1st. Annual Costa Rica Blue Water Hunting Open

[SWAT]

Just a heads up!!! The first leg of the Los Suenos billfishing tournament is underway this week- they have a 50 mile radius which includes carrillo-(watch out not all sportfish captains understand the spearo game-or realize that divers are in the water)- would have loved to attend your event.. good luck to you all -- safe shooting!!!! Need to add a few local slots to your international spearo venue... after all you/we are all guests in this country....PB Herradurra Bay Costa Rica....

[Daryl Wong]

ALoha Swat,

You'll have to dive next year. You will have a blast. I finally got my computer to work here. I'm not the most computer literate.

All I can say about this tournament is WOW. It is a well planned, first class operation, and world class waters. The gang here is diverse and totally enjoying the hospitality of Cost Rica and our host Phillipe Virgili. He has something great here. This tournment isn't all about spearing something as it is about bringing divers from all over the world and states to meet and connect. It is an honor to meet many of them here. I knew most from only reading about them or seeing thier post on forums. But to meet them in persona is awesome. I finally got to meet "bother Daryl Balfour from South Africa, and long lost friend Bertran tiap chong from Montreal and to reconnect with all the north east guys and others who I have met through email is priceless.:thumps.

We have seen Wahoo, Marling, Sailfish, Mahi, Tuna, and all types of game. They have been pretty elusive so far, but that is what blue water hunting is like. I told all the guys if they shoot one fish in the tournament, they are doing great. I've been doing blue water for a long time and getting blanked is the norm. You have to be dedicated to spending hours on end looking into "blue water".
I would like to thank Philippe for putting on this great tournament and bringing all of us together so that our dive community just got smaller and tight knit. We all have the same passion for the ocean and its like a big reunion.
Three more days to go and anything can happen! I hope some of the guys can post some pictures.

Aloha Daryl

[Marco]

Keep the comments (and pictures) coming!

[Sheri]

I would like to clarify a couple things to the above post.

I have been to Costa Rica and Mexico a few times, and I have had numerous chances to take a billfish, but I decided awhile ago not to do that for my own reasons. However, I am not overly judgemental of spearos that do take one-in-a-lifetime where it's legal, it's low profile, the captains don't mind, and it's going to be eaten. I still believe that many, many more billfish die at that hands of fishermen---even catch and release ones--compared to the spearo take. Right here, right now, and especially in a tournament setting, it is not a good idea to take billfish.

Yesterday, we had 25-knot winds and elected to stay inshore. As you said, the viz was horrible. I made an honest mistake and shot a roosterfish thinking it was an amberjack (I could only see the back 1/3 of its body). Afterward, the captain told me not to worry about it......it's legal, they eat it here, they are not endangered, and they do not carry the stigma of a billfish. The other divers on the boat, Daryl Wong and Tim Kohl, told me to quit being such a worry-wart and enjoy the moment.

NO ONE HAS CHANGED THE RULES HERE....my fish does not count, and I would feel bad if someone uses my mistake as an excuse to shoot a billfish during the Open. Philippe has worked too hard to make this a nice tournament for everyone, and I think most people are enjoying it.

Pura vida!

[settingsteel]

Indeed Sheri...PURA VIDA

[Chad Carney]

Pura vida Sheri!

Photo please!

[virgili]

2 best fish taken today:
-wahoo taken by Rob Wills/ Australia
-dorado taken by Greg Magrinat/ Florida
Pura vida!++

[scubadown16]

I hope you all stay safe as you dive... The water clears up and you all enjoy the moment. A bad day spearfishing is better then sitting infront of a computer on a good day at work... Best of luck to you all. Thanks Phillip for the pics...

James Hardesty

[virgili]

R Wills in the flesh!

[Wilddiver]

Aha, at last the blue water fish are performing a little. A far better day today, though still too few fish weighing in. Philippe has shown the two best above, the first true blue water fish of the tournament, and Roberto Reyes and Cam Condie also weighed small dorado. Rob Wills´s wahoo was just over 28lbs and Greg´s dorado topped 26. Roberto then lost the best fish of the week...a wahoo that I guestimate (I saw it as it took off) at 70 - 80 lbs minimum...which snapped the mono at the spear on its first run. A few other guys saw some big bull dorados but not close enough for a shot.

The wind was offshore, and had pushed the dirty water that´s been hanging inshore way out, so there were some pretty long hauls out to the blue, and even then it was not too blue. But by this afternoon the wind had dropped and expectations are high for tomorrow, our last day, to be a cracker!

There are some big fish out there, just waiting to be hauled on to land and photographed! With luck the pic gallery tomorrow night will be full of beaming spearos and glum looking fish!!!

[z1taz]

Originally Posted by Sheri

I would like to clarify a couple things to the above post.


NO ONE HAS CHANGED THE RULES HERE....my fish does not count,

HA HA some big guys seems to be bit jalous from the weak woman kicking their
Ass####..!!

Enjoy it Sheri because to day was 54 in boca raton...

i m freezing in florida......!!

good luck.

[Wilddiver]

The final day has come and gone...with only one fish weighed...a decent 31lb dorado spèared by Brian Jessurum of Connecticut. Enough to get him 3rd place overall. The comp was one by Canada´s Bert Tiep Chong with an almaco jack and a cero mackerel, with second going to Rob Will of Sydney, Oz, with a wahoo, cero mack and a small (very) almaco jack.

The final evening, prizegiving and dinner was enjoyed by all with prizes from Pelaj, Rabitech and Rob Allen distyributed by lottery, and Alex Franco of Mexico City walking off with the great Daryl Wong gun that was raffled off in aid of a local school. There were also cash awards of $3000 for the winner, $1500 for 2nd and $500 for third, with another $500 for biggest fish of the week. The winner also gains free entry to the 2nd Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water Open in May.

Zak and I now move on to Louisianna to spear with Keith Simmons and Chad Morris, followed by a further week in Florida where we´ll meet up with Sheri and Wolf. Hopefully the weather improves dramatically over there!!!

[BigMako]

What?????? We have no fish up here. They all moved to Florida. No fish here!

[downandout]

Congratulations to you all, and especially Brian Jessurum my friend and teammate in South Africa. Hopefully in South Africa Brian and myself will move up the leader board a notch or two.

Daryl, I hope you and Zak have a great time on your trip spearing around the world, and happy hunting.

[Wilddiver]

Thanks Jon, see you in Cape Town in May.