“I was in the Bahamas with some friends this summer, and everyone wanted to have a chill day—no fishing or diving, just shopping and drinking.

So, my girlfriend and I decided to grab this one-person kayak from behind the house, put it on top of the golf cart, drive it to the other side of the island, and paddle out a mile or two to the reef.

We weren’t expecting anything crazy to happen, but then I saw this 40+ pound black grouper hiding in a cave. All I had was my little sling—no float line, no reel, nothing.

Long story short, I dove down and stoned this thing… then the sharks showed up!

By this time, the sharks were getting crazy aggressive. They were trying to grab the fish, and I had to fight them off. When I got back to the kayak, we quickly realized that if we put the fish on top, there wasn’t enough room for both of us. We decided to throw the fish up to get the blood out of the water, but the sharks were still bumping our fins. I told my girlfriend to get up on the kayak, and then I awkwardly jumped up halfway. Luckily, we were able to paddle and kick our way back to shore with this trophy fish.

It was the biggest one I’ve ever shot with a sling.”

“I’ve had some pretty crazy run-ins with sharks, and, as you know, everyone in the community has to deal with them—they’re always in the back of everyone’s mind. When I moved out to Hawaii, I actually worked on a shark diving boat as a safety diver, and my knowledge and understanding of sharks grew. Now, I can better predict what they’re going to do and how they’ll act. It definitely gives me more peace of mind out there.”

“Relax your mind and let the fish come to you. When I was first starting out, I used to chase fish around—it’s what everyone does in the beginning. But when you drop down to the bottom, maybe throw some sand, scratch the reef, or make a few grunts, you’ll be amazed at what happens. Fish you never even saw will come over to investigate.

Also, never dive alone!”

“Grouper in the Bahamas with a Hawaiian sling will always be my favorite. Such a big strong fish and to shoot them with such a primitive weapon and then fight them to the surface is the best feeling. Everyone loves to eat grouper too so that’s a big part of it.”