kitefisherman
06-05-2005, 06:55 AM
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/11818785.htm
A Boca Raton woman beat 239 anglers -- 224 of whom were men -- in the Spearboard Open at New Port Richey and might be the first spearfish-tournament winner in Florida.
BY SUSAN COCKING
scocking@herald.com
A Boca Raton engineer might be the first woman to win a major spearfishing tournament in Florida. Sheri Daye, 48, won top honors in last month's third annual Spearboard Open at New Port Richey in a field of 240 -- all but 16 of them men.
Using both scuba gear and freediving, Daye speared two Cubera snapper weighing 19.6 and 13.5 pounds; two black grouper (23.2 and 19.7); two hogfish (5.0 and 4.7); two triggerfish (5.3 and 5.4) and one amberjack (26.8) for a total gutted weight of 123.2 pounds worth 113.2 points. Points are capped at 20 per fish and there are limits on the number of fish taken per species.
''I loved it,'' said tournament organizer Scott McPherson, who founded the Spearboard.com website in 2002. ``I was thrilled for Sheri. I thought it was really cool. She beat some of the best shooters in the country.''
Under the rules, competitors had one day to spearfish anywhere they liked as long as they made it to the weigh-in in New Port Richey on time on May 22.
Spearfishers went hunting along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Jacksonville to New Orleans.
Daye and teammates Tim Milner and Jimmy Reitz opted for the Gulf waters off Key West. They located wrecks and reefs on their own, plus they got a tip on a wreck location where Daye got her amberjack from captain Bob DeMauro, who runs spearfishing charters to the Dry Tortugas.
While size mattered, so did diversity of species.
USING HER BRAIN
''I won this partly because I used my brain as well,'' Daye said. ``Guys want to go for the real big fish. Guys on my boat wanted to keep going for grouper, and I started going midwater to get triggerfish. I really didn't think it would be enough to win the tournament.''
For her top prize, Daye chose a custom-made buoyancy-compensation vest.
The Honduran-born Daye moved to South Florida at age 8 and didn't learn to swim until she was 10. She earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Miami and now works full-time for IBM in Boca Raton. Divorced with no children, she took up scuba diving and, later, freediving.
''I went with a couple of guys, and they wouldn't give me a turn on their spearguns. So I went out and bought one,'' she said.
She went spearfishing on weekends and days off, joined the Longfins (a freediving club) and got help from two friends. In spearfishing tournaments, she usually won the women's division.
''Dave Earp and Chad Palan -- those two guys are my mentors,'' she said.
Daye got so good at spearfishing while holding her breath that she holds six International Underwater Spearfishing Association world records: a 33-pound dolphin, 18.6-pound mutton snapper, 22.8-pound yellow jack, 46-pound Pacific Cubera snapper and a 157-pound yellowfin tuna -- all women's marks-- plus a 40.8-pound permit that is an overall world record. The permit was speared off Mexico.
MALE DETRACTORS
Daye says many spearfishers in the male-dominated sport wish her well, but there are some detractors.
''I do get some resentment,'' she said. ``There are a few, I know they can't stand it. I've had some imply I was cheating when I wasn't. When you're in the public eye, there are some people happy for your success and some people who put you down.''
Daye said she may take up underwater photography if she gets bored with spearfishing, but for now the athletic pastime suits her.
''To be in the water and the beauty you see, the wonder of nature -- that's amazing,'' she said. ``Some [moments] are terrorizing, like a big shark. But you come away with a feeling you don't get anywhere else. I'm goal-oriented and I like eating fresh fish. You bond with your friends out there. ``When you put that whole package together, the real world is completely out of your mind.''
A Boca Raton woman beat 239 anglers -- 224 of whom were men -- in the Spearboard Open at New Port Richey and might be the first spearfish-tournament winner in Florida.
BY SUSAN COCKING
scocking@herald.com
A Boca Raton engineer might be the first woman to win a major spearfishing tournament in Florida. Sheri Daye, 48, won top honors in last month's third annual Spearboard Open at New Port Richey in a field of 240 -- all but 16 of them men.
Using both scuba gear and freediving, Daye speared two Cubera snapper weighing 19.6 and 13.5 pounds; two black grouper (23.2 and 19.7); two hogfish (5.0 and 4.7); two triggerfish (5.3 and 5.4) and one amberjack (26.8) for a total gutted weight of 123.2 pounds worth 113.2 points. Points are capped at 20 per fish and there are limits on the number of fish taken per species.
''I loved it,'' said tournament organizer Scott McPherson, who founded the Spearboard.com website in 2002. ``I was thrilled for Sheri. I thought it was really cool. She beat some of the best shooters in the country.''
Under the rules, competitors had one day to spearfish anywhere they liked as long as they made it to the weigh-in in New Port Richey on time on May 22.
Spearfishers went hunting along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Jacksonville to New Orleans.
Daye and teammates Tim Milner and Jimmy Reitz opted for the Gulf waters off Key West. They located wrecks and reefs on their own, plus they got a tip on a wreck location where Daye got her amberjack from captain Bob DeMauro, who runs spearfishing charters to the Dry Tortugas.
While size mattered, so did diversity of species.
USING HER BRAIN
''I won this partly because I used my brain as well,'' Daye said. ``Guys want to go for the real big fish. Guys on my boat wanted to keep going for grouper, and I started going midwater to get triggerfish. I really didn't think it would be enough to win the tournament.''
For her top prize, Daye chose a custom-made buoyancy-compensation vest.
The Honduran-born Daye moved to South Florida at age 8 and didn't learn to swim until she was 10. She earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Miami and now works full-time for IBM in Boca Raton. Divorced with no children, she took up scuba diving and, later, freediving.
''I went with a couple of guys, and they wouldn't give me a turn on their spearguns. So I went out and bought one,'' she said.
She went spearfishing on weekends and days off, joined the Longfins (a freediving club) and got help from two friends. In spearfishing tournaments, she usually won the women's division.
''Dave Earp and Chad Palan -- those two guys are my mentors,'' she said.
Daye got so good at spearfishing while holding her breath that she holds six International Underwater Spearfishing Association world records: a 33-pound dolphin, 18.6-pound mutton snapper, 22.8-pound yellow jack, 46-pound Pacific Cubera snapper and a 157-pound yellowfin tuna -- all women's marks-- plus a 40.8-pound permit that is an overall world record. The permit was speared off Mexico.
MALE DETRACTORS
Daye says many spearfishers in the male-dominated sport wish her well, but there are some detractors.
''I do get some resentment,'' she said. ``There are a few, I know they can't stand it. I've had some imply I was cheating when I wasn't. When you're in the public eye, there are some people happy for your success and some people who put you down.''
Daye said she may take up underwater photography if she gets bored with spearfishing, but for now the athletic pastime suits her.
''To be in the water and the beauty you see, the wonder of nature -- that's amazing,'' she said. ``Some [moments] are terrorizing, like a big shark. But you come away with a feeling you don't get anywhere else. I'm goal-oriented and I like eating fresh fish. You bond with your friends out there. ``When you put that whole package together, the real world is completely out of your mind.''