Awesome fish! I wouldn’t have been able to stay on the bottom after that. Hands shaking...looking over my shoulder making sure he’s still there...etc. Congratulations on taking such a trophy!
So you guys are diving to 240 ft so you have your tech diving certs then. If not how did you practice and make it down to that depth to stay for a good amount of time to spear?
Wow, typically that’s the Red Grouper welcome in shallower waters. Where they come up and greet you off the bottom, as if to say “hey this s my spot” to which the response is thunk not any more! Great video!
Homer, yes, very sustainable. This spot was over 120 miles off shore and has never been dove by anybody but myself or my crew. I think we've only been there 3 times over the years. There's literally hundreds of natural spots all around the wreck and it'll have Grouper back on it within hours or a few days. Thanks for watching and for the good comment. Best, Dan
@@peterk814 I don’t think it’s the spear fishers as much as it is capitalism as a whole. Spearfishing itself is sustainable but amongst the global decline in the ocean fish populations and the decimation of reefs everywhere including Florida, commercial fishing of any kind isn’t sustainable in my informed scientific opinion. I always thought I was old-school but now I’m thinking I’m even more so. you should only eat fish if you can get out and get it yourself. I applaud Dan, he could be long lining if he wanted to. Would be way easier for him to longline but he doesn’t he’s the man actually he risks his life just to make his craft more sustainable.
JD, it's just a regular GOpro 6 in a Gopro case mounted to a Gomask with a built in stainless mount. I wonder if the exhaust port design on your reg could be the culprit? Just a thought. Best, Dan
Thanks GL, I appreciate it. I never really had the desire to add music to them, just the unenhanced version was best to me, glad you like them that way too! Best, Dan
Super cool video Dan! On my gun I’ve got the spear connected to my gun so if the fish isn’t stoned it can’t run off with my spear. How do you ensure that doesn’t happen since it doesn’t look like you’re connected to your spears at all?
Thanks Paul. With free shafting, it's all about shot placement, the whole idea is to "stone" the fish and if you fail to do that, to hit the fish so hard that it limits their ability to flee. Then a double tap from spear #2 will end it quickly. It def isn't practical to free shaft in some ares but where it works, it works well. Best, Dan
I71, yes, my main flashlight had taken a crap and I clipped on a spare one which wasn't sound treated, it was a bare metal clip on a SS D ring and clattered the whole dive. Always worth the time to tighten up all of your gear to the best it can be. Will greatly improve your chances when the fish of a lifetime shows up! Best, Dan
James, I actually enjoy free diving and do it for fun whenever time allows. I just enjoy the deeper end of the pool a little more. Pretty hard to free dive in 245' also. Best, Dan
Reading the comments from all the haters is cracking me up! They got their panties in a bunch. It seems fine to me! Fish away! 😂 I scuba and free dive and spear with a little sling, and I condone this activity! The haters are hilarious though! Lol
FK, always going to be haters......panties in a bunch seems to be an accurate assessment. Going to try and just ignore the whole bunch. Appreciate you watching, Best, Dan
Stop using a scuba tank it's kinda cheating of spearfishing, just go free diving and spearfish and also diving with a scuba tank and a speargun doesn't make sense
@Asian Meister Not Impossible at all ! My dad has done so for many years, and has put me through college! Those are all excuses ! Be fucking moral about your kills and respect the art of spearfishing ! Peace out!
Hey Dan! Your spear fishing is great. I am going down to Crystal river after thanksgiving to go to the middle grounds to spearfish. Wondering if you may want to go? I have a 42’ Freeman. Anyways I want to learn how to dive deep. 188 is as deep as I’ve ever been. Do you do any training?
Hey Dee, sorry for late response, with the recent two Hurricanes, I left the state for a few weeks. I appreciate the offer, man that's tempting to go out on a 42' Freeman. I'm not an Instructor but it shouldn't be too hard to find a good extended range or TX instructor. Try calling one of the dive shops in your area, they'll probably be able to suggest someone. If that doesn't work, call one of the tech training agencies, TDI, etc, I'm sure they could help. Hold onto that open spot for me, when I retire form commercial spearing in a few years, I'd love to go. Best, Dan
Two questions, are you shooting an ocean rhino? If not what brand gun your running? And secondly, where in the hell can I get a stringer that big??? Great videos and congrats on the PB, looks like your friend was good luck!
