Imagine waking up after a grueling two-day drive to a coastline you’ve dreamed about for years. You look out at the water, and the forecast has miraculously aligned: Ponta de Barafasa (the Point of the False Bar) is firing. A rare, unicorn swell is wrapping down the point, spitting clean, hollow barrels across the sand banks. (View the morning swell forecast & arrival)
For any waterman, the dilemma is instantaneous and agonizing: Do you grab your surfboard and chase the ride of a lifetime, or do you head offshore with the dive crew?
That’s the exact internal battle kicking off the brand-new spearfishing series from Coatesman's Spearfishing, set in the remote and rugged waters of Mozambique.
The Ultimate Watermen's Dilemma
In Part 1 of the series (Barra Falsa | Part One: To Surf or To Dive), the crew arrives after heavy rains and a massive south blow, only to find the ocean offering up a pristine double-whammy: pumping waves and world-class tropical reefs.
Opting to skip the surf to chase pelagics with his dad’s good friends Pete and Stefan, the host starts the morning facing every hunter's worst fear: experiencing dead water on the low tide. With the tide at a dead low and the barrels looking incredible down the point, those first few slow hours make you question every life choice. Was staying on the boat a massive mistake?
As it turns out, the ocean had other plans—and the redemption arc is nothing short of legendary.
From Slow Morning to Light-Out Action
The tide turns, and the dive shifts into gear. What follows is a masterclass in tropical spearfishing, highlighted by three unbelievable fish on three consecutive drifts in the final hour:
- The Trophy Maori Sea Perch (Speckled Snapper): Working the deep ledges around 18–19 meters alongside some cautious surgeonfish, the host manages to outsmart one of the reef’s wariest residents (stalking the wary speckled snapper on the ledge). It’s a tense, long-bottom-time stalk that results in a textbook, stone-dead shot.
- The 25kg Wahoo: After a flurry of action where the crew boards some solid fish—including landing a great 17kg Wahoo with the boys—the water column lights up. A heavy, screaming reel run on a reel-gun tests line management to the absolute limit (battling a heavy wahoo on a reel gun), yielding the biggest wahoo of the day and a personal highlight for the season.
- The 17kg Couta (Spanish Mackerel): Next drift, a thick, torpedo-shaped couta tests the gear with a high-adrenaline surface fight (hooking a solid 17kg Couta in the midwater) while reef sharks circle below like clockwork.
- The 14kg White Blotched Grouper (PB): Capping off the hour in style, a drop onto a shallow shelf yields an exceptionally rare and incredible-eating black grouper (spotting and striking the 14kg White Blotched Grouper). A frantic muscle-off the bottom away from hungry sharks seals a brand-new personal best (PB).
When the scales hit the deck later that evening, the numbers speak for themselves: a 14.1kg grouper and a solid 17.3kg couta (weighing the day's catch on the boat deck), capped by an unforgettable session on the blue water.
Key Takeaways & Boat Etiquette Highlights
Beyond the jaw-dropping footage, the video offers fantastic, practical insights for spearoes:
- The "Spear-in-Boat" Warning: Ever seen someone throw a fish onto a boat's gel coat with the spear still through it? Don't. Removing the shaft before boating your fish protects your crew, saves your hull from expensive holes, and keeps your spear from bending.
- Tail-First Wahoo Handling: Grabbing a powerful wahoo by the head can easily slice your fingers open on its teeth. Always pass wahoo up to the deck hand tail-first for safety.
- Angle Matters: A quick reminder on shooting fish from underneath—always aim slightly lower, as the shaft naturally exits higher on the opposing side (reviewing shot placement on the grouper).
Watch the Action Unfold
If you love raw adventure, pristine tropical reefs, and high-stakes blue-water hunting, this is a series you cannot miss. Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode, and make sure to drop a comment below letting us know: When faced with pumping waves on a tropical trip, would you have grabbed a surfboard or jumped on the dive boat?
