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Alchemy partner David Ochoa recently embarked on a spearfishing trip to the Azores. This is what happened.
We finally got a good weather window to go to one of my favorite areas in the Azores islands. This is a section of deep water pinnacles where anything can swim by at any moment. This is one of the beauties of being in the middle of the Atlantic. Don't get me wrong though, the Azores is a very challenging place to find big fish, it requires a lot of commitment and accepting there will be days you come home empty-handed. But it is also where I've had some of the best experiences of my life, and this specific rock is also where I've seen the biggest white trevallies in the world, with plenty of world record-sized fish being seen and shot here.
Like any other spot, this rock has its days. So after spending quite a bit of time looking for something really big, Fawaz decided to do a deeper dive. As the deeper pinnacle was a bit slow, we decided to move to another area just looking for something different. As soon as we jumped in, there was so much life, we could only anticipate something bigger would swim by. After a few drifts, we spotted a nice-sized almaco jack swimming through the boulders. I actually thought he was gonna swim away from us, but the fish turned right at us. I noticed Fawaz was struggling with the line so I dove down quickly, allowing him to reach the surface safely. Even though it looked like a stone shot, the fish woke up and as it swam away, the line looped around the handle. This happens a lot with these species. I cannot stress this enough, if you are not 100% in control, let the gun go, do not think twice, and visualize this as many times as possible so this is your first instinct. I will get more into this in future episodes so please subscribe to keep up with the news.
I don't shy away from the fact that this activity involves killing fish, but we do respect our catches and this is a small part of what we do. Have in mind these videos are the highlights of these trips, a compilation of the very best moments, but we actually spend most time not pulling the trigger. Sometimes you'll be presented with a fish of a lifetime, others you'll get just enough for dinner, and there will be days you come home empty-handed. Before this trip, we talked about big tunas, marlin, and other epic fish, but one thing stayed clear - we would enjoy each day regardless. Even when traveling to the craziest places you need to accept that you might not get that one fish you were looking for, and that's okay. I believe we are privileged every day we spend in the water. If you come back home safe, then it's up to you to choose how to look at it. I believe there's a reason why certain fish are special, more than just to take them off the list, they represent something we will never really grasp; they're there to keep the dream alive.