Photos
About Cameron Kirkconnell Page
by admin on Jun.08, 2010, under How-To, Photos, Spearfishing Stories, Spearfishing Travel
Cameron Kirkconnell
I’m so honored that you are visiting my blog and hope that the pictures and stories here will bring you closer to the feeling that we as spearfisherman, divers and fisherman enjoy in our lives. As of now we have more than 30 stories and dozens of pictures on the site as well as a good youtube following. I wanted to give you a bit of background on myself and how I started into this sport, working for Riffe, and traveling the world spearing so many places and so many great fish and meeting so many good people.
In brief:
My family is from the Cayman Islands and diving, fishing and ships have been at the center of our lives for almost as long as the islands have been on the map.
I’m 33 years old and work as a Captain on huge ships getting paid to travel around the world and with a four months on and off schedule I’ve been able to spend months at a time in the best known dive spots in the world. Even better, I’ve been able to travel with my friends and family and discover the newer and better dive spots that have been the envy of the rest of spearfishing world.
We are always looking for that which hasn’t been done, specializing our gear and finding the perfect recipe for every location and fish we pursue.
I work year round with Riffe International (www.speargun.com) developing the latest and most hard core spearfishing equipment so that I can have the best gear perfectly suited to our hunting and abuse we encounter in third world countries and in less than ideal conditions.
I’m lucky to have scored some great fish along the way with my top ten favorites being:
#1 has to be Steve Bennet. 155 lbs. Speared at 75 feet after he had blacked out and was sinking to his death. Luckily the shot was true and the story you’ve likely already read. Steve glad you are with us my friend.
50 lb Wahoo shot by my father this past year diving together and I got it on video. One of my favorite days in the water ever.
119 lb Wahoo
Blue Marlin 280 lb (WR) (shot in the open water NOT TROLLING)
280lb Yellowfin Tuna
201 lb Dogtooth tuna (WR)
102 lb Spanish Mackerel
105 lb Amberjack
60 lb King Mackerel (WR)
28 lb Blackfin Tuna (WR)
35 lb African Pompano (Diamond Trevally) with a Hawaiian Sling
I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the original hosts of the show SPEARGUN HUNTER by Terry Maas. I took the team overseas to a secret spot and within the first two days shot and landed a World Record sized Pacific Blue Marlin. On that first trip we also landed more than a dozen big Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, giant Trevally and Yellowfin Tuna. Terry captured all of the action on video and but the video has never made it to TV and I obviously am not the host. It was a great experience but my refusal to let the video of shooting the record Marlin be shown on National TV did not go over well with the producers. It worked out good, they have a great host and I believe we kept even more restrictions and bad publicity for the sport from coming down on us by keeping the fish private. I have nothing against shooting billfish, but the hypocritical Sportfishing World will only bring more harm upon our sport we value so much.
It also worked out well because I can still go to all the best spots in the world and not worry about giving them away on national TV!
Over the years I have always written for different magazines and put videos up on the web and through Riffe, Spearboard, Spearfishingplanet, Facebook, my seminars in dive shops and emails answered hundreds of question on everything from gear to girls around the world and the best combination in between for spearfishing.
I don’t know everything there is to know about the sport but I have gathered information from every corner of every ocean and retained it and I hope that I can help every diver out there dive safely and enjoy the sport for years to come.
I will constantly work to make the blog better, more navigable, more informative and useful to you. As my internet connection allows while I am traveling overseas (which is about 8 months out of the year) I will download pictures and video for you to check out and enjoy.
I encourage everyone to participate in the blog and ask questions and get out of it what you want. This is my way of sharing my life with you and sharing my knowledge with you as well to make you a better, happier and safer spearfisherman or woman.
You can email me at cameron@speargun.com
On the Riffe Website: www.speargun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=32
On YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/cameronkirkconnell
Thanks for visiting and stay in touch. The best part about this sport is all the people you meet around the world and learning from every diver you encounter whether they are in Alaska or South Africa or an inland lake in Missouri.
More long winded about me:
My parents had us in the water at and early age and we started freediving for conchs and lobsters in the shallows and holding on to our parents while they searched the reefs and drop offs for hours on end hunting Groupers and Hogfish in the crystalline waters of the Caribbean.
Its hard to not want to be a Spearfisherman with huge fish and lobsters at your feet as a one year old. Mom and Dad are still in the water whenever they can and I still wish I could have a day like this with a 10+lb Lobster and Giant Dog Snapper in the Caymans
As I got older we continued to spearfish and scuba dive in Florida from Jacksonville to Key West and up to Tampa.
When I was 14 years old I started saving for my first speargun and after two years I bought my first gun, a Riffe Hawaiian with a reel. One of the first days out on the water we found a school of cobia and I jumped in to be surrounded by more than a dozen and shot a 45lb one.
