The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

305.1 kg. , 672.6 lbs.

Swordfish Xiphias gladius

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		ANDRE STREET DE AGUIAR
Date:		3/17/2025
Location:		BRAZIL

I knew that at this time of year and in that region, approximately 100 miles offshore, where the depth exceeded a thousand meters, a swordfish could possibly be present. A month earlier, myself and my diving partner Diego Santiago had gone to this same area to catch a tuna, and after a few hours, we managed to set the Brazilian record for yellowfin. We decided to try again, heading out for tuna, but this time we were unsuccessful. Even so, I decided to stay prepared with my Riffe speargun, fins, and mask. I took the opportunity to meditate while we crossed to another spot. During this transit, we spotted a large fin sticking out of the water. Knowing it could be a swordfish, we began slowing the boat and carefully observing the fish’s path. It was calm and moving slowly. We were in over a thousand meters of depth, so it could have been any kind of creature. When I entered the water, I had a pleasant surprise—the water had some suspension and wasn’t very clear at the surface, which worked to my advantage for the capture. I kept my heart rate low and my legs still so I wouldn’t be identified as a large predator. That’s when the giant appeared, with huge eyes and a long bill. It hadn’t seen me yet. As I watched it approach, I kept reminding myself that this moment would come, and that I needed to keep my heartbeat stable. When it finally arrived, my focus was total, and the shot hit perfectly in the head at the correct distance. I saw the spear go through the fish and quickly realized it was a swordfish and likely a world record. No spearfisher would ever expect to encounter as Diego Santiago mentioned, with the right weapon, the calmness, and the psychological readiness, a fish that lives at 800 meters deep and rarely comes to the surface. I had hit the jackpot. When I fired and saw the spear fully embedded, I watched the fish begin descending, completely immobilized. I was astonished. Even so, I positioned both fins forward and kept the gun base close in case it woke up and came at me with that bill, but it didn’t—it just kept descending. I had already clipped two Riffe buoys to the setup and knew we were about to start a massive operation to bring that fish aboard. Diego Santiago was coaching and providing instructions from the boat. At one point, as the fish was descending, seemingly immobilized and unconscious, it suddenly came back to life and started swimming downward again. I had a surge of adrenaline, fearing I might lose it. Then began a long struggle—many minutes, maybe an hour or even two—When the fish began to show signs of fatigue, I was able to retrieve the cable, clipped to the buoy, until it was 15 meters deep. The boat gave me another gun, a Marauder 63 with another buoy, I loaded it and went down to make the second shot and then it was just a matter of celebrating the fish of a lifetime.
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