Fortunately I was only diving the following day. This gave me time to rest and walk the streets of Cabo Frio. It was my first time in Brazil so that was an event in itself.
I found food, a hat and sandals. The sandals are a true institution in Brazil. Just about everyone wears them all the time. You have to get the ones with the tiny Brazilian flags.
I searched desperately for a banking machine that had Spanish or English instructions. I could not convince the Portuguese-only machines to take my VISA card. After much walking and frustration I found the one at the gas station. Since I had 10 “Reals” left (5 US dollars or 3 Euros) it was a relief.
Naturally I looked for a dive shop. It turned out to be a large fishing store with no dive flag called “Caça de Pesca”. They had a dozen spearguns, many shafts, a lot of screw on bands, fins and a few wetsuits, all local.
The guns were from Divecom. It had a 28 mm tube with a Viper like plastic cover, a Simotal like handle and muzzle (the newer versions, as seen in the picture, have a different handle and muzzle). The guns all came with a free spinning reel. The reels have no brakes whatsoever and it is positioned on its side like the larger American reels. The most common shaft is 7 mm and the bands are all 20 mm.
I was partly "sponsored" by Marc Valentine so you don't have to take my revue seriously but I found them to be on the heavy side, I didn't like the finish and I don’t know if I could adopt the free spinning reel. Nothing gets on my nerves like having to reset line every time I shoot. On the positive side, you can be sure that it will not get stuck. That may be most important thing if you shoot large groupers below 20 meters. Also the 7mm shaft may be the best choice for shooting large fish in holes.
During the day I received my spearguns from a Delta messenger. My guns had made an extra stop in Argentina. I received my guns only 24 hours after landing. The last time my guns went travelling was in Indonesia and I waited 2 weeks.
Next : Macaco Express