The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

5.8 kg. , 12.8 lbs.

Hawkfish, Giant Cirrhitus rivulatus

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Eric Buss
Date:		12/9/2022
Location:		MEXICO

I was on a liveaboard trip to Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. The panga captain took us to an area where remnants of an old shipwreck were strewn about a large area filled with boulders and other reef structure. From the surface, in about 35 feet of water, the ship’s heavily corroded anchor caught my eye. The anchor was lying flat on the bottom and the hawsepipe was right next to it. I dove down and peered into the hawsepipe. Just inside the hawsepipe, a tube about 10-12 feet in length and a little over a foot in diameter, the hawkfish was looking out at me. It quickly spun around and went to the other end of the hawsepipe. When I swam to the other end, the fish spun around again and went back to its original location. I swam back to that end and when I looked in, I found that the fish decided to seek safety by sitting in the very middle of the tube. I stuck my gun down the tube and shot the fish from behind. The shaft entered at mid-body of the left side, and exited behind the head on the right side. I pulled the fish up on the same dive and dispatched him at the surface.