SPEARED by a MARLIN 

It's astonishing that there any sardines left in the sea at all. Oh, and yeah, I was terrified for the camera operator what with all those sharp rapiers flying around. Awesome!

Being a sardine is tough lol

For a sec, I thought a sealion might get speared

@Pupixario It was scary, especially when the sardines abandoned the seal and sheltered under me. They swam circles around me like a hula-hoop and the marlin picked them off inches from my body. To escape the school, I had to dive straight down through the sardines to about 30 feet where they abandoned me. Terry

For a moment I actually started feeling sorry for the poor sardines but then I too got hungry and broke open a couple of cans of their cousins for dinner.

Actually, I observed a combination of predation methods: 1. gobbling, 2, slashing in half, and very occasionally spearing a sardine. And yes, the spearing poses a new problem for the marlin, removing the speared fish. To prevent the seals from getting their meal, they swam away from the group underwater, or placed their bill out of the water and shook loose their prey. All very fascinating.

The footage is entirely shot from my Sony EX1 in a Gates Housing. The only computer changes are slowing the original footage at certain points so you can see the action. Glad you like it! Terry

Very well done. Some of the best footage I have ever seen of these amazing creatures. The whale scenes are just unbelievable. My respects.

I love how the whale comes in like, "Lemme show you fools how to do this!" :o)

This is better than half of the "documentaries" on television. Outstanding!

Amazing! Thank you Terry and the team for sharing the video with us.

Wow!!! Amazing. Were you worried at that a marlin would run into you while filming?

I shot at 30 frames/second. The slow motion effects were generated by Adobe's After Effects.

I honestly don't think it's that bad. The video is excellent and the narration is clear and concise. Thanks uploader!

This is the perfect example of the kind of videos on RU-vid that deserve to have ways to give double thumbs up!! If you did not like this video then you are not an animal or nature lover for sure.

Aweaome video, great narration, cinematography, editing. I really enoyed it :D good job Terry Maas n company. Keep posting more vids

Look at that sea life together, this is the most beautiful thing ever.

amazing video, the slow motion is insane..must have been an amazing experience diving and filming all of this wow!

The way they were zipping around I thought the camera man was going to get speared.

Awesome video, thanks for posting this one. I make it a rule not to comment on any videos but had to say what a great watch this was and so well done. Even if you just uploaded the video I have to say thank you and if you actually made this then my hat is off to you sir. BRAVO......MORE MORE MORE

Brilliant camera work Terry! Thank you.

@roddster Yes, I used software-Adobe After Effects-to create the slow motion. I used Final Cut Pro for the basic editing. While it is easier to freedive with lighter rigs, nothing smaller would have provided the shots I took. You can especially see this in the slow motion and stills where everything remains crisp.

Wow that was some really impressive footage, loved the video! Thanks for sharing that with us.

Incredible footage.

Beautiful footage. I fell in love with the Marlins this holiday.

some of the footage that is taken facing up looks very majestic. I really liked the video.Thanx for posting

that was absolutely incredible, especially with the whale, its kind of funny how all the giant predators were ganging up against the sardines.

Excellent footage my man! Striped Marlin are pretty! They remind me of White Marlin and Roundscale Spearfish. The Stripped Marlin has always reminded me of both the white and a roundscale, yet 150-200lbs larger! I live in Ocean City, Maryland. Its known as "The White Marlin Capitol of the world". I have seen whites balling bait many times in my 20plus years of professional fishing. I always wanted to dive with them. Your very lucky to have such an experience. Thanks for the post.

Stunning!

Great film, thanks for the show! And the posting!

Freakin AWESOME!!!!!! Thank y'all so much for sharing such an awesome video!

Fantastic video, thank you for sharing this. I love how the whales, marlin, dorado and seals take turns eating the mackerel. The whale footage is amazing!!!

ME and my 5000 sardine buddies went south last year, Sadly I'm the only survivor, science did test's and experiment's on me, thus making me able to type with my fin's, Hopefully this year I won't have to go through with that trama again, R.I.P my family, I will miss you dearly.

