Spearfishing in the Bahamas
“I have never been so honored to be a part of the food cycle/life cycle“
Spearfishing is one of the fastest growing activities in the oceans today. Done with reverence and respect, it is a very powerful and direct way to experience the vitality and abundance of the ocean. Over the past 20 years I’ve taught hundreds of people to spearfish; people as young as 6 and people into their 70’s. They all describe their experiences as exciting, inspiring and profoundly deepening. Its amazing the quickening we feel when we enter the ocean as a hunter/gatherer. Spearfishing, and fishing with rod and reel, is an optional activity on my trips at your request.
What is so exciting about spearfishing? When we approach spearfishing with an attitude of honor and respect, we enter an ancient, intimate bond with the natural world. Our bodies feel alive, our senses become supercharged, our muscles, bones and sinews sing. We join a very ancient, primal relationship with the sea. The grievous sense of separation that is such a prevalent condition of modern society disappears, there is no room for it amidst the focus of the hunt.
The clear, warm, shallow and abundant waters around Bimini are an ideal place to learn spearfishing. Take a look at some of the people just like you who have joined me for spearfishing.
Giving thanks: Before we get in the water we always stop and give thanks to the ocean, the fish and the lobster we seek. We also give thanks at the dinner table. Our attitude is one of appreciation and respect.
Optimum Sustainability: Spearfishing and fishing with a rod are the single most sustainable ways to catch your dinner. While commercial fishing can do great harm to the ocean bottom and includes a tremendous amount of unwanted fish (bycatch), or farmed fish, which are proving to be both toxic to the consumer and the environment (search ‘farmed fish toxicity‘), catching one fish at a time ensures there is little to no waste.
Men & Women: Everyone is welcome to join the hunt. Men say it gives them a grounded, respectful way to express their masculinity. Women share it expands the identity of their feminine essence, allows them to feel more comfortable with their own sense of power. Both say it deepens their connection to nature and the sea.
“My first experience of hunting and it was more spiritual than I ever imagined” – Linn Manstrom, Sweden
“It was beautiful. I have never been so honored to be a part of the food cycle/life cycle. For the first time, I “got it” in a way I never have before.” Pam Meadows Dravitz, Nurse (read Pam’s story here)
Young & Old: The urge to hunt touches people of all ages. I’ve seen pre-teens jump at the invitation to help catch dinner, as well as older retirees. The hunter within us is ageless. “It’s the first time in thirty years I’ve seen that look of excitement in my husband’s eyes” – Sandra Seeley
Cameron & Miles join the ranks of hunter/gatherers
Rite of Passage: Death is often hidden from view in today’s modern world. Catching our own food is an initiation into a deeper relationship with life and death. Making it a conscious act, done with respect, increases our compassion and aligns us with a greater understanding of life and our relationship to our food and nature.
Camaraderie: A powerful sense of camaraderie is present amongst people who hunt together. One needs no special skills, only the desire to join and be an extra pair of eyes to become one with the pod and the hunt itself.
Feeding the Tribe: I offer spearfishing on my Bahamas trips because people share how moving the experience is. Whether they’re in the water carrying a spear/being an extra pair of eyes, or watching from the boat, the feeling of shared 
excitement when the catch is brought aboard is pure elation. Then, either right there as fresh sashimi, or later that night for dinner, the catch is prepared and eaten with much joy, reverence and appreciation.
“The only thing that existed was the ocean, the beauty, and the realness of the hunt” – Michael Cutburth, CA
More photos here
