How Spearfishing Can Tear Your Life Apart

Today I’m telling you a story of how spearfishing can tear your life apart.

The subject of our story is a 28-year-old male. Let’s call him Ronnoc—Ron for short.

Ron discovered spearfishing about six years ago. At the time, he was living in San Clemente, CA. He had a great friend group, his wonderful girlfriend Gillian, a marketing company that paid the bills, and spent most of his days surfing. Sounds like the dream, right?

Well one day, he was in Hogan’s Bait and Tackle in Dana Point. He was looking to buy a few HookUp baits to target calico bass. He was scanning the aisles when he looked up and saw something strange—an overhead light shining down, illuminating a rack of red and yellow sticks. (I think there might have been angels singing softly. That parts not clear.)

Ron decided to follow the light. Upon further investigation, he found this rack of sticks to be what the shop attendant called pole spears.

“They’re used to shoot fish underwater. It’s called spearfishing”

You can see where this is going, right?

Ron called up his buddy, and they decided to both get one of these fiberglass spears.

The next day, they took their paddleboards a few hundred yards offshore to a shallow area known as North Wheeler’s Reef. Kitted in 4/3 surf wetsuits, cheap fins, snorkeling masks, and their brand-new $35 pole spears, they dove in.

Struggling to stay on the bottom, they weren’t having much luck. That is, until Ron spotted a strange shape in the sand. It could only be one thing.

A halibut!

His heart started racing. He knew that if he played his cards right, he’d be able to shoot his first fish. He’d watched a couple of videos on technique, so he knew he had to calm down before making the dive.

As he dove down, his heart inevitably started racing again. Screw it. Just go straight at it and let it fly.

Somehow, he speared it right in the head. Ron’s first fish. And it was a halibut!

That was it. Ron was hooked. Game over.

He compulsively started researching. He upgraded his gear. He read all the blogs, watched videos, and learned from people like Daniel Mann and Cast and Spear. It was more than a new hobby, it was an addiction.

This is the point in the movie where there’s a montage of Ron—reading, spearfishing as much as he can, upgrading gear, getting better, learning more. Years passed by, and he felt like he was starting to figure it out.

Then, on one overcast day in San Clemente, Ron watched a video about spearfishing in the Bahamas. It was warm. It was clear. The fish were abundant.

He had to go!

But not just take a vacation. No. He wanted to live there. He wanted to wake up in the morning and be able to dive into the crystal-blue waters from his doorstep.

“What if I bought a sailboat? Yeah! That would do it!” he thought.

But there was a big problem—he didn’t know how to sail. Plus, he had his company. He had his friend group. He had his amazing girlfriend. Oh, and the surfing—he couldn’t give up San Clemente’s waves!

But if there’s one thing Ron isn’t afraid of, it’s change. He talked to his girlfriend Gillian, and pitched the idea.

“We spend the next two years saving up. We’ll get side gigs, we’ll learn how to sail, we’ll quit our jobs and we’ll buy a boat!”

Gillian didn’t flinch. She was in. What a badass.

The girlfriend part was taken care of.

Next up was his company. It was hard, but he knew he had to do it if he wanted to follow his dream. So he gave his partners a full year’s notice and weaned himself out of the company.

Then came the friend group. This one sucked. There was no getting around it. But he knew that their friendship was strong enough. Plus, they could come stay on the boat with him and Gillian whenever they wanted! The group quickly got behind the idea.

Lastly, it was at this time, Torren Martyn put out his surf film “Calypte”—an hour-long epic of him and his girlfriend sailing around, surfing insane waves all to themselves.

“That could be us” Ron thought.

It was settled.

In June of 2024, Ronnoc and Gillian moved from San Clemente, CA, to FL in search of the sailboat that would take them to the Bahamas and then down through the Caribbean.

It took a while, but they finally found one—a 2001 Beneteau 411. They named her SunGem and moved aboard.

They spent the next few months outfitting her: new sails, upgraded solar, a water maker, and, of course, a rack for their spearguns and pole spears. The plan is to leave Florida and head to the Bahamas mid-December.

And that brings us to today.

Six years ago, Ron had his life together—an apartment, good friends, and an active lifestyle. But spearfishing didn’t just tear that life apart—it rebuilt it into something better.

Now, Ron and Gillian are living aboard SunGem in Florida, gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime. They’ve spent months upgrading the boat, honing their skills, and dreaming of the day they’ll sail to the Bahamas.

The countdown is on. Crystal-clear water, vibrant reefs, and endless adventure are just weeks away. Spearfishing didn’t just change Ron’s life—it gave him one worth chasing. And he couldn’t be happier. 😉

-Connor (aka Ronnoc)

PS - Thanks for sticking around. If you haven’t figured out by now, this story is my life over the last 6 years, and I’m thrilled to share the journey ahead with you. Look out for monthly updates filled with adventures, spearfishing stories, and the highs and lows of boat life. Until then—keep diving!

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