Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 865 is a conversation with spearfisherman Steel Rockett, who started diving around 19, took a freediving course, and now spends five to six days a week in the water. Steel runs the YouTube channel Slingin' Steel and gets into how bad his early results were, the stealth techniques he uses to move without spooking fish, the real difference between reef and blue water diving, and the three-hour battle to land a 380-pound marlin.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Steel Rockett is a spearfisherman who started diving at around 19 or 20 after moving to Florida and spending time in the Bahamas. He took a freediving course, fell in love with the sport despite rough early results, and now spends five to six days a week in the water. He runs a YouTube channel called Slingin' Steel where he creates educational content about spearfishing, hunting, fishing, and the diving lifestyle.
Steel started at 19 or 20 and admits his early results were terrible. He explains that it took a long time to understand fish behavior, develop stealth in the water, and learn how to land and preserve fish properly. Most successful spearfishermen spend years building those skills, and there is no real shortcut for time in the water.
Spearfishing requires a speargun or pole spear, a mask, fins, a wetsuit suited to the conditions, a weight belt, and a float and line setup, along with the freediving skills to use them safely. In the episode Steel talks through what actually matters for a beginner and why technique and water time matter more than expensive gear.
Steel explains that fish are highly attuned to movement, sound, and disturbance in the water, which is why stealth is everything. He describes the specific techniques he uses to move slowly and quietly so he can get within range without spooking his target, and how reading fish behavior tells him when to move and when to stay still.
Steel draws a clear line between the two. Reef diving has its own hazards, but blue water diving means open ocean, big pelagic fish, and the presence of larger predators, which raises the stakes considerably. He describes why blue water demands more experience, more awareness, and more respect for what can go wrong.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 865 with Steel Rockett is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
Spearfishing fascinates me because it strips fishing down to its most elemental form: you, a breath, and the fish in its own world. Steel lives that five and six days a week, and I wanted to understand what that volume of time in the water actually teaches you.
What makes Steel a great guest is his honesty about how bad he was at the start. He is not selling a fantasy, he is describing a long apprenticeship, and the stealth and blue water lessons that came out of it are the real payoff. Press play in the player above.
One of the most useful things Steel does in this conversation is admit how terrible his early spearfishing results were. He did not have a natural gift; he had a freediving course, a lot of failure, and the patience to keep going. He explains what finally started to click and why the long learning curve is the part nobody likes to talk about. Hear that honesty in the player above.
Fish feel you coming long before you think they do, and Steel's whole game is about not being detected. He breaks down the specific ways he moves through the water to avoid spooking fish, how he reads their behavior, and the small adjustments that decide whether he gets a shot at all. This is the most practical section for anyone who dives. Watch it in the player above.
Steel draws a sharp line between diving the reef and heading out into blue water. The open ocean means bigger fish, bigger predators, and far less margin for error, and he explains exactly why blue water demands a different level of experience and awareness. If you are tempted to make that jump, this is the section to hear first. Listen in the player above.
The biggest fish Steel has ever harvested was a 380-pound marlin, and landing it took three hours and multiple people. He went for a brain shot to try to drop it quickly, and even though it dropped, the fish kept fighting for hours afterward. The sheer power of that animal comes through when he tells it. Press play in the player above for the full story.
Spending five to six days a week diving is a different relationship with the ocean than most anglers will ever have, and it changes how you see fish, weather, and risk. Steel talks about what that lifestyle has taught him and what keeps pulling him back. If you want to understand the mindset behind serious spearfishing, listen to the final stretch of the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
What I took away from Steel is that spearfishing rewards humility. He got good by being bad for a long time and refusing to quit, and that path is more honest than most highlight reels make it look.
The marlin story is the one people will remember, but the stealth and blue water sections are where the real teaching is. Those are the lessons that keep a diver safe and effective.
If you spearfish, want to start, or just want to understand a sport that demands everything from the people who do it well, this one is worth your time. Watch the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 865 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Steel Rockett · Slingin' Steel (YouTube channel) · Florida · The Bahamas · Tom Rowland
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Steel Rockett is a spearfisherman who started diving at around 19 or 20 after moving to Florida and spending time in the Bahamas. He took a freediving course, fell in love with the sport despite rough early results, and now spends five to six days a week in the water hunting fish. He runs a YouTube channel called Slingin' Steel, where he creates educational content about spearfishing, hunting, fishing, and the diving lifestyle. His experience spans both reef and blue water diving, including landing a 380-pound marlin that took three hours to bring in.
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