Letting go of a speargun

  • Too good to not repost Letting Go - Spearboard bubble blowers drama forum

    Quote from Behslayer 09-21-2015

    A few days ago I was diving 100miles offshore on my brother's boat. We had fished the area during the night chunking for Tuna and I had seen a Wahoo come into the lights and we had caught a few small yellowfin under 20lbs which we released. The fishing was not so good but in the morning we decided to dive the place as there was plenty of bait on the surface with small skipjack tuna and bonito breaking surface. My two dive partners were both very experienced good deeper divers. One of them is a Performance Freediving instructor in Hawaii who is comfortable hunting below 100', the other is my long time dive buddy from Indonesia who is one of the best divers I know. So I figured I'd let them focus on the deep for Tuna and I'd focus on the upper water column for Wahoo and Mahi Mahi. The water was Clear. 100' vis and we were in a line about 75' away from each other drifting. They were both using Floatlines and Tuna Floats. I was using my Bluewater Reel with 330' of line on it I was in the middle. I'm comfortable enough to hunt for Wahoo with just a Reel, especially with two buddies with Floats next to me as Wahoo almost always make arcing runs which are long but not deep. I've shot many wahoo and never used a float. I've been spooled, but I was always able to angle up and stay on the surface and swim with the fish. Myself and my buddies have also landed many Yellowfin Tuna up to 80lbs using the Reels. So I'm focussing on the top 50' of the Water Column. I've got a good bit of Chum going and conditions look right. I make a drop and as I get to 50' I'm hanging for a while, about to head up and I see something below me. I drop another 10' and a Shoal of Big YFT comes right up to me. These fish are thick. All of them over 100lbs. I look for the smaller one and I look at my reel and I think for a second and then I focus on a Kill Shot. I let loose a nice shot. Right up by the back of the head looks good. The fish is not Stoned, and as it turns and shakes I see my tip Toggled on the other side of the fish. I look up. I have 60'. I look at my reel and that fish takes off. At 40' my reel is half full. I'm trying to slow the fish down, holding onto the line and giving resistance as I swim up. At 30' I get to the knot and things go into slow motion. I'm being pulled back down. I give a big tug to see if I can budge this fish. I can't. I grab my knife with my right hand. I'm holding the Gun by the handle with my left hand and it's facing down and I run the knife over the line on the Gunstock cutting into the wood. It's a serrated edge and it's fairly sharp, newer knife, but I only get through half of the line because of the awkward angle. I'm getting pulled straight down. I attempt another slash at the line waiting for the pop of the line separating from the fish. I look to see a few strands of the Dyneema still uncut and I'm still going down. I'm also fighting being pulled. I have the knife in my hand about to make another slash and everything goes into slower motion. "Let Go" is something I've always said to myself in thinking about this situation. Just like I say "Don't use the front brake" when I'm thinking about Motorcycle mantras. In that moment I could have tried one more slash at the line. Instead I was okay to let go of the gun. I looked up and it was far. 70'.. I unbuckled my belt holding the edge with two fingers and got to the surface as quickly as possible. As I hit the surface I was not feeling good at all. I had spotted my buddy Ben and he knew something was up. I yelled "Help" and it barely came out. Both he and my other dive partner Dave were there within seconds and held me up for a while as I recovered. I'm not sharing this story to be judged. I killed a beautiful fish and lost a nice gun I made with my hands and almost drowned. It was a poor decision to go in the water where I could possibly encounter bigger Tuna with just a Reel, no Belt reel, No float, or to choose to take the Shot on a Fat Tuna when it presented itself. But the one right decision I made is what I wanted to share. Letting go. Right now. I don't care at all about that gun. I'll make another. I feel badly, but I don't really care about that fish dying. It all happens real fast underwater. It can happen in many ways. Learn one thing from this. Be willing to Let Go and don't wait too long. We got back to diving an hour or so later. I didn't push it at all and shared a gun with my buddy one up one down. He shot a Nice YFT which we served at his wedding the next day.

  • I agree Dan, I'll post here what I said to him on Chris's place. ( I don't go to that other forum)


    ''Thank you so much for this Jon. I'm really happy your still with us buddy. I know sometimes cutting line or cable is a lot harder under stress than when we just practice it on dry land. Sharks need to eat too, I'm not sorry about your gun as much as happy with your decision to let her go. God Bless''.


    Cheers, Don Paul

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Wow, sobering read indeed.
    Doesn't harm either that it was well written and so is your response, Don


    For a guy like me, who is still just slowly venturing out into bluer waters, I can honestly say that I learn a lot from reading accounts like these. I play the scenario in my head, like it was me in the water, and I try to hardcode the chain of events and the necessary and right steps into my memory.
    I think that's why I appreciate a good read as it makes this process easier and more vivid.


