The Hunt

For spearfishers, the thrill is in relying on their skill to nail the prey

They always come to you," says Tony Escartio (56), a resident of Dona Paula, near Panjim, Goa. Escartio has been a commercial diver and fisherman for 40 years. A native of Goa, he heads out with the other "local boys" every evening to catch fish. And he takes interested folk for a trip too.

While we've come a long way from spears that were traditionally used by fishermen back in the day, the thrill of the hunt hasn't died with the more modern equipment used today. For Escartio, spearfishing isn't his primary way of catching fish -- for that he has his nets and trawlers. But it is a passion.

"We spear fish using a sling spear gun or a pneumatic spear gun. But you must have a passion for it," he says. 

Spearfishing is an adventure sport recognised by the International Underwater Spearfishing Association and the International Bluewater Spearfishing Records Committee. There are different kinds of spearfishing too. There's shore diving, in which you head out to sea, and fish up to a depth of 50 ft -- that's the sort Escartio does. He travels to Grand Island, south of Goa, and hunts in the clear water there. There's also boat diving and blue water hunting that involves going deeper into the ocean. 

The thrill of the catch
Spearfishing may not be big in India yet,but it's a popular sport abroad. AndrosIsland in the Bahamas is a popular spot.Kyle Barnell and Tanner Parkman fromSouth Caroline plunged 70 feet to speardolphin fish there last July. "A reef divein those waters reveals abundant fishlife: mutton snapper, grouper and a cornucopiaof tropicals," says Parkman.

New Zealand also has some great divespots, says Kane Grundy, who has beenspearfishing since he was 10. "Along theWest coast at certain times of the yearthe 300 kg bluefin tuna can be seen," hesays. "The most memorable catchesaren't always the largest fish but theones that were hard to find."

Back in Grand Island, Escartio andhis buddies regularly find groupers,snappers, jacks, barracudas, cobia, andlots of reef fish. But his personal favouriteis the baramundi, whose tough scalesturn a spear gun into putty before it.

"The baramundi is tough to find andtougher to kill. You have to shoot it fromthe right angle to spear it," he says.

Dive in to it
Most spearfishers who fish in shallowwaters do free dives wearing a wetsuitand a mask. At most, they use a snorkelto stay longer underwater. Scuba gearis worn only in really deep dives.

"The thrill of being totally submergedin the ocean with bare minimum equipmentand hunting for your own freshseafood is something else," says Grundy,who has tried scuba diving, too, butprefers freediving with a wet suit.

"We only shoot what we're going toeat. This is just a more hands on way ofdoing it," adds Escartio.

Spearfishing around the world
The Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico,Pacific Islands such as Vanuatu, Tonga, Fijiand Rarotonga and Bali are hotspots. Eachplace has different regulations governingwhere spearfishing is allowed, and thespecies that can be hunted. For instance, inNew Zealand, informs Grundy, spearfishingonly happens between November to Juneand while there is no licence needed, youcan't catch the Paua (abalone).

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