A Richmond Diver Turns His Hobby Into Ocean State Spearguns

When people think of sport fishing in Rhode Island, they often visualize anglers casting rods over freshwater lakes or fishing boats cruising the open sea. But that’s not the case for Matt Novakovich, an experienced spear fisherman who manufactures spearguns and sells them to fellow enthusiasts.

While you may have seen videos of speargun fishermen hunting colorful fish in exotic tropical locations, the sport has also gained popularity right here. “It’s the sport of chasing fish underwater, which can happen anywhere,” explains Novakovich, founder/owner of Ocean State Spearguns, who designs and produces the marine tools in his garage in Richmond. “It used to be kind of a niche sport,” says Novakovich, who credits a hunting and fishing show on Netflix called MeatEater. “The host, Steve Renella, has started spearfishing and films himself spearfishing. It’s the most popular hunting and fishing show out there.”

Novakovich, who began as a conventional fisherman, crafts his spearguns by hand, utilizing traditional woodworking tools and methods, which ensures that each piece is unique. His father was in the woodworking business, and Novakovich started building spearguns for personal use several years ago. “One thing led to another, and I started building guns for friends – area dive buddies,” he explains. Word got out about the high quality of his guns through online forums, and he turned a hobby into a business. At the same time, spearfishing gained traction, also fueled by social media and high-resolution underwater cameras. From modest beginnings, Novakovich’s spearguns are now sold to customers as far away as Hawaii and Australia.

Novakovich says divers in Rhode Island coastal waters face certain limitations. “Here in New England, we’re usually hunting at shallower depths because of poor visibility and the availability of the fish,” he explains. “You don’t need to get down deep. We don’t have the best visibility either. Most of the spearfishing we do here is on free dives, without scuba gear. Some scuba guys here spearfish, but for the most part, we are doing breath-hold diving, which means, of course, holding your breath. You can get down to some decent depths. I free-dive down to 80 feet – some guys get down to 100.”

At present, it’s still a part-time operation for Novakovich, an engineer by day, who hopes to go full-time with the business in the future. He builds guns in several styles, starting with the popular entry-level Sugar Reef gun. More experienced divers often opt for higher-end gear, such as the flagship Watch Hill Reef gun. “It’s shaped almost like a surfboard,” says Novakovich. The top-of-the-line Atlantis, which features three to four bands used to power the spear, is popular among advanced users.

Most of the spearguns are made to order, but a few models have made it into surf and fishing shops, including a dive shop in Long Island, New York. “Fishing tackle shops are starting to carry them as well; I have some generic guns that are pretty popular dimension-wise, but for the most part, all of my guns are built to order,” he says. “They usually take about a two-week turnaround.” Learn more at OceanStateSpearguns.com.