Hey Erik, no, it's a home made gun we make ourselves. I buy 6' heat treated blanks and then make the stringers in my shop. I think Rich at Speargods sells a similar product. Give him a shout at 727-432-1967 and I'm sure he'll steer you in the right direction! Best, Dan
Hey Juan, total gun length is about 54" and I use a 60" shaft. I use a single 5/8" band, about 25" long. We only use 7.5mm diameter shafts, I don't like the 5/16" (8mm)stuff The biggest thing is to keep your spear very very sharp and to only use shafts with a "wrap around" flopper design (like RA shafts). If your flopper has significantly wider ears, they will have to tear a much larger hole that the narrower spear preceding them. This will almost stop penetration or significantly impede it. I ordered a Tripod and will try and do a few "how to" videos in the near future. Best, Dan
Dan, I just wish all these free divers would post their videos of free diving 200+ and show them landing fish like this. They say it should be done that way so where are the videos. The truth is it is not practical nor is it safe. It is the total lib way this world is now. You have used your years of experience being able to attain this. I grew up scuba spearfishing in 120 to 140ft range in the l 80's and I just envy what you do. I would give anything to of experienced some of these dives. I love everyone of them. Keep it going man. Look forward to every new video!!!!
Thanks John, I really appreciate your comments! Glad you're enjoying the videos and I def plan to keep it going. I enjoy free diving and have no issues with any spear fishermen. The ones that spew ignorant insult and profanity filled comments aren't worth paying attention to. Thanks again for your comments! Best, Dan
John, he's not doing it for the experience. He's doing it for MONEY. He's only doing it at 200+ feet because all the shallower reefs have no fish left on them.
Lorre, I totally understand your vision. I too really enjoy Free Diving and have nothing but respect for most Free Divers. It's hard to Free Dive in 250' for bottom fish though. Thanks for stating your views in a cordial, mature, non jack wad way. Best, Dan
Glen, I do love that wreck. I got the Loran numbers that were within a mile or so probably 20 years ago and spent many long days and hours looking for it. Was cruising through that area one morning on a mirror flat day and saw a pod of porpoises maybe 1/2 mile away. Ran over and investigated and within 15 minutes, found the wreck. Pretty great day! Best, Dan
@@danmacmahon3973 I love hearing stories like that! That's one of my favorite things about searching new ground and finding new spots! I've watched this video a hundred times and it never gets old!
Hey Andrew, it really comes down to experience, knowing when to take the shot and when not to. In case I don't stone a fish, I try to hit it hard enough to grab the spear or to shoot it again. In situations where the visibility is good and there aren't deep holes or wreckage for it to swim out of reach into, you can hit it hard and follow until the opportunity to double tap it happens. It's a learning curve, like everything else. Best. Dan
Hey Tony, it was really amazing, could have gone sideways in a lot of ways, but didn't! Def makes up for some dives that shouldn't have gone sideways, but did! Glad you liked it and I appreciate your comments. Best, Dan
@@danmacmahon3973 The idea of being that deep is a trip by itself. And you always Show that it takes time, and knowledge to come back correctly. I think that I mentioned that I lost one of my brothers to basically the bends, but not from diving or the water. He was born with heart issues in the 50's, and had one of the first types of his heart surgery of its kind. Wasn't supposed to make it to 5, but God had different plans. He died when he was 27, but lived life to the max. His passion was fishing, and making coustom fishing rods for Ted Williams and Boog Powell, and the likes. He had a small shop in the back of Tackle World in South Miami. I'd ride my bike up there, and see all the baseball players coming in for bait and tackle. He was the 7th of 13 siblings. I came in 12th😁 I look forward to seeing him, By the Grace of God one day. Sorry for the rambling on, your videos always remind me to say a prayer, so I throw you and your crew in too. What you do takes great knowledge, and courage. Super Way Cool 👍 And the head knowledge I'm picking up from watching y'all is a gift. Y'all are feeding Us All 🙏, and you make it look so cool. Viva Cristo Rey 🙏
AC, I'm TX certified and all these deeper dives are done with a lot of planning and thought. In my area, free shafting (no line) works very well and covers all the bases most of the time. Obviously, in open water , or bad visibility it would't work at all. Thanks for watching, Best, Dan
Dan, thanks for the reply. Been diving for 20 years and spearfishing for dinner mostly of Cartagena, Colombia. Never though what you are doing was possible. Firm believer that spearfishing is the best commercial way of fishing. No bycatch like in longliners for example. Congratz on the catches. Whats up with the blue runners and the sharks by the way, see blue runners here all the time when diving, never related them to sharks.
