Would a freediving spearfishing meet limited to 3 blue water species be fun? Would local inhabitants accept the concept? The answer is a resounding yes. Eight international divers from 3 countries gathered in La Paz, Mexico this June to test this concept in one of the world’s finest blue water hunting locales—the entrance to the great fish trap of the Sea of Cortez. "Great competition! Excellent dive sites," says contest champion Dennis Haussler, "Lots of pelagic fish—yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dorado, amberjack, rooster fish and billfish. Wonderful weather, excellent organization, great hospitality and a friendly atmosphere. I’ll be back next year!"

Contest champion Dennis Haussler with his 98-pound amberjack.

John Riffe, one of the meet organizers suggested late June as the perfect time for a blue water contest. It’s t-shirt-and-shorts weather, even in the morning. All winter, the Sea of Cortez produces prodigious amounts of life. In June, hungry predators—tuna, wahoo, marlin and dorado—make their way into the gulf, eager to sample the spring’s bounty. This year we planned to do some sampling of our own.

The Cortez Club hosted its first international blue water competition with participants from Greece, Mexico and the U.S. The rules are deceptively simple. During each day of the 5-day event, under Mexican law, you are allowed to spear 5 fish, one of each species—that’s 25 fish for the entire meet. Under the International Blue Water Spearfishing Records Committee’s rules (IBSRC), you may present 3 of these.

The "Admiral greets each contestant at opening ceremonies. Andreas Agathos from Greece shakes his hand.

The 3-fish, one-per-specie limit makes this contest a game of both skill and strategy. For your score, just total the weight of the three fish you entered. But what fish do you shoot the first day? When a wahoo swims by, do you take the shot or wait for a larger one? In the evening of each contest day, you’ve got to decide on which of your fish to officially present. It’s a tough choice, especially if you’ve seen bigger.

We dove Cerralvo Island for the first 3 days of the contest, where we soon settled into a routine. Up at 4:15, catch the shuttle at 4:45 and arrive at Las Arenas beach at sunup. The launching beach is an impressive example of Pangero culture in the Baja. Pangas are skiffs perfectly suited for the calm coastal waters. Skilled Mexican skiff operators, the Pangeros, line their 18- to 20- foot, thin vessels on the beach, ready for the day’s fishing. Some Pangeros cater to sportsmen while others fish commercially with hand lines.

The Greek team prepares for departure. This is a good example of the panga and the calm seas we encountered.

In order to ensure equality, all divers dove from nearly identical pangas after we drew their skippers by lot. The rules level the playing field for all divers by providing nearly similar transportation and local knowledge so that international divers would not face a home-field advantage from faster boats or more knowledgeable skippers.

As we faced the Pangeros on the beach, we hoped to begin a new relationship with these fishermen. In the past, divers have offended, even incensed, the hand-liners who earn a meager subsistence from bottom fishing for such fish as grouper and snapper. Can you imagine their feelings as thoughtless divers brought huge snapper and grouper to their beach, butchered them and trucked the fillets home in large freezers? You might get an idea if the tables were reversed and Mexican divers trucked home loads of fish from Laguna Beach.

From left to right: Wade Binley, Ron Mullins and Andreas Agathos

Soon after our arrival at La Paz, we opened the meet with an introduction to the port captain of La Paz and a high-ranking officer in the Mexican Navy. Andrea Tomba, of the Cortez Club and John Riffe had spent many months preparing local residents for the concept of a blue water meet in their area. Representatives of the local press asked questions and publicized the event. As the meet progressed, we were especially pleased with the enthusiasm and respect we saw in the Pangeros eyes. We did not threaten their local bottom-fish population because IBSRC rules emphasize pelagic open-ocean fish and avoid controversial bottom-dwelling, resident fish. The Pangeros watched us dive in new areas, far from shore, for quality gamefish.