I self proclaimed myself a bluewater hunter on the spot and knew that there was nothing more I wanted in life then to be near the water and enjoying all it had to offer.
With my cousin I applied to the US Merchant Marine Academy and after a long selection process we were both accepted and began 4 years of military school life studying the sea and how to be professional mariners. I graduated in 1999 and went to work as a third officer on a cargo ship and set off to the Indian and Pacific Ocean. With all the charts of the world at my fingertips for 4 months at sea I saw the world of spearfishing shrink to a million possibilities and my mind started racing at the potential.
With no car, no house, no girlfriend I paid the ships agent $100 when I disembarked in Singapore and convinced him to delay my ticket back the USA for two months.
A new ticket in hand I set off for Bali Indonesia and fell in love with the incredible waves and huge fish that lived there.
For the last ten years I have traveled to spearfish in Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and half a dozen islands in Indonesia searching for bluewater fish and learning techniques and meeting the best in the world in their home waters. Whether it is your first day or your 60th year there is something to be learned from everyone you meet.
Diving in Australia I met Robbie Lewis and Tim Neilsen of Adrenaline Spearfishing in Brisbane and Robbie and I became instant friends. they set me up with my first sponsorships and quickly my emails to my friends telling them the latest tall tales of big fish and crazy shark encounters started showing up in Spearfishing Magazines which I had no idea even existed.
For so long we had dove just to hunt dinner and to think that there were spearfishing clubs and competitions seemed completely foreign to us.
I made a lot of friends and slept on a lot of couches and didn’t pay rent for about 8 years and owe more favors to more people in more countries than I can possibly ever repay.
From all of it I gathered more knowledge than I ever would have imagined from so many different situations and waters that have led us to be able to plan trips any month of the year any where in the world and with high rates of success.
In my travels I’ve been blessed with some memorable fish and a handful of world records and record size fish that were just short of the mark or disqualified for one reason or another. The most common cause was being in the middle of nowhere in Fiji or Indonesia without a proper scale (or refrigeration.)
Some of the most memorable records or near records: King Mackerel 58 lbs, Blackfin Tuna 27lbs, Hogfish 21lbs, Golden Trevally 34 lbs, Pacific Blue Marlin 272lbs, Wahoo 119lbs, Blackfin Tuna 32lbs, Spanish (Narrow barred) Mackerel 102lbs, Dogtooth Tuna 201lbs, and a few other close ones.
We’ve figured out how to be in the right place at the right time. How to read the weather and water and where to be in the water and how to approach fish and how to get the biggest one to come close to you even in the middle of the blue 100 miles from land.
I’ve only entered a few tournaments but have had decent success.
In three visits to the Hatteras Bluewater open in Cape Hatteras North Carolina I’ve won twice and finished 4th on the other. I enjoy tournaments for the main reason that it brings together like minded people together and gives you a chance to rag on your friends and for them to give it right back to you.
No one believes me but I am happier when someone else gets the fish of their lives or the fish of the day then I am for myself usually. Through my work with Riffe, dozens of dive shops and thousands of divers around the world I’ve had a smile on my face doing what I love for as long as I can remember. Even when I’m not there every email from a young diver telling me how stoked he is on my new camo pattern or some bands or a tip on shooting black groupers that helped him get the fish of the day makes me so happy.
I can’t wait to meet every one of you and hope that each can get something out of these pages if only a laugh or a temporary escape from normal life.
In the coming months I will be opening a few other sections of the website that are VIP access. This will be How-to videos and detailed trip advice for divers around the world who are ready to take it to the next level. Planning trips is one of my favorite things and doing it right and being successful having done it with your friends help and all your hard work is by far the most rewarding way to go. It pays to have someone on your side that has been there, done that, and has the scars and fish scales to prove it.
Dive safe and send me pics of your adventures anytime
Cameron Kirkconnell
One of my first memories is of the East End of Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands. I must have been about 3-4 years old and small enough that I couldn’t keep up with my father and mother who were snorkeling on the surface on either side of me. Holding on to my dads arm as tight as possible my eyes worked quickly across the bottom trying to spot a grouper or snapper or the massive hogfish that lived there.
If you asked me then if I believed I’d ever be able to dive 90 feet and spear fish as big as my dad I’d probably boast and say I could only hope to be as good as him and my mom one day but hopefully better.
In those days their were no records, no float lines and no reels in our vocabulary and each fish was shot and dragged to the surface on the same breath of air. That we never had any blackouts is amazing and a testament to how good of shape we were in each summer visiting the Islands and diving for lobsters in the Keys.
This blog is a work in progress that I’ll try and keep you up to date on our trips and adventures around the world. Bear with me I do have a real job!
