Palapas Ventana Bluewater World Cup Debrief
- matthewnovakovich0
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
The Blue Water World Cup was a rollercoaster of emotions to say the least. Fielding a team of New England inshore shooters with limited blue water experience, we didn’t have high aspirations, we were there for the experience and to get an opportunity to shoot some world class fish. In the closing hours of day one, Team OSS diver Randy Ho landed a beautiful striped marlin, putting our team in second place and Randy in first place for the individual competition. A cherry on top of the day, was another new England/tristate team landed the days only wahoo
with an OSS speargun as well. Tristate was sitting in 1st and 2nd.
Followed up by a so so day two when many teams struggled, Team OSS stayed on the podium. I had a heartbreak of a day loosing a nice wahoo that would’ve help extend the lead, on a day that didn’t land many notable fish. The fish came in and presented a clean broadside shot. I was in the midst of loading so I gambled a shot with 3 of 4 bands. The aim was good, center mass, in the tail, but lacked the punch of the last band and quickly tore out. Heading into the last day, Team OSS was in a position that we never would’ve imagined. 2nd place team and a diver sitting on the pole position. It was our competition to lose.
Our plan was to gamble big on wahoo, but our captain talked us into targeting “pez galleo muy grande”, very big roosterfish. He took us to a sheltered beach and quickly had some world class roosters feeding on the sardines. We choked, a few misjudged shots. As the day grew longer, we made the call to take one big swing at the wahoo. Out on the wahoo grounds there was plenty of life, a few jacks, milkfish, and triggers that added a few points to our score, and one sighting of a monster wahoo at distance that wouldn’t turn. Heading to the beach, divers were turning in monstrous fish, cubera snapper, wahoo, roosters.
And just like that, we fell off the podium for team competition. Randy kept his podium finish, winding up in third overall and largest fish of the competition. The other tristate team, Joe O’s Ocean Slayers placed 3rd. Did we leave points on the table? Yes. Will some of those fish haunt my dreams? Very much so. But as they say in Mexico, pesca no pisca. Fishing isn’t picking.
We wound up having an incredible trip, meeting amazing divers, and enjoying the off the beaten path Baja experience that Palapas Ventana provides as well as their hospitality and phenomenal food. Team Ocean State Spearguns will be headed back to Baja in the near future, you can count on that!
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