This capturing is unbelieveble. Thank you for show this movie :)

Amazing footage and great quality, thanks for posting!!

Awesome rarely seen footage! Incredibly beautiful and fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

that was a fast wale

Tks for posting ! lucky to be there in the right moment !

Absolutely sensational filming! Thank you very much.

That must've been an amazing experience! I'd love to see something like this myself... Looks like a nice place to dive!

Awesome footage mate. Yes, it certainly seems that the spearing is inadvertent. Are those Ramora on the undersides of the Marlin? Also, I had no idea that any kind of whale (with the exception of an Orca) would eat fish. I have always thought of them as eating only plankton and krill.

great video from start to finish, one of the best i have seen on youtube if not the best keep up the grreat work !

thank u guys u inspire me in my adventures

Amazing work Mike and Sherry thanks a lot for your contribution

really awesome footage! Thank you for this amazing video!

great vid! the detail is incredible

Why can't there be a feeding frenzy like this when I go fishing.?

marlins are such sublime creatures.

Thanks for posting this.... Great video!

Fantastic! Loved your book Freedive! which was given to me by my friend and neighbor Dave Sipperly.

Awwww it bit it's tail offl

Fantastic footage, thank you so much for sharing

thanks for uploading this video!

The white fish are, indeed, remora. The spearing of sardine is not random. I witnessed it several times, and if you look at the reaction of the seals, they have too. They were just waiting for the fish to come unstuck so they could have a chance at it. The whales are Byrdes whales (pronounced "brides.")

That was some awesome friggin' camera work. Nice video

arent you scared that a marlin would pierce you?

Thanks for this documentary, very impressed.

Fantastic work Terry!

Enjoyed it enormously. Thanks so much!

Excellent footage, thank you for sharing!

great video thx for posting it !

aaaabsolutely breathtaking. thank you so much for the video. amazing!

Seeing all these species together like this is just out of this world!

Great Video and excellent camera work!!!!

Very nice!! I love this film. I hope to see this next summer when I will be there

the 34 dislikes was sardines

Wow some of the best footage that I have ever seen.

Amazing photography!

one of the best underwater vid i ever saw..great job m8

Simply Beautiful video !!!! Thank you for sharing

Wow, great footage and slo mos. Thanks for sharing

That was awesome. Thank you for the video.

one of the most beautiful videos on youtube... AND I can proudly say that my state ( BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR) is one of the most amazing places on earth...

bravo.... KALISPERA FROM GREECE...

Awesome images Terry

Awesome video! That film is ground breaking.

How the hell do you film such stuff! Amazing!

i think this must have been the greatest experience to witness.. so awesome.

Absolutely stunning footage!

The idea is that it can confuse a predator, such as a fish, by coming close together, once forced to the surface its ideal conditions for a pack of billfish to eat them all! Hard to confuse a top predator like a billfish, they are perfect at what they do!

Nice Filming. Thanks For Sharing.

Simply beautiful, It reminds me of the galapagos islands or something. Just diverse life all in the same footage.

3:16 whale buzzes the sea lion... lol

That cameraman had nerves of steel watching those swords fly by at full speed.

this is unbelievable footage

Incredible work! So many large animals as once, what a thrill!

That whale is a freaking dreadnought next to the marlins. I could only imagine swimming next to one.

I amazed how the Marlin speared a sardine, provably a pro diver couldn't hit that fast tiny fish when aimed! GREAT VIDEO.

Epic mate, beautiful filming

i believe is in my 39 years of life ,the best video i ever see.

4:25 Finally see the marlin spear a fish

awesome,i really enjoyed this video!great work!!!

Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Very nice movie, great pictures!

beautiful, amazing video! THx!!!!

They are work together or just accidentially meet on the deep blue sea! The Marlin is so beautiful! Waiting for your next video!

wow, amazing pictures!!! Thx

Beautiful shots of nature doing its thing.

fantastic video, lots of luv from UK

1:50 Sea lion is all like, What's going on? What's hiding in my shadow... Oh sardines? Wow! How'd they know I was hungry? NOM nom nom