Grouper Season Opener
by admin on May.08, 2010, under Photos, Spearfishing Stories
Diving deep for Grouper on the East Coast of Florida is something usually reserved for Scuba divers. There are a few groups up and down the coast that have the patience and skills to spear these big bottom fish in water 75 feet and deeper and the rewards are usually worth the effort.
While the Scuba guys spend all their time on the bottom and the rest in the boat doing their surface interval, we as freedivers get to spend the whole day in the water and are always hunting even when we are resting on the surface. With the advent of new restrictions on limits and fish species the old way of thinking like a commercial fisherman and shooting as many fish as fast as you can is disappearing quickly. Now you see even the scuba guys buying better quality guns with more range and better line setups so they can save their shots and land those 3-4 trophy fish per dive instead of hurting and losing the big Cobia, African Pompano, Amberjacks and monster grouper shot with a freeshaft or heavy scuba diving gun.
Freediving this week my cousins 11 and 16 years old both had chances at good fish and shot multiple big pelagic fish including a 61lb Cobia. At the other end of the spectrum my Father who taught me to dive freedove alongside me and speared a solid cobia and had 20+ lb Red Snapper around us all day. Freediving is so much easier with less gear and freedom in the water and the amount of time spent hunting is incredible. We are so lucky to have a sport we can enjoy at any age.
This was such a cool spot with Amberjacks and Cobia and big Red Snapper all the way to the surface. We had the Big Snappers chummed up to where they were hitting the baits as soon as it hit the surface. Incredible and painful to see at the same time. I took the three prong and sat inches from their heads counting the days until the season opens. Good times can’t wait to get out there again.
Cameron Kirkconnell
One of these is not like the others.... Cobia amongst the Amberjacks is always a welcome sight
16 year old Spearos Quinn and Aaron
Love seeing Cobia in clear water.
Aaron on his way down to shoo the biggest of the cobia this season
Big cobia with a second shot. For some reason all too often the second shot is right in the exact same hole as the first. Whoops!
Amazing day to be in the water
Aaron getting his hands on the big guy
Amberjacks swirling waiting for the Cobia
Some big Cobia from Aaron and my Dad. I didn't pull the trigger but once this day everyone else was crushing it
Running out at 38 knots. Not a bad way to go
Calm morning. Lake Atlantic
William Scott with a solid Gag Grouper badly in need of a haircut.
Little Cobia from the first day
16 year old Aaron Scott with his 61lb Cobia and my 65 yr old dad Kirk with a 40lb'er
Two full coolers at the end of the day and fish taco parties all week. Cinco de Mayo can't come soon enough again.
Riffe Armor Spectra float line. Jay Riffe and I designed this to be the strongest most durable and abrasion resistant float line in the world. It has a 2000lb breaking strength and a Spectra outer with high visibility Red/Yellow Camo. Its compact and tough as hell. It did the job this week diving deep cutting through the water with little drag and no problems getting damaged around the sharp edges of the wreck. This line is incredible.
Opening Day Grouper Season East Coast
by admin on May.03, 2010, under Photos, Spearfishing Stories
A Full Yeti is a happy Yeti
We scouted a few days before the opening this year and despite gorgeous weather the visibility was terrible and we didn’t see that much in the way of fish. For the first time in as long as I can remember we shot… one fish! A .5 lb Yellowtail snapper. Weak. I had filled up my new 155qt Yeti cooler with Ice in anticipation of a typical day on our boat but ended up using none of it so we closed the cooler and left it on the boat and three days later it was ready for opening day.
We made the decision to drive up to North Florida and put in early Saturday morning and headed out into 3-5′ seas.
First spot I freedove in 75′ and while dark the visibility was 20′ horizontal. My Cousin Aaron and I dove one up and one down for the first 45 minutes passing up 20lb Groupers and laughing in the face of 20 lb Red Snappers that knew they were safe until Fisheries Management gets their heads out of their asses.
On one dive I saw a solid Gag in the 30 lb Range and hunted around in the wreck with a light on successive dives but could never get the head shot I wanted.
Meanwhile in the boat the elders were restless and before long we were out of the water and headed straight into the seas another 15 miles in search of greener pastures….
Which turned in to Browner Water.
Next spot had 3′ visibility and lots of fish but with the bad visibility it was difficult to distinguish a 15 from a 30 lb’er and my cousin Greg and my Dad ended up with two in that size range. BAckdiving the spot to look for a lost stringer I tanked up and found another three fish in the 12-20lb range. In the poor vis I had to use a bright light and was inside the wreck at 85′ and down one level. When I found the first Gag I took a look at my escapes, shot the fish. Went outside of the wreck and tied the line off, went back in and killed the fish, then unclipped the shooting line and removed the entire rig. I’m not a big fan of insertions on big wrecks especially with all the braided line that is so commonly used for fishing wrapped up all around them nowadays. I have been caught a few times freediving and it is down right terrifying to look back and not be able to see what it is that has you caught and be 70′ down and slashing with your knife at an invisible foe.
