Spearfishing a Black Marlin - Easy??

A month ago if you had asked me where one should go to shoot Marlin. I would firstly have said that Mozambique or maybe Sordwana would be the best places, followed by ...but I really don't think its lightly to happen, you need to be seriously lucky!

Then Mark Griffith shot a 185kg Black Marlin off Tiffany's beach on a shore dive .... in my mind "seriously lucky" I have spent hundreds of hours on that reef spearfishing, and it never crossed my mind.

Then comes Friday 23rd February ... Andy Henwood diving off John Little's boat, spears a 125kg Black Marlin off Number One Reef.
I get this sms from Andy "Got a 125kg black marlin off number 1 this morning! Will call later."

After my foot leaves my mouth ... it suddenly dawns on me it is possible! I want to know more but I am stuck in a meeting at work. The moment its over I am on the phone to Andy, and his excitement oozes through every work as he gives me a blow by blow account of his Marlin ... oh and a whole lot of sharks!!! - You will have to wait for his story to be published :-)

Now I am also oozing with excitement, when? were? how? I am busting at the seams! It appears i am not the only one who has heard about the marlin and good water and even before I am home I have got an invite on a boat the next morning. I make quick call to my darling wife who graciously gives me the thumbs up and .... well all I can think of is MARLIN. Although at the back of my mind I know it is still highly unlikely to happen ... to me?

Any way we meet up, Jp Rory and myself at Durban Ski boat club before light. And the damn North East is on it already! But we have a marlin to go hunt ... so out to sea we bounce. Number one is an impressive reef and despite the hard diving conditions, made worse by millions of blue bottles that liked my face, It was great. The water was 27.1deg and for the first 15 -18 m blue blue blue. We didn't get many fish other than a small cuta and some sangoras. A couple cuta did get lucky, and keep their distance escaping to get speared another day ... when they are fatter :-)

But the one thing that did make the trip all the more inspiring was that while Rory was topmaning a Black Marlin jumped out the water 100m from us!! I mean the thing could have turned and swam straight past us!!! I would then be writing a different story altogether.

So ask me again .... where can I go shoot a Black Marlin?

Well I still don't know exactly ... but it's more than possible, that's all I know.

Is it easy? No way! first you need some serious luck, a good shot, good equipment, and some nerve to hold on! Oh and as Andy will tell you SHARKS!

Am I game?

You betya!

Coatesman