Just a few minutes in the water tells the story of the incredible bounty of the Sea of Cortez. Cool, nutrient-laden water ebbs and flows through the warmer waters of the gulf bringing with it vast quantities of plankton and krill—the base of a huge food chain. Glimpsing into the water you see life seething everywhere. Clouds of mackerels and schools of trevally dart about gorging themselves on the rivers of food transported by the currents. When you find so many baitfish, you know you’ll see larger fish such as tuna, wahoo, dorado and even billfish. While marlin and sailfish are not part of the contest, divers are free to take them under local fish-and-game laws.

"One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing a big marlin on the first day of the meet at Punto Bajo Sud," says Greek diver Stathis Kostopolos, "It faced me with its sword for a couple of intense moments as if to challenge me, then veered away. At first, I thought it was a black marlin so I didn’t pull the trigger. Later, I found out it was most likely a blue marlin and would have been a world record. In retrospect, I cherish the experience even though I didn’t land the fish."

At the end of the first day, we made an impressive catch of quality fish. We’d seen marlin and tuna and taken beautiful amberjack and wahoo. Back at the Cortez Club, we relaxed and discussed the day. By 6 P.M.. we had to make the decision about which fish, if any, to present for one of our 3 fish. José Carballo the famous Mexican diver known as "Toto" made his decision to present his 56-pound amberjack the first day. While he had a nice fish, many of us saw fish close to that size and we held our shots. We were hoping for bigger fish. But would we find them? Would the weather hold? Toto made a wise choice and was in first place after day one.

Toto with his first-day amberjack.

One of the central themes of this new contest format is to promote friendly relationships among contestants. At the end of the day, we wanted competitors to become comrades. In classic spearfishing meets, contestants often stay to themselves and concentrate on team strategy. The IBSRC-La Paz meet was designed to create goodwill among the contestants, typical of blue water hunters in general. Everyone uses the same accommodations. The La Concha Hotel and adjacent condominiums were perfectly suited for this concept. Within a few steps, we could discuss events at the Cortez Club, have dinner at the hotel and sleep upstairs. Divers stayed together, shared fish stories, discussed the days’ events, compared gear and techniques, and generally had a grand time—exactly as we planned.

Good food, good company after the dive. Here, we're having a drink on the water at the Cortez Club, talking over the events of the day.

The new five-day contest is unique. The longer event solves problems common in one- or two-day meets—bad weather and unequal conditions. Changes in the weather create challenges and different opportunities for blue water hunters. A windy day can destroy your plans for offshore fishing. Generally, in 5 days, the weather will change. In shorter events, it is not uncommon for divers to exploit secret spots or techniques. Our longer venue allows divers to equalize and catch up. By rotating Pangeros, all divers have equal access to their extensive local knowledge.

We dove the famous El Bajo the last two days of the tournament. This seamount, miles from shore, intercepts bait and predators alike as they make their way into the Gulf of California. Each morning, wind-driven currents swept over this fish magnet like a river. Only two of us made it up current the first morning. No matter how far we swam, the bait continued in balls and streams into infinity. We saw 100-pound plus tuna, wahoo, amberjack and marlin.

Ron Mullins stared into the gill cavities of a huge marlin as it swam lazily up to him from the depths. "Its gill slits opened grotesquely, wide enough for me to fit my leg in the opening." Ron said. "I lined up on its gill plates and fired. To my astonishment, it aloofly flicked its head, which easily dislodged the spear." (Ron’s 3/8-inch spear is driven by 7 bands, each with 110-pounds of force.) Later, Ron learned from fishermen experienced with 1,000-pound marlin (granders) that these fish sport gill plates nearly 2-inches thick and as strong as armor plate from the side of a Sherman tank.

A relatively new diver Wade Binley shot a great catch of amberjack, wahoo, roosterfish and dorado. Had Wade selected the right fish, he’d have won the contest. Meet champion Dennis Haussler proved to be the shrewdest of the lot. On the fourth day, he’d landed a 70-pound amberjack. To my surprise, he did not declare this fish. The last day, Dennis won the contest with a 98-pound amberjack—just 7 pounds off the world record.

Wade Binley with his two dorado

Greek diver Andreas Agathos got the thrill of his life when he shot a sword-bearing sailfish. Here is his story: