Just got back from a trip to Belize with the g/f. Did 8 days, 7 nights and dove/hunted 4 of them. Here is the report (as promised):
First full day we went to a reserve and I just dove and wished I could shoot the fish. Huge snapper (of all kinds), barracuda, grouper, sharks, rays. You get the picture.
Second day we went out and speared. Didn’t venture too far this day and saw a ton of fish. Speared a lot of schoolmaster, a few mutton, etc. Saw a grouper on the bottom but it was gone before I could dive on it. Fish was a BEAST! Largest grouper I have ever seen over several years of diving. Several large tarpon came and challenged us. They seem to swim straight up to you and play chicken, turn at the last second, and then stare you down. Girlfriend speared more fish than me this day (by one snapper). Used a midhandle that I modified to suit me and found it had a little more power than I thought. Stuck a brand new Riffe shaft in the reef and couldn’t get it out. Guides eventually got it but bent the s**t out of it.
Third day we speared. Again lots of snapper, several good muttons a nice hog and schoolmasters. Saw a large black grouper but it made it into the reef before I could get a shot off. Girlfriend could have killed it but was too scared to shoot it (it was BIG). Ran into a manatee and let me tell you, they are really, really big. It was on the bottom when we saw it but it swam up to my girlfriend and kind of freaked her out. Cool experience.
Fourth day we did the Mayan ruins. Cool….
Fifth day we speared again. Our only full day of spearing and easily our best. Girlfriend and I speared the morning and shot some really nice mutton, shot at a few cuda (who stayed just out of range), and saw another grouper that swam away long before I even had a chance. Shot a few large yellow jacks too (our host really liked them). Ate lunch at a surfside bar and then went out and shot again. Girlfriend sat and drank in the boat and I had a hell of an afternoon. Saw two record class fish and killed one. Starting from the top: I racked up a few snapper and a jack on my floatline and on one of my dives I noticed the speargun wobbling in my hand. I thought it was the gun at first but I looked back and a barracuda (a big one) had a hold of one of the snapper on the floatline. I didn’t get a shot off but he got my snapper off the line and was nice enough to not puncture the floatline. Later, while cruising on the surface I saw a flash and moved to it, it swam away from me and I pursued. Eventually, completely out of breath, I caught it. Largest hog I have ever seen anywhere (including in pictures). I think it would have weighed more than 30#. It was so big I literally didn’t know what it was (couldn’t imagine it was a hog). It was at 25 feet and I was puffing from my sprint to catch it but I dove and when I got down it gave me a perfect shot right out of range. I tried to wait but I was out of breath and never breathed up. I took a parting shot and he raced away. Needless to say I am still kicking myself. I spent the next few minutes searching for it but he was long gone. Shortly afterward I was diving in some small snapper groups and I saw another large flash, moved to it and it was the largest mutton snapper I have seen. I dove on him (out of breath again) and took a shot as soon as he got into range, nailed him. Here is where it got fun. I bullseyed him so he was making a bit of a fuss. Dove and got a hold of him, leg trapped him and moved to the surface. I knifed him and looked for the boat but it was no less than 400 yards away. I yelled and waved and then looked back down to see a bull shark charging from the bottom (no kidding), he opened his mouth and grabbed the fish tail from between my legs. Grabbed my gun (spear was in the fish) and hit him in the nose, kicked him with my fins and threw a bow. He and his compadre (there was two) swam out twenty feet and circled. I moved into the reef and put my back against it and the sharks followed. Didn’t really want to take my head out of the water but needed to get the boat to me ASAP. This little ordeal lasted another ten minutes and then finally the boat starts moving to me. When the boat gets to me I throw in my fish and get in faster than I ever have before. Guide saw the bull sharks and starts putting things together, we pick up the other diver in a hurry and that was the end of the day. This day’s catch will be posted. We didn’t have a scale for the mutton but he was upwards of 25#. He was a MONSTER!
Next day was my last diving day and I saw a ton of fish again but only speared a small hog and a jack. On this trip though I saw tuna, wahoo, grouper, cuda, etc. I actually got a spear in a big cuda and he pulled 30 yards of line off my reel but I grabbed the line to keep him from spooling me and the spear pulled out. My fault for not sharpening my spear the morning of.
Well, that’s my trip and I will post pics within the next couple days. Many thanks to Jack from Chez Caribe for being a great friend, host, and diving partner.