The weather was picking up and the vis was less than desirable so we continued in to some shallower bottom and my 50 year old Cousin Greg commenced to teaching us all a lesson about diving. At the end of it all he claimed 3 Cobia for the boat and worked harder then anyone to get us on the fish. With his and Mr. Pat coaching all day i think I was on overload of good advice and resigned to let the previous generation whip up on the fish.End of the day had a limit of Grouper and Three nice Cobia, six Flounder and 6 very tired crew from rolling around all day in the rough water.
I like
Flounder for the 65qt Yeti.
Friends part I
by admin on Sep.04, 2009, under Photos
Cameron and Brad Thornbrough. Brad and I met in Australia and have been diving together ever since. He is great with the camera and can hold his breath longer then should be humanly possible and isn't afraid to ask for 3 weeks off of work. (something most of my friends curse me for even trying to get them to do). He spends heaps of time in the Bahamas shooting 50 lb Groupers with a Hawaiian Sling from his stand up paddle board to the amazement of the locals and hot college girls on spring break. He's down for any crazy trip I can think up and will hold fast even when the big sharks are circling behind me to come have a taste. He did most of the filming and all the editing for the WET DREAMS dvd. IF and when we ever finish the second one it will be his fault.
- Samaro and I met in the Chagos (south of the Maldives) about ten years ago. Even then she could free dive with out fins to 40 feet which was pretty amazing. In Panama she had her first pair of fins from Riffe and was hitting 75 feet shooting parrot fish on the first day and frustrated that she couldn’t get the Wahoo to come in closer. Badass. She has the drive and natural ability to kick most guys asses in this sport. Someone to watch out for…
Cameron and Brad Thornbrough. This was one of our first days diving together in Australia. We were diving on a small island off the coast of New South Wales and these were our first Yellowtail Kingfish and my first Mulloway.
Craig Clasen and Brian Head in La Paz at the World Cup. Always up for a trip and great guys to be around. If either of them charged me rent over the past 5 years for each night I slept on one of their couches we'd have been able to buy a new boat for each of us by now. I owe a lot of great memories to these two. Great divers and even greater friends.
Craig with a solid trio of Dogtooth Tuna in Indonesia. This area was pretty far off the map and about a two hour run from anything. I think we only went out on this big boat once and lucked out with a good day of Doggies. The one laying on the deck was kind of wild looking. A bit darker then the rest with a jet black eye. Don't see too many like that. Craig smashed the one on the right with a rail gun and the other with his big cannon. We could have shot a few more this day but were waiting for the big ones.
Ritchie Zacker. I can't say enough things or tell enough stories about Ritchie. He is the absolute source of information on any and all past tournaments held in the United States, and can recite the entire list of IUSA world Records. (of which he holds quite a few) He is one of the few guys that can Freedive and tank dive equally with as much success as the best in either aspect of the sport. He has shot multiple Black grouper tank diving and also held the IUSA record freediving. His team always places in the top three at the State Freedive Championships and he has won the Nationals alongside Brandon and Ryan. He will keep the boat perfectly clean, the fish gutted, and remember the exact weight of each and every fish throughout the entire day to remind you that you did not shoot the biggest one but came damn close at .2 ounces less than the one he shot. He is a great guy and I love having him on the boat and as a friend. There are few guys that are as talented as him underwater and I look forward to his to his stories and trip reports every week when I am at sea and unable to partake myself. This picture is from a few days ago. These are two monster Black Grouper (aka "Carbos") from the West Coast of Florida. The big one was 105# and the small one 75#. As a consolation prize he also shot two 30# Gag Groupers on the same drop. The crazy thing is this all happened in less than two minutes!
Mike Freeman. This was a long day of diving earlier this summer off Venice Louisiana. Everyone had a pretty special day with Craig landing two big Blackfin Tuna, Brian shooting a 40 lb Amberjack with a pole spear, I shot a nice wahoo and a big dolphin and Freeman shot this big Mangrove. I think it was 12.5 lbs or so. Great guy, good boat handler, father, husband and killer of fish.
Brian Head beat Craig and I this afternoon in our end of the day pole spear tournament. There was a 40 ft murk layer and below it were so many fish it was ridiculous. We decided to have a pole spear tourney, biggest fish wins only one entry per person allowed. First dive Craig comes back to the surface with only half of a pole spear. He smashed a big cobia and it wrecked his gear immediately. Next dive I have a pile of big AJ's come to me but can't get the shot I need and return empty handed. Brian heads down and shoots this one and he wrestles it through the murk to the surface to claim a sweet victory. In 350 feet of water this is not an easy feat especially without a float line and up in the Oil Rig.