Holy crap nice job or I love to watch these videos! I got halfway through my scuba class and my wife wanted out of the scuba class not the marriage so we never finished it I don’t know if I’d be 260 feet of water for 20 or 30 would be fine!! ❤️GOD BLESS AMERICA🇺🇸
246, not really. For me and most of the guys, the hardest equalization has always been in 10'-30' on the way down where the pressure % changes the fastest. Usually, if you're good to go up there, the deeper ones are easier. Best, Dan
Thanks Paul! I've always wanted to dive off Australia! Grew up hearing stories about the Great Barrier Reef ! Thanks for your comments and for watching. Best, Dan
@@danmacmahon3973 Safe diving Dan, and yes the great barrier reef is so beautiful , have dived it but i'm from Melbourne witch is colder but still beautiful with plenty off crayfish, abalone and scollops. Cheer's and stay safe.
Hey JJ, it's a home made gun we make ourselves. Roughly based on an older Sea Hornet but utilizing better quality parts with tighter tolerances. Best, Dan
The link came across my screen this morning and congratulations. What an awesome fish. Hoping nothing less than great success with your channel. Best wishes and safe diving.
Awesome dive and fish. I’ve never seen a black that big. How far out are you running in the gulf on these deeper dives 60-70 nM? Do y’all overnight for a few days? Reading the comments from all the haters is actually quite amusing. Never would have thought this could be so controversial, but in this day and age it seems everything is. Keep up the good work and posting videos. Thanks.
Thanks Paitent! Yes we go for multi day trips, between 2-5, I prefer 3. That Black came off a wreck about 120 miles out. Yeah, most of the people posting are cool and I enjoy their comments and am glad they're enjoying the videos. Of course, there's a few that use profanity and insults, but they're def not worth listening to or worrying about! Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comments! Best, Dan
..seen that video a couple times over the years, but its always a pleasure watching it again. great shot on that carbo. putting on a ph and looking for those big cuberas hiding in the wreck is no option ? ..and thanks for the additional footage from inside the boat....regards
Euro, Thanks, appreciate it. Yes it def would have been but the two I saw including that big one, swam out onto the sand and they basically don't return while a divers still there. Plus all those big fat stupid Scamp were hanging on the front Cap, hard to turn down! Best, Dan
B31, with the right equipment and multiple blow off mixes, a very rough estimate in that depth is about 3 minutes of Deco for every minute of bottom time. This could vary significantly due to many variables. This should never be attempted without years of experience and proper training.Thanks for watching. Best, Dan
Sure it is, spend the many many years to acquire the tech training and certifications that this diving requires, and then roll in to 80 meters and see what you think then? You know, then you can make knowledgeable and experienced comments? Dan
Nothing easy about diving 262 feet.. Tons of training is required to go thag deep and once your that deep you have to breath in different gasses and shit because oxygen in that deep of water can kill you.. And the knowledge to not get bent.. with decompression sickness
Yeah but the fish looks like retarded where is the fun of hunting... You have a great body and training for going in that deep but shooting with the tanks in my opinion in just for lazy people that just want to bring home the dinner.
Randy, yes, once. I speared a couple of 25-30 Carbos on it but no Monsters. I'd like to hit it again this Summer but don't know if I'll get there or not! Thanks for watching, Best, Dan
Thanks Spearo561, it really was a special fish! I think I might have seen one, possibly larger over the years but that's really hard to judge. Best, Dan
The tank had a nitrox sticker on it but the wreck was in 240’. Even with standard 21% oxygen 240’ is well outside the recommended recreational maximum and has a decent chance of giving you oxygen toxicity. With any nitrox, even low mixes like 30%, that rate only increases. What am I missing, or did you directly place yourself in harm for that grouper (can’t say I blame you, what a fish!)
