An over 1000lb bluefin tuna capture!

Congratulations virgili.

Here's a copy of the article so you don't have to go to the other site. It's a good read.

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AN OVER 1,000 LB ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA CAPTURE!

Published date : 2010-08-20

The action took place 2 days ago in the North Atlantic Coast and at about 170 miles off the coast in the direction of New Foundland
At the time the main goal of the trip was again to spot giant atlantic tuna and to do some video... In particular, at the time they do hunting herring school wich are plentifull in August there.

If you plan to do this hunt the luck is the master of the game, because these great pelagics do moving all the time along the North America coast and swimming from 100 to 150 miles per day!

The weather is the second parameter, because the sea must be calm if you intend to see the "herring run" and to luckily spot tuna.
Great mako and white sharks do often take part to the quarry, this is the third unforseeable parameter..

After 3 days boating in the best weather conditions, we finally could spot on the surface a predation action:

a lot of birds, two whales.Tuna were probably there hunting in a school. Each time this kind of action can last several minutes or less, then the tuna school vanishes to the depths.
I jumped from the boat among the "slaughter". Hundred and hundred birds were hunting the herrings The water temperatur was there at about 19 C degree and pretty much colder in the depth. The water was green, dirty and the visi fair at about 2 meter range . I did diving equiped with a wood speargun : the shaft with a special spear tip wich can penetrate the thick tuna skin and do not rip the meat when it get pulled.

I dove at about 50feet depth where the visi was better and I could observe a couple of time massive tunas swimming fast and moving sometimes like rockets to the surface while hunting fiercely.

I have been freediving for years several times among these fishes: it's each time the same incredible and amazing "rodeo".They do coming from nowhere and eating all the fish to the last... then they take off in a split of minutes.
As usually you never find a middle size tuna because in this kind of school wich is only made of massive fish: the school was made there only of 600 to about 900lb tuna...
I did several dives from 40 to 70 ft depth but I could not spot any tuna again. Probably several hundred tuna were hunting herrings, did they move away? At the time I was thinking " aiming and shooting a giant tuna is paradoxicaly pretty hard: the target is wide, but the fish is moving fast at about 10 feet per second in changing its path all the time..." a silvery and black blue huge shape swam suddenly in front of me then under my fins...
I aimed the tuna in front of the head at about 6 feet range and shot. The shaft hit the fish in the middle of the body!

The tuna vanished in a spilt of second in taking the bungee to the depth. I grabbed it and got towed as if I should be a buoy. The power of this fish is unthinkable. I speared in summer 2009 in the Strait of Gibraltar an about 1,000lb tuna and the fight lasted about 3 hours. I have been towed without a break by this huge speared fish on about 15 miles and lost it at night.

After about thirty seconds a short break,I could get back to the surface, then the tuna took off again. The fight lasted about an hour. I suddenly felt less resistance while trying to pull the line, in vain because the fish was to heavy and I could not check it. The tuna stayed motionless at about 120ft depth and I got exhausted. The fish was dead. It has been gaffed by the captain and attached at the bow then landed on the deck with a crane.
The fish could be checked: the spear tip worked perfectly, got jammed under the skin. The shaft hit first probably the spine.

Fish has not been weighted.

The length was 124" and girth 88"!!
The weigh estimated between 1,000 and 1,100lbs.
Unforgetable action!

Probably the greatest fish ever speared and landed!

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now that is a smile if I have ever seen one :@:@:@:@

wow

WOW!!! I remember seeing the video of the first one Virgili shot only to lose in the end. I just can't even begin to imagine the strength of a fish of this size.

Congrats Virgili on a TRUE fish of a lifetime!

Virgili, wohooooo, Thats the stuff dreams are made of.

Congrats my friend.

Don or Virgili, canone of you elaborate on whatthe lily head is? i assume it is a unique shape of slipr tip but I'd like to learn more.

thanks.

by the way, was this fish sold to sushi chefs...I have seen the pics of the market place where 500-700 lb fish go for 50,000$ US or more...:@

nice, thanks

I have always been curious to jump in on schools of yellowfin and blackfins feeding in the bahamas...the silky and other sharks in the schools definitely make me hesitate...but at least I do not have to worry about great whites.

Virgili is a champ for even getting in the water.

Congrats on a huge fish!!

Did you ever try using smaller bands and stretching them more? Probably get the same power out spear with a whole lot less recoil.

Just an idea to test out.

Great fish, awesome story and very nice gear. It's really nice that the gun was homemade along with the spear. To me that would add to the hunt, being hands on with everything from day one.

:thumbsup2:

thats a whale,, amazing.

Quote from Don Paul

He has been a legend long before this, with camera and gun.

Cheers, Don

I agree , it is very rare that someone who has not payed his dues would take such a magnificent fish.
I can imagine myself taking a chunk of it and preparing it raw right there,Ahhhw! pass me the soy sauce please.

Virgili, you are a true ambassador of our sport, your quest was inspiring and your endeavor admirable. Someone should write a book pertaining that true spirit of spearfishing in you. Thank you , I mean Thank you for achieving that feat and sharing it with all of us.

Congratulations! That is an AMAZING catch. Savor every moment of it.

Dive safe,

Gerald

Congratulations for such an amazing catch!

I was wondering if the shape of these tips don't deviate the shaft on long shots.

It looks as they have a "spoiler effect" on the shaft. I might be wrong, but that's the impression I have when I see them. Have you noticed anything?

Of course you didn't miss your shot, but maybe that's partially a reason of why you hit the midbody when aiming the head?

that is an interesting thought Marco...i cannot imagine how they would not effect the shot to some degree?

i was thinking the same thing,, maybe the massive force of all those bands overrides it

Quote from virgili

Roberto,
This pic is dedicated to you because we talked about this recent trip at the Wild Expo and I remember a the time your feeling and experienced/ comments about this;). Pura Vida!

Virgili , I jumped of joy when I saw this pics, what an incredible trip and to harvest such
a majestic fish is an incredible feat.

I celebrate your catch like if it were mine, all blue water hunters do.

Now that you dedicate it for me, I want one with your name on it.

Marco, tuna you aim at the head, and they are sooo fast you end up hitting were
it hits, you would have to aim in front of it depending on speed,but then
you run the risk of it turning and avoiding the shaft, has happen to me enough times,
I just laugh when people critic bad shots in tuna, if you land it, it was the best shot ever.

He lost a monster using regular slip tips, so he adapted and improved his gear so
he could be succesful next time, it seems it worked.

Marco, we should plan a trip for tuna again,
will talk about it on the Puerto Rico Freedivers tournament meeting.