My Cousin Blake and I again with some deep Gulf Wreck African Pompano and a monster Permit. Blake whipped up on me this day as usual and shot Cuberas, Africans, Muttons and everything else that swam past. He doesn't get out as much as he used to but he has always been a deeper diver than me and can shoot with the best of them. We shared our first dives together as kids in the Caymans with our little three prong pole spear and I'm sure our kids will do the same when the time comes.
Josh Hoogerhyde. Another one of those guys that is so dedicated to whatever it is he is doing he is going to be good at it no matter what. He picked up freediving amidst the Tarpon eating sharks of Boca Grande and has no fear of catching stone crabs amongst them to this day. He can fish, dive, surf, kayak, make drinks, play guitar and convince the most beautiful girl in any bar that coming out on the boat the next day will undoubtedly be the best day of her life.
Two weeks prior to this picture Robbie and I were cleaning a monster Dogtooth Tuna in the middle of the street on Poppies II on Bali Indonesia. There was a crowd of about 100 Balinese friends, neighbors and passersby all around us with plastic bags taking hunks of fish. They have come to expect at least one big feed a week out of us so we try not to disappoint. This group of Norwegian girls came up and were straight in there checking out the whole operation and we all ended up being friends and diving together in Bali and Australia. Just goes to show you never know when you are going to meet new people and fresh fish never fails to bring a community together.
Issi!!!! I stayed in Tavarua last year for a month and did a lot of diving with the boatmen and Jon Roseman. We found some good fish but I never saw but a few Giant Trevally. This afternoon we had 8 guests from the resort on the boat and I gave my two guns to Issi and another good guy from California. With all 8 people in the water Issi landed this Giant Trevally with my brand new 150cm Riffe Euro that I had specially made for Mackerel and Wahoo. I don't think he was half as excited as I was and the people in the boat thought it was the coolest thing ever. Can't wait to go back and visit. We've been to Fiji quite a few times but Tavarua is simply magical.
Craig holding a chair for god knows what reason, Andre from Bali, and Robbie of Adreno Spearfishing in Australia. This is the night I shot my 201 lb Dogtooth and we were having a big night to say the least
Cameron and Simon Latta. This is pre-dive in Port Macquarie rivermouth. The day before on the way home from diving Brad and I had hit a Kangaroo that committed suicide bolting out of the bush on some backroads. The dirt track the next day on the way to diving didn't make it much better on the car. Here we are trying to get pull the front panel out from under where the kanga crushed it in. True to form we dove in the ripping current and 4 foot vis and Simon landed a nice Jewfish(Mulloway). He is one of my original Aussie buddies I started diving there with.
Mark Healey. These pics are from our last trip to Micronesia. I had promised everyone good opportunities at Dogtooth and with everyone diving over 100 feet every day it didn't take long to make it happen. Heals lost his 130 Riffe Euro the first day because he shot one in the 150 lb range with only a reel at about 95 feet. That fish is probably still heading for Japan with his rig in tow. Healey is an unreal diver and waterman. He makes his living surfing and the fact that he can free dive to more than a 150 feet (while hunting!!!) goes to show that the guys that are surfing these 60 foot waves on TV and in the Magazines are legit. He is as humble as they come though and all of us wish we had his life. He travels the world surfing and spearfishing and does stunts for TV shows and movies all the time. He's an incredible diver and a hunter. Check out some of his videos on SURFLINE or Youtube to see why he is one of the best Big Wave surfers in the world.
The first day I met Robbie Lewis within 5 minutes he asked me if I wanted to go to an 80's party one of his friends was having in Brisbane for her 21st Birthday. Needless to say I jumped on the opportunity and I think the pictures from that night are probably still up on his fridge or floating around the internet. Scary stuff. We've done quite a few trips together and between him and Brad I think they compete to make the rest of us laugh so hard that we can't even dive. For his wedding we all went to Fiji and dove and raised hell for a few weeks with all our friends and the morning of the ceremony we all ran out and he smashed a nice Mackerel just offshore of the hotel. He now tuns Adreno Spearfishing in Australia which is by far the best outfitted Spearfishing Store I've ever seen. It is ridiculous how much gear they have there. This Dogtooth is one we landed in Indo a few years back. He has video of it up on the website www.spearfishing.com.au
Launching the boat on North Stradbroke Island. We are so spoiled in the US with our boat ramps and inlets. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc almost always launch straight into the surf and then have to punch out through the sets. It is an experience for sure.
Off Canaveral with my cousin Blake Gaylord and Brad Thornbrough. This was right when we'd returned from a trip to Australia and were diving good so we went to some really deep spots (100+ ft) off Cape Canaveral. We all ended up with some great fish and I lost a 50+lb Gag Grouper that broke my shaft off in more than 120 ft of water. I'm still bummed I lost that one.
