The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

7.5 kg. , 16.5 lbs.

Grouper, Tiger Mycteroperca tigris

Record Category: Men Sling / Polespear

Diver:		Sawyer Lyons
Date:		7/9/2021
Location:		BAHAMAS

My family and I were on a week long Bahamas trip which we spent half of in Staniel Cay and the other half in Spanish Wells. We were on our second day in spanish wells and my brother and I had been diving for a few hours in anywhere from 30 to 70ft. We were both using Headhunter Predator Polespears with no belt reels or floats and had shot a few mutton snappers. We had changed our dive location twice already that day. We had been dragging in our third spot for around 15 minutes in only 30-45ft of water. The bottom was entirely reef structure that almost looked like Swiss cheese. As we were dragging, we came over a huge coral head that came up about 20ft. I decided to let go and check out some of the holes on it. On my first dive on it I checked out the largest hole and was able to barely make out the head of a grouper without a flashlight. As I slowly approached it, it began to leave the hole and I realized it was a big tiger grouper. The grouper began to swim away rather quickly so I took a shot and hit the fish in the backside of its gill plate. The fish managed to pull itself into another hole so I decided to leave the polespear. I took a second dive to retrieve the fish and was successful. I believe that I nicked the grouper’s heart because he was dead when I went to retrieve him. I guess I was lucky to hit him in such a vital point because he came off the pole spear on the way up.