International Underwater Spearfishing Association
World Record  
62.5 kg. ,   137.8 lbs.
Tuna, Dogtooth    Gymnosarda unicolor
Record Category: Men Sling / Polespear

Diver: Kunpei KOSAKA
Date: 11/25/2020
Location: JAPAN


I've been searching a monster dogtooth tuna by polespear last 5 years. Big doggie is one of the most challenging target for polespearing, and I think, it means the challenge against the limit of polespearing. After hundreds times of failures, I choose this time, and this day. The place is located at 2km far from the island, and there are huge two walls stand from 60m deep to the surface. Across two walls, a huge rock plate is laying and its top reaches to 35m deep. Once the tide starts changing, the surface current reaches to over 5kt, and the directions of the currents get complicated, and sometimes down currents happen. After searching a big one for years, I met the big one 2 years ago, but I couldn't land the fish because it swam deeper for me around 35m. After that encounter, I started freediving. Everything is, just for polespearing that big doggie at that place, "the place of promise". At that day, the boat departed the pier at 6am in the morning. 30min later, we arrived at the place. I jumped into the water silently. I swam and arrived at the rock. After 30min, I felt the tide started to change, and the currents got crazy more and more. The surface was getting wavy and wavy. The water was quite murky for this area, maybe 8-12m visibility. I had to grab the wall to stay. I found that I have only one chance to dive, because of its crazy currents. The only one thing that I could take was...waiting for a big one swimming the very beneath me. I've waited for it more than an hour. After 1 hour and a half, the huge doggie was swimming towards me, against +5kt currents. I dove silently, and rode moderate down currents. I kept watching it, and it got closer and closer. Patience. I just waited for the right time to shoot. What should I do to land this sized monster doggie by polespear, in this currents, distance,...etc. Hundrends times of failures, depressions, and sleepless nights dreaming doggie, gave me the answer. I knew what should I do. I turned my body position, then at last, pushed both fins styrongly. I released my buddy to the neck of this giant at 20m. After 10min of severe fight around crazy currents, finally I could land this dream fish. I can't find the words to describe my feeling well, but it's like... an emotional roller coaster. I do not know how many times I was depressed at after every silly failures? I do not know how many times I dreamt to watch, touch, and swim with this massive fish next to me at the surface? After 5 years of long journey, of seeking big dog tooth tuna polespearing, such a precious moment waited for me.

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