First full day we went to a reserve and I just dove and wished I could shoot the fish. Huge snapper (of all kinds), barracuda, grouper, sharks, rays. You get the picture.
Second day we went out and speared. Didn’t venture too far this day and saw a ton of fish. Speared a lot of schoolmaster, a few mutton, etc. Saw a grouper on the bottom but it was gone before I could dive on it. Fish was a BEAST! Largest grouper I have ever seen over several years of diving. Several large tarpon came and challenged us. They seem to swim straight up to you and play chicken, turn at the last second, and then stare you down. Girlfriend speared more fish than me this day (by one snapper). Used a midhandle that I modified to suit me and found it had a little more power than I thought. Stuck a brand new Riffe shaft in the reef and couldn’t get it out. Guides eventually got it but bent the s**t out of it.
Third day we speared. Again lots of snapper, several good muttons a nice hog and schoolmasters. Saw a large black grouper but it made it into the reef before I could get a shot off. Girlfriend could have killed it but was too scared to shoot it (it was BIG). Ran into a manatee and let me tell you, they are really, really big. It was on the bottom when we saw it but it swam up to my girlfriend and kind of freaked her out. Cool experience.
Fourth day we did the Mayan ruins. Cool….
Fifth day we speared again. Our only full day of spearing and easily our best. Girlfriend and I speared the morning and shot some really nice mutton, shot at a few cuda (who stayed just out of range), and saw another grouper that swam away long before I even had a chance. Shot a few large yellow jacks too (our host really liked them). Ate lunch at a surfside bar and then went out and shot again. Girlfriend sat and drank in the boat and I had a hell of an afternoon. Saw two record class fish and killed one. Starting from the top: I racked up a few snapper and a jack on my floatline and on one of my dives I noticed the speargun wobbling in my hand. I thought it was the gun at first but I looked back and a barracuda (a big one) had a hold of one of the snapper on the floatline. I didn’t get a shot off but he got my snapper off the line and was nice enough to not puncture the floatline. Later, while cruising on the surface I saw a flash and moved to it, it swam away from me and I pursued. Eventually, completely out of breath, I caught it. Largest hog I have ever seen anywhere (including in pictures). I think it would have weighed more than 30#. It was so big I literally didn’t know what it was (couldn’t imagine it was a hog). It was at 25 feet and I was puffing from my sprint to catch it but I dove and when I got down it gave me a perfect shot right out of range. I tried to wait but I was out of breath and never breathed up. I took a parting shot and he raced away. Needless to say I am still kicking myself. I spent the next few minutes searching for it but he was long gone. Shortly afterward I was diving in some small snapper groups and I saw another large flash, moved to it and it was the largest mutton snapper I have seen. I dove on him (out of breath again) and took a shot as soon as he got into range, nailed him. Here is where it got fun. I bullseyed him so he was making a bit of a fuss. Dove and got a hold of him, leg trapped him and moved to the surface. I knifed him and looked for the boat but it was no less than 400 yards away. I yelled and waved and then looked back down to see a bull shark charging from the bottom (no kidding), he opened his mouth and grabbed the fish tail from between my legs. Grabbed my gun (spear was in the fish) and hit him in the nose, kicked him with my fins and threw a bow. He and his compadre (there was two) swam out twenty feet and circled. I moved into the reef and put my back against it and the sharks followed. Didn’t really want to take my head out of the water but needed to get the boat to me ASAP. This little ordeal lasted another ten minutes and then finally the boat starts moving to me. When the boat gets to me I throw in my fish and get in faster than I ever have before. Guide saw the bull sharks and starts putting things together, we pick up the other diver in a hurry and that was the end of the day. This day’s catch will be posted. We didn’t have a scale for the mutton but he was upwards of 25#. He was a MONSTER!
Next day was my last diving day and I saw a ton of fish again but only speared a small hog and a jack. On this trip though I saw tuna, wahoo, grouper, cuda, etc. I actually got a spear in a big cuda and he pulled 30 yards of line off my reel but I grabbed the line to keep him from spooling me and the spear pulled out. My fault for not sharpening my spear the morning of.
Well, that’s my trip and I will post pics within the next couple days. Many thanks to Jack from Chez Caribe for being a great friend, host, and diving partner.