MT, I fill all my own tanks and the Nitrox sticker really means nothing on my boat. I think only 2 or 3 of my 100+ tanks have that sticker. My tanks are only used on my boat and are only filled by me and clearly marked by me as to their content. Great question. Thanks for watching, Best, Dan
Dan MacMahon Thank you for the clarification. I appreciate the fast and concise response, and the open, non-aggressive tone. I am a certified open water scuba instructor. While I am obviously not you, and while you seem to be very happy with your current state of operations, I would like to encourage you to do a few things. First is minor: in the event that your method of operation ever needs to act with another operation, having non-functional nitrox stickers goes against a strong recreational norm. I would encourage you to either leave those tanks as nitrox or to peel the stickers off whilst using them as standard 21%. Not a big deal, but nomenclature is important in the long run, and peeling the stickers off is hardly a difficult fix. Secondly, and most importantly, lets look at oxygen toxicity. This math may be done with the dalton diamond. Percentage of O2 (in decimal form) multiplied by the pressure in atmospheres (Take your depth in meters, divide by 10, and add 1) = partial pressure of oxygen in that tank at that depth. The recreational limit is 1.4 atmospheres of oxygen, and at roughly 1.6 atm, bad side effects may begin to occur. First, the oxygen becomes inflammatory to your pulmonary system, and chemically attacks the bronchioles within your lungs and the mucus lining within your throat. Second, the oxygen begins to effect your brain. At partial pressures of oxygen 1.6 and exceeding it, there is a chance the oxygen will induce a seizure. Looking at 240’, which is 73 meters, the math looks like this: 0.21*8.3=1.743. You’re at a point at which problems can occur. I do not mean to come across as hostile or aggressive- I am very much glad that on this dive and any others you have taken on this wreck, no accidents have happened. But just like with other elements of spearfishing and scuba diving, it is smart to air on the conservative side. If there’s a chance bigger fish will show up, you’d bring a longer gun, since spear fisherman act under the belief that taking an underpowered or improper shot on a fish that leads to a slow death is wrong. The same goes for scuba. If you plan on continuing to dive this wreck, even if no accident has occurred thus far, the possibility still remains, and I do not want to see you or anyone else injured in this same endeavor in the future. Instead, consider taking a trimix course. Given the nitrox stickers, it appears you are at a certification level where there are no intermediate prerequisites for you to accomplish trimix. It would allow you to run a mixture containing helium as well, which would increase your bottom time just like nitrox but also increase your maximum depth. By using a hypoxic mixture, perhaps 16% or 19% oxygen instead of the standard 21%, you would minimize the risk at that depth by eliminating the oxygen toxicity. Not only would this lead to increased safety for you, but taking a course with your local dive shop would most likely help them in the wake of the coronavirus business decline. My apologies for the long response. It is not my goal to insult you, speak condescendingly towards you, or criticize your methods. My goal is to expose you to an opportunity to increase your safety at depth. As a diver, and particularly as a dive instructor, your goals and my goals align. You want to harvest massive carbos from the depth, and I am quite jealous of that. But as divers, our joint goal is to be safe in our diving ventures to minimize accidents occurring across all scuba diving. Remember, by posting this online, you also give future divers an inaccurate impression of the maximum depth that they ought to reach once they become scuba certified. If you want to continue doing your current method, that’s your choice. But please consider the risk given the activity, and consider taking the necessary course to use the equipment that would minimize that danger. Cheers, and keep shooting monsters.
Another steller fish Dan! Perfect shot too. Was it cold down there? Sounded like your teeth were chattering on the bottom. Or was it the excitement? ;-)
People do not appreciate how proficient you are in this , I have been spearfishing for the last 35 years and I know how dangerous it can be especially with scuba and especially if there is making ur bread involved... Do you breathe trimix down there? You dive twinsets but I don't see any deco mix cylinders on yous. I wish you come back safe every time brother.
Thanks Dimitris, appreciate your thoughts and comments. Yes, main mix is a light Trimix with two stage bottles for deco. Thanks you for the well wishes and I wish you the best also. Dan
WY, if you ever decide to put the years of training in to be able to dive those depths, I'd bet you wouldn't have the same attitude after you did it. I like to free dive myself but 300' spear fishing is as hard to do as anything on this planet. Best, Dan
He makes his own Spear guns for personal use . They are designed after the old Sea Hornet gun , but made with better parts and tighter tolerances . Extra parts are added also to make the job easier , and safer .
No sabes nada de pesca, This guy doesn’t even know English , and he’s talking shit. Primero que todo, esa pesca es mucho más segura y humana! Que la pesca comercial, no hay bio productos, ni gasto en otras especies , y es altamente regulada, y mucho mucho más peligrosa y riesgosa que otra forma. La pesca de linea y anzuelos causa más daño que está por tu información, aprende inglés para la próxima. Y estudia antes de comentar. Otra cosa más al pez morirse más rápido la calidad de la carne es mejor 🤫
Hey John, very very carefully! Lots of training and strict adherence to the rules. Before every dive, the diver gets "double checked" by another diver to ensure everything is 100%. I take it very seriously and never let anyone on the boat forget when we're in the deeper end of the pool. Best, Dan
@@danmacmahon3973 I'm guessing mixed gas helps avoid problems? When I last went diving (a long time ago), we only had air available, so bottom time was limited.
Lamentable y denunciable q haya empresas que se dedique a eso y gente q pague por eso, a pulmón libre o déjalos vivir os daba un arponazo a los del vídeo vaya crimen
