The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

6.0 kg. , 13.2 lbs.

Flounder, Starry Platichthys stellatus

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Andrew S. Joca
Date:		8/24/2013
Location:		UNITED STATES

Dove with Jeff Garcie. Got in the water about 1000, plan was to work our way across the bay looking for halibut or salmon, towards a reef where there are usually rockfish. Conditions were absolutely perfect, sunny, great visibility and relatively warm water temp. We saw numerous flounder as we worked across the bay, I took one but held off shooting more early in the dive. A female sea lion swam with us for a short time, diving behind me as I went to depth, then swimming around me and looking into my mask on ascent, very cool. We then dove the reef, max depth was just over 30 ft. Jeff and I took 3 black rockfish each on the reef, then started working back across the bay. We encountered large schools of pink salmon, each taking 2 fish, largest was 6 lb. I took 2 founder to about 5 lb, then near the end of the day's diving, I saw the very large flounder on a dive in approximately 15 ft of water. I shot it and immediately knew it was unusually big. I swam in and weighed it on a spring scale, and realized it was a potential world record (IGFA website lists 10 lb 9 oz as the record for this species).