Hawaii Island man dies after being impaled by swordfish

  • Swordfish are very aggressive, especially if they are injured.


    Hawaii Island man dies after being impaled by swordfish


  • It's important to know the dangers of taking a shot at a bill fish. Most of the time being in predatory mind set, I think we forget the hunted can sometimes turn on the hunter, and become complacent. There's no room for complacency in spearfishing for many reasons. Thanks for posting this Ramon.

  • Spotted this event on CNN, was going to post and see Ramon beat me to it.


    The picture of the swordfish looked strange. Looked like it had damage to the back of the top fin.


    Wonder if this was actual fish or a file picture.

  • It was bad luck for the diver i hear, it went around a (mooring?)line with the shooting line attached to spear in it, that turned it back at him :(

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

  • It was bad luck for the diver i hear, it went around a (mooring?)line with the shooting line attached to spear in it, that turned it back at him :(


    That makes more sense to why it was coming at him vs trying to get away. A good thing to think about. If line length was different or the mooring line father away, it would have missed him.

  • That makes it feel even more unfortunate. In general there's always a random element that can affect the outcome. In this situation there was a higher probability I guess. In open water a fish can panic and choose a direction to escape colliding with a second diver. As a rule they run directly away or parallel to the pressure of the line and the diver is safe. I've shot big cuda around pilings before, a frontal collision with a cuda can be serious too. I have to admit it never occurred to me I could get hurt this way.

  • That makes it feel even more unfortunate. In general there's always a random element that can affect the outcome. In this situation there was a higher probability I guess. In open water a fish can panic and choose a direction to escape colliding with a second diver. As a rule they run directly away or parallel to the pressure of the line and the diver is safe. I've shot big cuda around pilings before, a frontal collision with a cuda can be serious too. I have to admit it never occurred to me I could get hurt this way.


    Only close calls as far as collision I've ever had was a cuda as well. Could go bad especially with that protruding front tooth.
    I recall a picture of davie or maybe it was Emil or someone ,I'm
    not sure ,that got wrapped around the neck by a permit, that's another danger

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

  • Sad story
    In 1966 an italian spearo in Sicily has been stuck in the head by a swordfish at the time he was hunting at about 100ft depth..:@
    bill broke after penetring the face to the thorax, an about 7" long piece
    He recovered after undergoing a pretty long and complex surgery
    and got back diving!!


    you may observe three bills/ sword sailfishl and marlin
    swordfish has a bill like a blade of sword which is smooth and sharpened
    marlin sailfish have a particular bill covered of tiny spikes with can cause more bodily harm if you get wounded (flesh tearing)...:(

  • Not all billfish are the same. Many Marlin and Sailfish are taken by hook & line and by spear without much danger of being impaled. Not so with swordfish. There are hundreds of stories about swordfish attacking boats. Swordfish ARE agressive and the previous link of a swordfish attacking the submersible fits its known temperament.


    Sad story, but spearing a swordfish is asking for trouble (Jon -Ulusub having recently done it notwithstanding)..


    RIP

  • Quote

    Marlin and Sailfish are taken by hook & line and by spear without much danger of being impaled.


    do not agree 100%;)
    caught about 20 billfish...
    marlin speared use to take off most of the time staight away then sink to the depht at hte time exhausted, then do swimming slowly while pulling the line
    Sometimes marlin does sinking direct to the depth if it get shot close range in the head or gills


    sailfish are pretty unforeseeable... the may have the same behavour like marlins
    but they often take off while swimming fast in all directions, sometimes jumping out of the water (so I caught one which got tangled in the shooting line)
    sfih sometimes rushing back and close to the diver while pulling the line... but I never felt the fish planned to impale me
    eventually have to use the unloaded gun to fight


    whatever the speared billfish in my modest you have to be carefull at the time you manage the exhausted fish by holding the gills
    they seems almost dead but they can fight again!
    all the sworfish I tried to get close shows pretty shy and distrusfull..


    a friend of mine made it in the Med Sea ...
    SpearFishingMotion.com

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