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Freedivers take giant bass

Together, the top three fish in yesterday's Bluewater Meet weighed over 170 pounds

Freediver John Murphy held his breath to spear this 63-pound bass

Connecticut breath-hold diver John Murphy, a longtime member of the Rhode Island Freediving Club, speared a 63-pound striper. He was diving in 45 feet of water on the reefs of South County Thursday, reports Jay Moore, president of the club.

Yesterday, during the club's annual Bluewater Meet, three of the competing athletes speared bass over 50 pounds.

John Murphy has been spearfishing for 30 years and has been a dominant competitor in New England, said Jay. John is a five-time North Atlantic Champion, three-time All-American and the 2003 United States Underwater Athlete of the Year. He has two National Team Championships as well as one individual first place, second place, and third place finish. He has a second place and two third place team finishes in the U.S. Nationals He is also a two-time winnerof the Rhode Island Bluewater Meet.

After yesterday's meet, Jay Moore reported:

"We had 35 competitors from six states competing. The weather was favorable, and the fish brought to the weigh-in were very impressive. This marks the 14th year since we started this event, and it wasn't until 2006 that the first 50-pound striper was brought in by Sergio DaSilva. In 2007, John Warnock cracked the 60-pound mark to win the event. This year we had three fish over 50 pounds which is absolutely amazing."

The results:

Peter Papathanasiou 59.6
Dave Hochman 57.0
Marco Resendes 54.0
John Warnock 47.2
Faye Swenson 41.0
Jon Lounsbury 35.8
Matt Swenson 29.0
Justin Allen 26.8
Gabe Mathias 25.0
Andrew Ford 18.8
Anson Smith 17.4
Kevin Sheets 16.4
Ryan Grauden 12.6
Chris Parkins 12.6

Competitors can shore dive and drive from spot to spot, use a boat or a kayak. All fishing is done while breath-hold diving in Rhode Island waters. Each competitor is allowed to weigh in one fish. The competitor with the largest fish wins.

Posted by Tom Meade  at 12:19 PM | Permalink