The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

15.7 kg. , 34.6 lbs.

Permit Trachinotus falcatus

Record Category: Women Sling / Polespear

Diver:		Taylor Hennessy
Date:		2/13/2022
Location:		BAHAMAS

I was out with my husband and 2 friends looking for lobsters on the reef. 3 dive spots later, and after awhile, the crew gathered in the boat and waited for me to get out. But I wanted to have one last look where I had been tracking a large Mutton snapper along the 25' ledge. I took a cut inward and found a hole, where two sizable permits and a group of chubs swam by. Ideally, I would have liked to have my slip tip, midsection length, and float line, but nothing could stop me in that moment. I yelled to the boat and when I turned back, I had the giant permit cornered, but too much distance came between us. As it took it's first pass, I pulled my 6' JBL Shaka Polespear with a flopper back as far as I could, hoping it would turn around looking for the smaller Permit. When it did exactly that, I let the spear fly and made contact with the upper portion of it's back. I knew it had caught the spine because the Permit wasn't fighting at all. In an effort not to lose the fish, if it gained back strength, I pushed it up towards the surface with my spear so that gravity could do its work. I didn't know it at the time, but the spear only went halfway through the fish and the flopper must have opened up inside. As I got the Permit's head above the water, I shouted to the boat and had to swim about 20 yards. When I passed the fish up to them, and jumped into the boat, no-one could believe what just happened. There it was, the fish of my dreams.
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