By CAM Staff Spearfishing:
By CAM Staff Spearfishing:The rise in popularity of spearfishing and the subsequent advances in the technology and adaptations of gear have allowed divers to more safely and efficiently target more and bigger species around the globe. The apex of the sport for thrill seekers, and one of the most dangerous and exciting forms of it, is freediving for big bluewater gamefish.
Without scuba gear, divers hunt over very deep water for very big fish. It’s the truest form of mano-a-mano spearfishing that exists today. Everything is to the fish’s advantage, except maybe the gear. Spearguns capable of powerful and accurate shots longer than 20 feet and lines and floats to assist in tracking and fighting big fish are necessary to even make the sport possible. Armed with such, divers enter the realm of large and powerful pelagic animals, where for all intents and purposes there is no bottom, to pursue quarry perfectly adapted to an environment completely alien to our air-breathing species.
Yellowfin tuna are one of the most sought after and formidable targets freedivers hunt. They are always on the move. Some divers spend years seeking out the opportunity for a good shot at a big yellowfin and travel to places like South Africa, Guadeloupe and Ascension Island in search of them. Even if a hunter finds himself lucky enough to dive on a big tuna, these fish can be wary. And they are very strong swimmers, which comes into play during the dive as well as after the shot. Don’t count on swimming down a yellowfin if you don’t have the right angle or if it even suspects you’re there. If you connect solidly after the trigger pull, be careful. Even a smaller tuna can easily drown a diver who gets tangled in the floatline.
Here’s the scenario: From the surface, the diver watches baitfish scatter as a 100-plus-pound tuna swims steadily into view. Breathing through a snorkel and swimming calmly on the surface, he considers the fish’s movement and depth to line up the angle of the dive. Keeping noise and jerky movements to a minimum, the surface dive takes the hunter to a depth where neutral buoyancy takes over and he is able to slide deeper, kicking steadily with arm and gun already outstretched to avoid any unnecessary movement.
The body sends out early warning signs. That panicked need for breath sets in. But the diver is still out of range. Experienced freedivers have trained themselves to ignore these early symptoms. The dive reflex kicks in, setting in motion physical reactions that force extra blood and oxygen into the system and extend down-time. This is where freedivers get into trouble. Dozens die every year from shallow-water blackout, not at depth but on the way back up. The blackout occurs as the lungs expand during ascent and form a vacuum that sucks oxygen back out of the system.
But a fish, not a man, will die today. With arm outstretched, the diver aims and pulls the trigger, oversized rubber bands compress in a split second to send more than 5 feet of cold metal shaft rocketing downward toward the yellowfin’s torso. A wickedly sharp and barbed head rips through flesh and punches out the other side with a puff of red. The tuna bolts for the bottom, dragging 100 feet of bungy-equipped line with it. That line, tethered to heavy-duty floats will slow the tuna’s run and hopefully resurface with gear attached. Then it’s a matter of battling the fish inch by inch and maybe diving again to get a second line into the beast.
It’s about as extreme as fishing gets, and it’s not a sport for everyone. For anyone who wants to get into bluewater hunting, the first step is to gain experience freediving. Contact your local dive shop and sign up for lessons. This is not a solo sport. Meet and network with those more experienced than you are. Put in time learning the sport and the gear on shallow reef dives. It’s a fun way to pay your dues, and perhaps when you master this less extreme aspect of the sport, you’ll be ready to go offshore after fish strong enough to pull you into the deep.