    Thanks for posting, Dan. I have zero interest in ever signing up over there, so it's highly appreciated that you and others share the nuggets.

  • Wow, sobering read indeed.
    Doesn't harm either that it was well written and so is your response, Don


    For a guy like me, who is still just slowly venturing out into bluer waters, I can honestly say that I learn a lot from reading accounts like these. I play the scenario in my head, like it was me in the water, and I try to hardcode the chain of events and the necessary and right steps into my memory.
    I think that's why I appreciate a good read as it makes this process easier and more vivid.


    Thanks for posting, Dan. I have zero interest in ever signing up over there, so it's highly appreciated that you and others share the nuggets.


    Yes, I agree about sharing the good , bad and ugly if it can help another diver. I was aware of this story from Jon last week and wanted to ask him if I could post it here to help other divers and old salts like me. In order for our back up plans to work we need to practice them. Not just the physical opps llke the sharpness of the knife, or the act of unbuckling of the belt, I'm talking about mentally meditating the act of when to take action before your over the edge of no return.... The deep cold place where the white crabs will convert our flesh to craw to another thermo vent and the doors of hell. ....hell for our wives and kids... hell for our girls and friends.


    Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Edited 2 times, last by Don Paul ().

  • Wow, incredible story and powerful lesson. I'm glad he made the choice soon enough to make it back home that night. All of us are prone to making mistakes, especially in the heat of the moment. In this lifestyle, we're more likely than not to face situations that seriously test our instinct to survive.


    Not sure how I would've reacted to that same situation but Don's right - backup plans and "eject button" options need to be practiced repeatedly until they become second nature. In the ocean, a single reflex can mean the difference between life and death. If a scenario can't be practiced then the thought of surviving, or the thought of "it's not worth it," needs to be deeply ingrained in one's self. It might make a difference one day.

    Brad

  • That product was the first thing that came to mind
    (Assuming your referring to the bungee that attaches your wrist to the gun)


    No, I was just thinking it be very easy to let go of one of those guns but, losing the fish would bug me.


    Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Jon privately sent me the story, I had my say then... Basicly I said that we both knew trying a shot with a reel on a big tuna was madness, but in the same position I would have tried for the kill shot as he did... we are hunters we cant fight our nature ;)
    Jon is one of the most humble of us, this summer he has torn it up huge in the blue, and said very little about it, his experience and innovative spirit is really an inspiration to me. Dude shares top tips and info hard won like it was nothing... I learned a hell of a lot listening to him, and trying what he has suggested.
    I try to share with others here(Antigua) what he has taught me, but you know the guys who know better? yeah THOSE kinda guys, so i will just keep slaying more fish consistently than THOSE guys....lol

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

  • In the past when I played out this scenario in my head, I cut line by inserting the knife under it and pulling up. It's probably wishful thinking either way.


    While it does make for a good joke, to me the particular gun used wouldn't play much of a factor in the decision to let go. I wouldn't want to let go of any gun, perhaps because there's a fish attached, perhaps because I don't like to lose what belongs to me. I just don't think the actual value of the gun would be part of the lightning fast calculations happening at that moment.

  • To me, going into deep deep blue water where the fast big fish live with out my bungi float rig, would like going out on a date with Jennifer Lawrence and not bringing a rubber.:D


    Cheers. Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Also "letting go" applies to the weight belt. I make mine from recycled fish weights so they have no value. I might keep a beater knife on it but nothing that would make me think twice about ditching it.

    Edited once, last by ladvr ().

  • Also "letting go" also applies to the weight belt. I make mine from recycled fish weights so they have no value. I might keep a beater knife on it but nothing that would make me think twice about ditching it.


    A very sharp beater knife I hope:D. I have ditched my belt twice and never thought twice what was on it or if I'd ever get it back. If I even think things are going down hill I always unlatch so it will slip off.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Haha, yeah, Ms. Lawrence... speechless, she's gotta be the best thing come out of the USA since... well, since you guys were founded, really.


    Ah, I did want to mention an episode in Denmark where they dive shallow and are allowed to hunt at night. Very, very few incidents there from depth or big fish. But entanglement in nets is a risk.
    We had a guy dive on the North Sea coast which is often windy with big waves and shitty viz. He did a shallow dive, maybe 3-5m at night and when he was about to resurface a net had either drifted over him or him under it. He got stuck about 1m under the surface, if I recall correctly. He is big guy, officer in the Army, been stationed in some pretty messed up places and knew how to keep cool. Reached for his knife and tried to cut his way out, didn't succeed.
    Buddy came down, got him out and he was alright - but he specifically talked about how you just can't cut through a lot of stuff even with a good dive knife. He now dives with a line cutter, that you pull instead (as well as 1-2 knives).

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