The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

11.9 kg. , 26.2 lbs.

Grouper, Sawtail Mycteroperca prionura

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Pepe Urbalejo
Date:		8/21/2019
Location:		MEXICO

Me and my friends were scouting new spots for my company of spearfishing charters Baja Azul, based in Baja California Sur, Mexico and testing my new gun 125 Kay speargun. We were diving in different spots starting at 70 fts, then 80, 90 but the water was too murky, so we went to the 100-110fts spots, because they are far from the shore and the water gets clearer out there. I made a freedive without gun to check how was the visibiility and wasnt the best, but at least, we were able to hunt with a visibility of 10-12fts of water in the bottom. Since my first freedive i saw a gulf grouper and broomtail everywhere, probably 15-20 of them, but super skiddish, because with the green water you get super close from them and they get scary or simply you just hear the sound when they run out but you dont see them. I came to the surface and told to my friend about the conditions, we went in, Jesus and me were the depth divers and Helmuth was driffting just throwing the flasher on that green water to see if any Sierra Mackarel appears. After a few of skiddish gulf groupers Jesus start to feel a little bit bad for deep dives and wasnt diving anymore, just taking care of me from the surface. i started to see hunting till the bottom was not the best option to hunt, you have to stop on 60fts, then open the fins and sink super slow, and when you get 85-90 the groupers were there, looking at you so calm, then you had chance to select the fish you want to catch. I started to do that on every dive, after 5 or 6 dives more, in the middle of the school, i though was a broomtail, the grouper was 12 fts away from me looking directly as the grouper ussually do, i just was able to see the shadow and when she turn to my left side i took the shoot with my Kay Speargun, was a stone shoot, perfect hitting the brain and the shaft going half way in the cheek in the other side of the fish. I swam so relax to the surface, the kind of relax you feel when you stoned a fish, my friend was in the surface taking care of me and i was perfect, i made OK signal when i started to pull the fish to the surface, in the 20fts of deep i saw the spots in the grouper and i start to smile because in south baja is very rare to get one of those, they are ussually deep and even deep, i ussually see 4 or 5 per year. My captiain get closer to me and i thrown the fish in the panga with all the shaft, i jumped in and saw the size of this animal, i knew it, it was probably a world record.