World Record for Pacific Sailfish
Notable Catch—Philippe Virgili Notable Catch, Philippe Virgili—Pacific Salifish, 123lb 8oz/ 55,8kg, Costa Rica, Feb 9, 2009 HUNT DESCRIPTION It was my fifteenth spearfishing trip to the Costa Rican Pacific coast and at the time, I was back from the Blue Wild Expo held in Florida. On the 9th. of February 2009 the captain , the skipper and me left the Nicoya coast on a sportfishing boat early morning. At the time the weather was sunny, the sea was calm (surface temp. was about 23°C). During the last week the weather was stormy and cold, so that the thermocline was at about 12 feet depth. The moon was full . We planned to spot yellowfin tuna offshore. We were told by local fishermen, that they reccently spotted a huge spinner dolphin school swimming at about 20/ 30 miles off the coast. This is one of the best way to spot tuna on this place: they do swimming fast usualy among or under the dolphin school. At about noon and at 30 miles off the coast. The boat Cpt decided to do trolling with lures on a wellknown area for marlins fishing. After about one hour trolling, we could observe a fish wich seemed to be a black marlin and wich was swimming fast under the surface while following the boat,. I asked the captain to stop the boat and the fish took off. So I jumped in the water and dove there during about five minutes while using an home made flasher and doing repetitive noise with the gun bands. I could not stay deeper than 6 to 9 ft depth because under the thermocline, the water temperatur was too cold. Suddenly a massive black fish wich seemed first to me to be a black marlin, swam under my fins while visiting the flasher. I dove to about 5ft depth and at a range of about 6 feet I aimed instinctively the fish in the midle of the body behind the gills and shot . The fish took off straith away in pulling the bungee, me and the buoy at a high speed during about 5 mn, then more slowly during about half an hour and a couple of miles. At the the time I played the fish, the captain followed me with the boat and I asked him soon for a second gun (Picasso 120cm + R. Allen 7mm shaft). When I felt less resistance , I pulled the bungee and the shaft line until the fish was at about 15ft range from me. So I realize it was not a marlin, but a massive sailfish which was soon exhausted. I did'nt need to do a second shot, I grabbed the fish and swam to the boat.The captain and the skipper landed the fish aboard. The Captain who has been doing sportfishing there for fifteen years, told me he never saw a so great sailfish . At the same time we received a call from people on a broken down sportfishing boat. We rescued the people and towed the boat back to the coast during for hours... THE WEIGHING: THE EQUIPMENT: ***********************************************************
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