The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

6.9 kg. , 15.1 lbs.

Snapper, Yellow Lutianus argentiventris

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Schuyler Louie Kalani Cole
Date:		2/8/2025
Location:		MEXICO

Pargo amarillo After an hour or two of diving, I was the last one in the water. The bottom was not visible from the surface and the current direction was a bit unpredictable since I had no reference points. The previous dive I had landed in 80 ft of water and seen the spot I should’ve landed so I went back to the surface to regroup and try again for my “Last drop”. After an adequate recovery breathe up, I started diving down. Watching my dive watch as I descended, I had no visibility until 50 ft. I quickly scanned the bottom and realized I was off my mark by about 50 feet. I was not going to land on top of the pinnacle that I wanted. I saw the school of barred pargo and pargo amarillo and I was heading straight for them on top of the school. I switched tactics and remembered the local dive guide Pepe’s advice, something like,” In Baja the good hunters are able to spear on the move. It is not always necessary or right to go to the bottom and wait.” So I chose the big pargo in the back of the school and I took aim. At ~95~ feet I let the shaft fly. I saw that the shaft entered the left side of the dorsal fin from above and the fish sprinted in between the only 2 large boulders in an otherwise flat sandy bottom. I carried the speargun back to the surface as I followed the buoy line of my breakaway set up to air. I called out to the boat and let them know I speared a large pargo amarillo. I knew that the fish was stuck in the boulders but hoped it would swim out as I yanked on the line as I recovered. It became apparent I would need to take another drop to recover the fish. So I swam against the current and pulled up the buoy line until it was vertical in the water column. I handed the shaftless empty speargun to the boat and after breathing up I went back down. Watching my watch and holding the line as I descended, I stopped at 100 ft and saw that the shaft was up and down stuck under the edge of one of the boulders. I knew that if I swam horizontally away from the boulders that it would come free. I was about 15-20 feet off of the bottom swimming away and jerking the line and it luckily came free! I swam back up to the surface to catch my breath. I now knew that the fish would come free if I pulled it up from the direction opposite the boulders. After a few pulls it came free! I pulled up the fish to the surface and could feel the weight of it. The boat with CJ, Nick, and Pepe pulled up near me guessing the weight of it. I saw the thick red fish and that it was a good holding shot, the slip tip deployed out through the bottom of the gills. I grabbed the fish, dispatched it and held it up for the boys to see. Their eyes were as wide as quarters! I hopped up into the boat and pulled the fish in. Pepe stared at me incredulously and said,” that is a world record fish.” Aloha from Hawaii🤙🏽
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