Chris Gardinal and his East Coast Cubera. I think this was the first time they had ever come diving with us on our boat. He and Sasa Bratic hit the wreck and were amazed in the 10 ft vis that there were so many grouper swimming all over the place. It took them a few dives to realize that it was in fact 10-18 lb Mangrove Snappers and not groupers. When he pulled the trigger on the Cubera we all thought it was a big grouper. The fish tore off and on our way to the next spot we happened upon this 60+lb Cubera floating on the surface.
Derek Pinella and his Saint Pete Open winning Black Grouper from a few years back. Derek and I met through some fellow Spearo's and ended up rooming together in Tampa diving, Wakeboarding, and generally enjoying life. Derek is one of those guys who can be out of the water for 8 months and then get on the boat and hit 70 feet all day long and shoot with the best of them all day long.
Mike Lohman and a special lady friend. Lohman is quick to join any trip to the Bahamas and can usually be found with Brad Thornbrough getting in to some sort of trouble in South Florida or Central America. He's holding a type of crab we find in the Caribbean that is amazing to eat. In the Caymans when we were kids this was one of the best finds crawling across the reef. Nice cig. You stay classy.
Central America 200+lb Yellowfin Tuna and Jason Norcross poised to smash another one. He is looking over at the pod of Dolphins and Tunas and we are trying our best to get in front of them and get a shot off. It isn't your typical diving but one of the best ways to shoot big tunas.
One of my favorite Pictures I've ever taken. This is GR Tarr coming up from a dive and he's looking down towards a group of about 10 big Bull Sharks that had been chasing us around all day. At any time there were 2-15 hammerheads, 5-20 Bull Sharks, Tigers, Dusky and Reef Sharks coming around us. We landed 9 Wahoo this day and 6 Blackfin Tuna but lost triple that to the sharks. Gotta love diving in those conditions. I love this pic because his attention is completed focused on something that is much much more dangerous out of the picture and he is ignoring the 8 ft hammerhead that most people would be bugging out on.
This was out off Miami of all places. We were taking it easy fishing out wide and more than anything enjoying the scenery on the boat and came across a school of Tunas. This was about 2 minutes before we had him sliced into sashimi and enjoyed by all.
Ed Walker. Ed is a charter boat captain and probably the best sight fishing tarpon Captain on the West Coast of Florida. I fished a season with him over there and we were #1 for the DNA sampling program that is tracking the different groups of tarpon throughout Florida. He is a great fisherman and a smart diver incorporating both techniques to become better at the other. If you want to dive out of Tarpon Springs, sight fish for Cobia on the flats or throw a fly at them, Snook fish, freedive for cobia, grouper, snapper or run way out to the middle grounds he has it covered. He has a 23 ft Bay boat and a 32ft Yellowfin and spend two months in the Keys each year running charters down there as well. His latest passion he is soon to master is daytime Swordfishing and no doubt his 1 per day average so far will quickly improve. www.lighttacklecharters.com
Trevor Smith and Blake Gaylord. This is a few days before one of the Hatteras Tournaments. The three of us grew up together fishing and hunting and catching anything and everything that we could get our hands on. He now has his PHD in Entemology and can tell you anything and everything there is to know about every living thing in Florida. I wish I knew half as much about one subject as he does about Florida Flora and Fauna. Common sense would dictate, but without Trevor, how the hell would we ever know there is a very good possibility of being attacked by a rat or rattlesnake when you're shoulder deep underground. The scary part is he was actually trying to catch beetles and was not inebriated when the rat got a hold of him.
Jason Norcross and Brad Thornbrough with a stud of a Yellowfin in Central America. This was the first trip the three of us did together and it was mayhem from the start. There was an earthquake. All their gear was stolen, and we had some huge nights out in the country at some local rodeos that quickly escalated into full blown discos in the middle of nowhere. Incredible waves. Scorpions in the bed. All night beach parties. Beautiful girls and big fish that would never let us get quite close enough. We did manage half a dozen or so monster tunas but the 300 lb ones were still elusive.
Brandon (Rook) Wahlers. This is on our first trip to Mexico together. We had helacious conditions most of the time but shot Tuna Wahoo Billfish and every thing else that swam by. I think he was about 19 or twenty at the time and I wish then that we had known what we were getting ourselves into being friends with him. Every day he might as well have been shot out of a cannon. I've see him talk his way out of Jail with the mexican police and hit on 67 year old women. I've filmed him getting sucked down in whirlpools in Indonesia and take twenty five foot shots and smash Yellowfin Tuna that never had a chance. Although it sounds like total BS half of the time he is one of the best story tellers no matter if it is high school girls or 350 lb Tunas he has a good one to cover it. There is no doubt he is one of the best spearfisherman of our time and after meeting Craig and I and seeing our 6 months of work a year schedule, transferred colleges and is now a Merchant Marine Officer sailing the world and diving all the best spots in the world keeping us all jealous for years to come.
