In addition to handling social media for the Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Expo and sponsoring the Florida Spearfishing Tournament, CJ Duffie is also co-owner of Neritic Diving with his father Charles.
CJ’s experience as a marine biologist and his father’s work as an aeronautical engineer seem to be part of the magic formula that keeps the Neritic Pole Spear adding to its list of spearfishing world records.
With over 15 world records collected by the team’s roster, including numerous women’s records by Cheyenne Lee, the pole spear’s modular design and its no-nonsense lifetime warranty make it an easy choice.
This durable, modular pole spear comes out of the box ready to shoot — no additional gear to buy. When they advertise their Blue Bantam package price at US$300 (~242 Euros), what you’re getting is a ready-to-hunt speargun, not just a shaft that you have to spend another couple hundred dollars outfitting with a tip and bands.
Being modular, divers can customize the size at 5, 6, 7, 8, or even 10 feet (3 meters) in length. At 5/8-inch (~16mm) diameter, it’s hefty yet comfortable. Besides the aeronautical engineering, Neritic also employs speed tests, and a host of other calibrated machines generally seen in aviation to create the right weight to speed ratio essentially turning aerodynamics into hydrodynamics.
One of the most impressive parts of the pole spear is the penta cut, fluted, magnetic slip tip. The design mimics that of a hollow point arrow making placing a solid, accurate shot that much easier.
When asked why the passion for a pole spear, CJ said that pole spear hunting is more challenging and simply makes a better hunter. In an effort to close the distance on their shots, divers begin to learn fish behavior as well as how their own behaviors and movements cause fish to react. The diver is literally forced to learn how to approach fish. Neritic hunters have regularly been landing 40-80 pound grouper.
The Florida Spearfishing Tournament is a unique competition that requires use of a hat as a “token.” The token changes annually to ensure that entries are timely. A diver simply takes a photo of the fish with a tape measure laid across the top with the hat somewhere in the photo. The tournament uses seven administrators to create rules, verify entries, and mitigate disputes. The tournament is open to divers anywhere in Florida and currently has over $20,000 (16,157 Euros) in prizes available.
For more info on Neritic Diving, go to NeriticDiving.com. To find out more about the Florida Spearfishing Tournament, go to FLSpearfishing.com.
