Waz up? 2013 Big Bang! Open Spearfishing Tournament! Rules, Video Contest & More!

[SpearMax]

Another last minute donation comes from Spear America and the Greek companies Bluetec and Pathos. I met Petros of Spear America at a Fathomiers club meeting in Los Angeles a couple of months ago. He is a fun and gregarious fellow.

Thank you Petros and the Greek companies.

Please visit the website at: http://www.spearamerica.com/

[yonfuki]

Apparently, not everyone was impressed with the size of this snapper....

[SpearMax]

I am just waking up from 12 straight hours of sleep after a grueling past few days. I often think to myself why do I and my team of volunteer helpers go through this tremendous amount of work to put on one of the best spearfishing contests in the world?

The answer appears on tournament weigh-in and ceremony day when so many cool people express thanks for the hard work and fabulous event.

- Let me first thank every contestant who made this BBO one of the best Spear Wars events ever!

- We were blessed with fairly good weather this weekend although I heard some of the underwater visibility and current conditions in some places were indeed challenging. So, let's thank the Maker of the universe for that.

- The weigh-in went smoothly and special thanks go out to weighmaster Randy Docks and database manager Scott Hurley who did their usual amazing jobs.

- The set-up of the big fish display bins, prize wall and event hall signs and decor was efficient thanks to the crew of volunteers largely from the Palm Beach Freedivers Club.

- The food was delicious due to the superb catering of Don Ramon's Cuban restaurant. The free beer is always a plus for this tournament.

- The photography and videography was exceptional thanks to Len Pepe (aka Gradyman) and the Ocean Warriors TV crew.

- The raves about the best-ever prize wall were over-flowing. Special thanks go to all the incredible sponsors to whom our gratitude is never-ending.

- The prize wall had over $60,000 worth of treasure and that is not counting the coupons from sponsors like Neptonics who blessed every shooter with the following gift coupon. The BBO has solid non-coupon prizes that makes this prize treasure trove pretty much unmatched in the spearfishing world. There were more speargun prizes at this BBO than ever before.

Once again, our hats are off to the many sponsors!

I will work on the scores and photo presentations later today.

Stay tuned, Tony

[Going in deep]

Tony,
I just wanted to say thank you again for doing this. Having done the comp a number of times before I would like you to know that this year my son Morghan joined me as a freediver in his first competition. My brother also flew down from Ohio to round out the team. I knew we would not spear much fish but was only concerned that my son have a good time. He dived both days, reaching a max of 30', and was a real trooper. But what was even better than spending days in the keys with one of my boys was the expression on his face when he won his prize. I have never seen him so happy. He is still smiling today as I write this. And the best thing, as we drove back home, he ask me when do we get to go diving again? I don't have the words to express my appreciation for your comp and making this a very memorable experience for my son. I also want you to know that I will be sending a letter to the sponsors of his prize to let them know how their prize affected him.

Thanks again Tony

[SpearMax]

Originally Posted by Going in deep

Tony,
I just wanted to say thank you again for doing this. Having done the comp a number of times before I would like you to know that this year my son Morghan joined me as a freediver in his first competition. My brother also flew down from Ohio to round out the team. I knew we would not spear much fish but was only concerned that my son have a good time. He dived both days, reaching a max of 30', and was a real trooper. But what was even better than spending days in the keys with one of my boys was the expression on his face when he won his prize. I have never seen him so happy. He is still smiling today as I write this. And the best thing, as we drove back home, he ask me when do we get to go diving again? I don't have the words to express my appreciation for your comp and making this a very memorable experience for my son. I also want you to know that I will be sending a letter to the sponsors of his prize to let them know how their prize affected him.

Thanks again Tony

Thanks for the positive feedback.