The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

38.9 kg. , 85.8 lbs.

Snapper, African Brown Lutjanus Dentatus

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		John Campbell
Date:		9/26/2024
Location:		SIERRA LEONE

My dive buddy Michael and I headed out of Chung Gang Warf in Kent at 4:00 am headed for the Turtle Islands. The run out was bit rough and it took us about 4 hours to arrive. Once we arrived on our favorite spot, we noticed large numbers of African Brown Snapper in the area. The visibility was hazy for the top 10 meters, but below this was complete murk with almost zero visibility. We tried drifting and managed to connect with a few smaller fish but the school was very skittish and getting a clean shot was difficult. We decided to try anchoring where we had seen the school the most. I breathe up and take a dive. The top of the structure was sticking up out of the murk layer like a mountain out of the clouds. I approached and hugged closely to the structure and used my hands to move closer to the school I could see up ahead. Because I was even with the fish and tucked in close to the structure, the school was more comfortable and came into shooting range. A stand out fish was in the middle of the group and was swimming head on. I waited for him to turn and fired my Bazil Daniel 8 Banded roller gun and struck the fish directly in his left eye and out its right gill plate. I was shooting a break away setup and had the float line in my left hand and swam as hard as I could for the surface. Despite my efforts the fish got under a ledge and for a heart stopping 10 seconds, I thought he would rock up, but lucky for me the current had picked up. Between my kicking as hard as I could and the current, he came out from the ledge and we drifted away from the structure. When I finally broke the surface, Michael was right there. He asked me if I wanted help and I declined. I knew the fish was special and wanted to ensure I landed it solo. From the surface and away from the structure I was able to fight the fish to within view and could see the shaft had bent more than 90 degrees during the fight. Once I got my hands in his gills, I knew I had him, but still he was so powerful he was still trying to drag me down. It was only at this moment that I knew for sure he was a record size fish. https://youtu.be/hFjrYfQ4Hx0
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