I went out on my first pole spearing dive with Owen, Nate (sv Keltia) and my dad. We got in the dinghy and we headed to the reef. It was a very bumpy ride because the wind was blowing.

We got in the water. The visibility was pretty good. I could see straight down to the bottom. I’m guessing it was about 6 feet deep.

Dad explained how to use the pole spear. You put your thumb through a rubber band and pull it up toward the spear tip. Then when you see a fish, you take aim and just let the pole go. The rubber band is still attached to your thumb.

I took aim at a nice school master snapper. I also practiced on some little fish. We went to 5 different places to look for fish. While I was looking, I saw a lot of coral, a sand tilefish and a fighting conch—when we identified it later, it was a horse conch. It was brave because when I touched it, it didn’t move back into it’s shell.

I had a lot of fun. Nate caught one grouper… that’s all we got.