Craig Clasen. Went to college together and started diving together about 6 years ago. Since then we have had so many mind blowing trips I can't ever keep track. He is the strongest diver I know in terms of sheer brute strength and ability in the water. He works harder than anyone I know to stay in shape and think further into gear and fine tuning his arsenal for diving the Oil Rigs. He is so focused and driven and successful yet the most humble Southern Gentleman you'll ever meet. An incredible guy and diver. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have to work so hard to shoot good fish. He makes it look too easy.
Pictures
by admin on Aug.31, 2009, under Photos
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119 lb Wahoo from last year. Just a few lbs short of the World Record. The visibility was about as bad as it gets. On the surface was less than a few inches. I had to put my watch against my mask to see it.
A fins free ascent in the Grotto in Saipan. Another DJ Struntz Photo
11lb Lobster Freediving last month in North Carolina
11lb Langosta Freediving
- My second biggest Dogtooth Tuna Indonesia
Big Bull Dolphin in Gulf of Mexico
Dolphin Camoflauge. Riffe Cryptic suit and this fish fit perfect.
A nice Pacific Cubera Snapper dragged up on a deep dive off Mexico. Brad got this one on film from start to finish then I filmed him stoning the smaller one with a Hawaiian sling. I'd put him up against anyone with a Hawaiian sling he is arguably one of the best in the world with them for sure.
Nice East Coast Cubera Snapper shot by Chris Gardinal. I'm claiming the assist since I saw it floating a half mile from the Wreck enroute to the next spot and then we gaffed it to land it. 63 lbs.
Nice Black Grouper in the Florida Keys. This is one of the first trips with the 130 Euro and the results were pretty good.
119lb Wahoo.
100+lb Yellowfin Tuna in the Gulf of Mexico. On my fourth drop of the day he came up and coaxed me deeper. I pulled the trigger at 77 feet and it was a long drop for so early in the day at 1:34. Just goes to show that being in shape is important so you can be ready at any time.
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- A solid 200 lb Yellowfin Tuna in Central America. This one came through with a big school in about 3000 feet of water. When the shaft hit him it snapped his spine and he did a back roll and jumped all the way out of the water. When he jumped again I grabbed him by the tail and and held his tail out of the water while the boat backed down on us and gaffed it and pulled it into the boat. I had so much adrenaline from it I dragged him into my lap for this picture less than a few minutes after he’d been shot.
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- Tavarua Fiji, Epic visibility, ripping current and a nice Cod. This picture was my inspiration for the Riffe Cryptic Wetsuits. I figure Nature has Camoflauge design down to an art and these type of grouper are invisible on the bottom. I love the design it works amazing and it all started with these pics.
There is so much to this photo it goes to show why DJ Struntz is one of the best photographers in the world. This is Craig diving down to get his hands on a nice Rainbow Runner, It had just started raining and we were rushing to get some pics in the clear water before the sun disappeared. The angle of the pic is just right so that he is facing the part of the sky away from the black ominous cloud that is sending the rain to sprinkle the surface and give it that amazing texture. The Yellow/orange glow in the upper left is actually the oil rig through the surface of the water. Amazing picture. Craigs posture and the action that you can feel through the picture doesn't happen every day.
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- Note to self: Every sailfish I have ever seen speared has turned and come back after the diver. GR grabbed me one time and had my arms locked behind my back and used me as a human shield to fend off a big one now charging within inches of us. Since then every single one I’ve shot or see shot has come back at us. Damn things are scary. This one was in the Sea of Cortez and around 100 lbs. I love this angle from below.
I first met Stevo in East Nusa Tengarra (Indonesia). I was there with a few of my buddies hunting Dogtooth Tuna and Waves and he was there with Wes Mannion and his cameraman catching snakes and monitors and anything else that moved. The first afternoon I surfed with just the three of us out and we talked about all the different travels we'd had and he said he was jealous at what a good life I'd been able to lead. Hearing him hooting on the shoulder as I dropped in on a wave and doing the same for him was one of the coolest experiences. As it turns out two Cyclones trapped us all on the little island and we were stuck together for 2 weeks trading stories and catching snakes and waves. We all became good friends and when we finally escaped back to Bali we had some big nights out on the town together. Steve and Wes were one of the big reasons I started going to Australia. Great people. He was as passionate about life off camera as he was on and the smile on his face in the mornings when he'd meet us to get on the boat to take out surfing and spearing couldn't do justice for how stoked he was to have spent the last four hours chasing cobras in the Rice Paddies while we were out shooting breakfast. And he thought we were nuts! Classic Steve, we're surfing double overhead Nusa Dua and he suddenly bails off his board to chase down a sea snake that has surfaced in the lineup.
