastic speargun holders, dedicated sections for securing accessories, a high-visibility flag, and carrying solutions.

The Okipa 2 Float Board Buoy by Best Divers is another option in this category. One of the classic float boards most appreciated by spearfishers. It stands out for its size and load capacity. The small-boat design allows the spearfisher to climb partially onto it, keeping legs and fins in the water and free to kick. This enables fast movement, making it possible to quickly cover long stretches of coastline or less interesting seabed and focus only on the best spots.

Float boards are especially suitable for long shore-based outings, where, without the support of a boat, it is important to carry spearguns of different lengths, water, spare gear, and accessories that may come in handy during a long day of spearfishing.

Rigid buoys

Rigid buoys made of durable plastic provide a stable structure and do not require inflation. Rob Allen offers two versions of the Hard Float: the Air model, available in two sizes, and the 12-liter Hard Float Hatch model, equipped with a watertight hatch that lets you store dry items inside the buoy, such as keys, phone, flip-flops, or snacks. The rigid construction ensures the buoy always maintains its intended shape and strength, regardless of how many times it is used.

Compact, high-visibility buoys

The Monster Buoy by Best Divers stands out for the oversized high-visibility flag fitted with a 1.32 mt carbon pole with counterweight system, making it the most suitable buoy for heavy boat traffic. The Classic Buoy by Best Divers, on the other hand, is the benchmark for those looking for a simple, compact, high-quality spearfishing buoy.

Buoys for bluewater hunting

For bluewater hunting, the catalog includes specific buoys with construction features suited to the most extreme conditions, where the buoy is dragged by the power of the fish, on the surface and sometimes even underwater. These are therefore not “standard” buoys, but pressure buoys, or rigid, incompressible buoys, able to withstand the pulling force of large pelagic fish, which can weigh hundreds of kilos. The Remora Buoys by Rob Allen, available in three versions, are the benchmark model for pressure buoys. The Hard Float Foam, also by Rob Allen, are the benchmark for incompressible rigid buoys.

Accessories for buoys

The range is completed by the essential accessories needed to set up the buoy and keep it working efficiently: elastic bungee lines for buoys, line winders, diver-down flags in several versions, 4 mm elastic tubing, and inner tube spare parts.

How to choose a buoy for spearfishing

The choice depends on four main variables: the type of fishing practiced, environmental conditions, the need to carry gear, and the means used to reach the dive spot.

Inshore or shore-entry spearfishing: a medium-small torpedo or spherical buoy is generally sufficient. Compact models are easy to transport and do not require additional inflation equipment.
Boat-based spearfishing: a buoy of compact size, spherical or torpedo-shaped, but good quality is more than sufficient, since backup spearguns and other accessories can easily be kept on the boat.
Blue Water Hunting or bluewater hunting: specific rigid or pressure buoys are required, built to withstand the tension generated by large fish.
Heavy boat traffic: in areas frequented by boats, a large buoy with a highly visible diver-down flag is a safety requirement, not an option. The flag must be mounted on a pole high enough to be visible above the waterline even in choppy conditions.
Transport and logistics: inflatable boards with dropstitch or inner-tube construction can be carried in a backpack or bag when deflated, while rigid buoys take up a fixed amount of space. A high-load-capacity inflatable board lets you rest your speargun, gear, and catch on the surface, reducing fatigue between dives.
Spare Part inner tube: for buoys with a replaceable inner tube, checking the availability of the specific spare part before purchase is a precaution that affects the product’s actual service life.

Materials and technical features

The materials used in spearfishing floats vary depending on the construction chosen by the different manufacturers.

The inner-tube floats are built with PVC shells or flexible plastic materials offering high resistance to abrasion and UV rays, both important in the marine environment. The seal of the inflation valve is critical: quality valves maintain operating pressure over time and do not release air under the cyclic deformation caused by use.

The dropstitch technology used in some floats consists of thousands of threads connecting the two outer surfaces of the inflatable structure. This construction allows operating pressures of up to 2.0 bar while maintaining the flat shape of the float board, with reduced weight and thickness compared to an equivalent rigid structure.

The Rob Allen rigid floats are made from plastic material resistant to impacts and mechanical stress from use at sea. The Hard Float Hatch model features a hatch with a watertight gasket, allowing the internal compartment to stay dry even after partial submersion.

The D-rings on the larger float boards provide attachment points for lines, spearguns, and accessories.

The elastic float line for connecting the float to the diver is an advanced and recommended accessory compared to the classic floating float line. It makes towing the float easier to manage, keeping it closer to the spearfisher on the surface and more directly overhead during ascent. It is also less prone to knots and tangles, greatly improving ease of handling and user safety.

The line winder lets you organize and manage the line without tangles, simplifying setup and end-of-session operations.

The diver-down flags supplied or available separately are made from UV-resistant synthetic materials. The Best Divers removable models (short and long) reduce bulk during transport.

Available brands

Best Divers is the brand with a broad range in the category: spherical floats, torpedo floats, float boards, flags, line winders, spare parts, and accessories. It covers the full range of use, from coastal spearfishing to oversized models such as the Monster model.

C4 stands out with float boards featuring dropstitch technology and models geared toward bluewater hunting, as well as simpler models suitable for both boat and shore dives. C4 also offers dedicated elastic float lines available in three sizes.

Mares offers a comprehensive range: the Hydro Torpedo series (in standard and Large versions), the Hydro Sphere, the Torpedo, and the Freediving Buoy, covering both spearfishing and use in open-water swimming activities.

Rob Allen is the undisputed leader in bluewater hunting buoys, but also offers very interesting models for more "standard" spearfishing with the rigid buoys in the Hard Float line: the Air model (two sizes) and the Hatch model with a 12-liter watertight hatch. These are structurally different solutions compared to inflatable buoys, with superior durability and glide through the water, typical of rigid materials.

Salvimar offers the Spherical Diver-Down Buoy and the Bungeetech elastic float line, the latter featuring an internal core that ensures controlled stretch under load.

Beuchat is represented by the Dual-Chamber Torpedo Buoy, which integrates two independent air chambers as an added safety feature.

H. Dessault offers two models: the HD Spherical Buoy and the Torpedo Master Buoy, both in the affordable price range.

Cressi completes the range with the Swim Buoy and the Easy Buoy, versatile products suitable for both inshore spearfishing and open-water training.

Conclusion

The choice of a diver-down buoy is closely linked to the type of spearfishing you practice, sea conditions, and the need to manage gear on the surface. A medium-sized torpedo or spherical buoy covers most spearfishing situations; an inflatable float board or a rigid buoy with a hatch becomes necessary when trips require more space and organization; specific models for bluewater hunting are the right choice for those targeting large fish in open water. The available assortment covers all these scenarios with products from selected brands - Best Divers, C4, Mares, Rob Allen, Salvimar, Beuchat, H. Dessault, Cressi and Omer - in a price range that makes it possible to find the right solution for both occasional use and regular practice in more demanding conditions.