While we were in Brazil we became friends with Fabrizio, Jon & Christian –bon vivants but above all fantatic spear fisherman something I did a lot of as a kid in the Fiji Islands and Tonga. Not long after arriving here at The St Regis Punta Mita I discovered that Punta Mita was a paradise for fanatics of this sport. Before you know it The Boys from Brazil were here on a annual basis in search of the big once in a life time catch. And yes it did happen in 2013 – I will never forget being on the beach of Sea Breeze when they returned from this adventure however I will pass it over to the Man himself Jon Aboitz the hero of that day that will surely remain in the anals of Spear Fishing in Punta Mita and Mexico.

[separator top=»40″ bottom=»40″ style=»shadow»]

By Jon Aboitiz 7:00 AM, Punta Mita Saint Regis, close to Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Preaching that I am the only fisherman that does not lie has been a heavy cross to bear. Until this morning, I had carried a troubled soul, since God and my parish of fishermen were aware of my few moments of weakness in which I had added a kilo or two to my bold fishing stories.

But yesterday’s catch was Redemption, in the form of a Big Blue Marlin. As I watch the early morning light, I am reminded of the redemption of the skirt chasing Reverend in the John Huston movie The Night of the Iguana, filmed in these same Puerto Vallarta shores. If you did not see this movie about release, hope, and a new beginning, there is no need to worry, since my story is actually quite simple. The marlin I caught yesterday was so big, that I don´t even need to lie anymore.

Hold your breath for this one! I speared the blue marlin while free diving in blue water 30 nautical miles from the nearest land. I was on a drift over a deep pinnacle in the open Pacific Ocean, repetitively plunging into the abyss chasing rays of light with the air in my lungs. A five banded supergun gave me some sense of security in that tridimensional sub aqua world of shifting shadows and endless clarity. The billfish appeared to me from the left while I was leveling weightless at a depth of about 10 meters. The beast was quick and majestic, and it flung by me territorially displaying its bill, fins, and raised dorsal, while flashing pulsating electric blue colors along its massive body. I recognized the fish in a second and took the shot before I could say Ave Maria. The marlin took off with spear, bungee cord and two floats, and sank the whole rig before I even had a chance to catch the trailing float and go for that old Nantucket sleigh ride. Soon afterwards, the marlin jumped, the buoys surfaced, and I had a chance to cling to the last float with the help of the support craft. The water battle was tough and lifting the fish lasted about an hour, with special care to constantly untangle the dangerous floating mess of lines that could seal my destiny that day. I will spare you the details of how we got the monster in the boat, of how we hoisted it onto a tree for the Agfa moment, of how we fed a whole fishing village, or of how tasty it was when we ate it as carpaccio and also grilled.

I have plenty of witnesses on this one including my missus Salty Lú, my spearo bandido band members Christian Arntsen and Fabrizio Valentini, and our cantinero host Carlitos Emberson and his lovely Señorita Sabine. Sebastian Melani of Spearmex also was there to see what his clients had dragged onto the beach. Hell, I even have pictures and underwater video for you, and the whole damned Go Pro underwater film will be uploaded to youtube quicker than a Mexican mañana.

Our land operational base is nothing less than the Saint Regis Punta Mita, where we are having a sportsman diet of taquitos del mar, guacamole, Pacifico beers and margaritas, plus freebie massages and fancy dinners provided by our cantinero amigo friend, general manager of this spectacular hotel.

And you may ask, how big was the huge monster beast leviathan of a fish? Well, we did not have a scale on hand, but most said that it was somewhere between 200 and 220 kilos, so let’s settle for 229 kilos and end the story here.