My first Mulloway (Jewfish) Australias version of a White Sea Bass. Not the smartest fish in the ocean. If you can find them you can get them most of the time. This one was in a huge school of fish on a drop off. The swim so tightly together its a wonder more doubles aren't speared. Its difficult to choose the big ones out of the school. A week later we were diving the coast in 6 foot vis and I crept up on a school of 10 lb ones that were schooled up in front of a big rock. Waiting trying to figure out which one was the biggest the rock suddenly turned and I realized it was a Mulloway that was easily 80-100 lbs. I sent a hail mary shot into the dark but to no avail. I'm still bummed I missed out on that one. I've never even seen one like that in pictures.
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- World Record Hogfish. I was lined up on what is still the biggest Sheepshead I’ve ever seen in my life. I hate shooting the damn things but I thought it would be hilarious to bring home and break Ritchie Zacker’s record he’d shot on our boat. It must have been 17 lbs. So I’m looking at this convict trying to convince myself to shoot it and here comes this monster Hog fish. The decision was easy and we brought this guy home instead.
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- 39lb Bull Dolphin off Key West. My buddy hooked me up with some guys that had a boat and wanted to go trolling. I think this was the day after one of the Key West Tournaments so I showed up to the weigh in to visit everyone and see what was caught. Went out the following day and ran the boat while these guys slayed the big dolphin. When they’d had enough I found a likely looking weed patch and hopped in to find a school of big boys. Shot the best one and he came off but was hurt pretty bad. I chased him about 200 yards down the weedline and in about three circles around the big patch praying he wouldn’t dive deep and finally ambushed him from underneath a big patch to get the second shot in him. Santa Claus there in the background was still laughing at me getting my ass kicked on the surface by this guy when I finally got my hand on him.
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- Arguably my favorite spearfishing photo. This was a few days after the 200lb Dogtooth. There was no current this day so we didn’t expect much, taking it easy diving deep and the same school showed up. In the back of the school there were two like this and even with a good shot through the shoulder he kicked my ass for the next 45 minutes. I love Doggies. By far my favorite fish to hunt.
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- This is one of the best Yellowfins I’ve landed. A week later the World Record was shot so we were dead on with the planning but at only 260 lbs this guy still wasn’t big enough. Awesome fish though. When I shot this one the shaft went through him so that it was half sticking out of either side of him and he ran so hard it bent back on both sides to form a U with the shaft that was almost symmetrical to his long Trailer fins.
Big Black Grouper and Amberjack Pole Spearing in the Bahamas. Brad Thornbrough hit the AJ with a hawaiian sling and it took us 10 minutes to chase him down and get him in the boat. I know you could care less about where the fish came from though. Not too shabby for a crew huh?
Myself, world record Pacific Blue Marlin, Paul from Okinawa, and Terry Maas.
275 lbs Pacific Blue Marlin World Record
GR (RedTide) Tarr and my dad Kirk Kirkconnell with a good day of Wahoo in Florida. One of my favorite days on the water watching my dad shoot his first hoo. This was also one of the best 5 minutes of my spearfishing life. GR and I let my dad shoot all day and we filmed until he was ready to take a break for a bit. Next drift the school came by and I stoned one, reached the surface and yelled for dad to get in the water, strung the first one, reloaded, stoned another one, strung him, reloaded and had the third within 3 minutes. The boat was only about 150 yards away and it happened so fast I don't think the wahoo, me or anyone else really believed it when I handed the gun and 150 lbs of fish into the boat. What a blur. This same day GR shot a big one and stoned it but it fell off the shaft. While he was reloaded we drifted over the fish which was laying on the bottom at 100 ft. GR dives down and grabs it in the gills and it instantly comes to life and like a striped underwater scooter, shot him to the surface so fast I could almost hear him laughing underwater and his eyes were bugging out of his head it was so hilarious.
I think it was the Saint Pete Open that was coming up the next day and I couldn't get anyone that wanted to dive it with me. The day before I went out and took pictures and video of each of the fish that I wanted to shoot and sent them to a few of my friends trying to convince them to do the tourney with me. This is a 15 lb Mangrove Snapper. We took 1st and 2nd Place in the Tournament. Nole Karcher couldn't handle seeing this one and made the drive to the east coast...This Amberjack was the same day that Steve blacked out and I ended up shooting him. In all that day I shot an 85 and 105lb Amberjack and Steve Bennet who was around 165. One of the best and worst days of my life.
Craig and the Tiger Shark. This was a gnarly day as you can imagine. I spent most of it in the boat so DJ and Ryan could get some time in the water spearing. This is the only pic we have with both me and the Tiger shark in the same frame. If you look really closely you can see a little white speck over craigs shoulder. That is me, swimming with a beer in my hand, no fins on, chasing the boat which is drifting close by.
