The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

5.8 kg. , 12.7 lbs.

Trevally, Bluefin Caranx melampygus

Record Category: Women Sling / Polespear

Diver:		Amy Wessels
Date:		3/1/2022
Location:		PANAMA

We took our first trip to one of our dream spearing destinations – Panama! We were mainly after Yellowfin Tuna however were incredible surprised by the size and number of fish we saw on the reefs. It was our last day in the water, and so we decided to do a full day trip out to some outer islands. We left camp at sunrise on a glass out day and drove the 15nm to the islands. We did some dives off a pinnacle and saw some great fish; it then went quiet and so we moved to our second dive spot for the day. We got in on a pinnacle that came up to just below the surface. I had the flasher and my dive buddy Hylton Wessels was near me in the deeper part of the pinnacle watching a school of Cubera Snapper. I was breathing up on the surface watching the flasher when I saw a beautiful Bluefin Trevally swim out of the deep straight towards it. I bounced it a couple times while I took my final breaths and then loaded up the Headhunter Nomad Pole Spear. I dove down trying not to make eye contact, when I was near the bottom of the flasher I leveled out and saw the fish still right there. I lined up the pole spear and got a great shot just behind the pectoral fin. The fish made a short run down towards the pinnacle, but I managed to stop it from getting reefed up using my belt reel. I swam with the fish on the end of the pole to the surface where I secured my catch by the gills. I used my dive knife to brain the fish and then swam it over to the boat. LANDED! Thanks to my forever dive buddy Hylton Wessels and the rest of my ocean family for their unwavering support and inspiration.
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