Spear in Hand, Menendez Takes to the Water

© Andrea Barrack / RumBum.com

Manuel Menendez practices his aim.

A distributor of roofing materials by day, Manuel Menendez takes to the depths of South Florida reefs each weekend with spear in hand. He began freediving and spearfishing her waters with his father as early as 4 years old. Twenty-five years of experience and some world records later, he doesn’t attribute his accomplishments to perfect aim, impeccable diving skills, or the lung capacity of a porpoise. (He claims he has none of these). Hard to believe, but he mostly attributes his success – including a five-year world record 94lb. Cubera Snapper – to luck.

“Shooting fish is about showing up. Guys who are dedicated will show up about every weekend year around. Something special is bound to happen.” One of these guys is Menendez’s trusty dive partner, Manny Chica, whom he calls “one of the best divers around.” In fact, the day Menendez speared his Cubera Snapper (almost ten times the average weight), he claims the victor could have easily been his buddy, Chica. “The day that I shot my Cubera, we were taking turns going up and down. If he had gone down, it could have been his record.”

Menendez says he also got lucky last year at the first Jack Kearn’s Spearfishing Tournament, where he ranked in plenty of points with a hefty grouper. Though he gained some street cred, he’ll have another chance to impress at this year’s tournament as he’ll again face worthy opponents. Menendez says he can hold his breath for two minutes, at most, and dive 75’ before he takes a twenty second breather and heads back down; whereas, some competitors can hang under water for up to three mintues at 100’. This is where a fruitful dive spot comes into play. (But don’t expect any hints there.) As far as gear goes, Menendez will use a speargun underwater, no tank, and no wetsuit. He relies on what he calls his “internal wetsuit” – in his words, “I have a little bit of a gut I am convinced helps keep me warm.” >He added, “And nothing gets you warm like seeing game fish swimming for its life.”

Dive Guys

Menendez and Chica are two members of the die hard South Florida Freedivers, a community of like-minded spearfishers begun by Mike Schmidt and Joe Fernandez, the club’s founder and chairman (respectively) who orchestrate the tournament. Menendez hails these two guys for not only being remarkable divers and spearfishers themselves, but for organizing a solid crew to meet, boat, and dive with other talented fishers. “Any boat that has two spearfishermen on it is a good fishing boat,” he said.

One spearfisher with whom Menendez will often dive is Juan Comendeiro, another South Florida diving great by Menendez’s standards (also a former guard for the Miami Hurricanes), and one who helped him take a world record Tiger Grouper (14 lbs.) in The Bahamas. Menendez claims both Comendeiro and Fernandez (who both score extra points for using a simple spear, or what’s called “primitive” equipment) hold unofficial world records in Black Grouper. The mutual respect – plus, of course, the typical ball busting among buddies – is all part of the guy’s day on the water.

“I spearfish to hang out with other spearfisherman. The fact of the matter is,” he said, “I don’t really eat fish.” An unusual sentiment from the mouth of a fisher, Menendez put it in perspective them he explains that after spending a full day hunting, cleaning, and icing his catches, “The last thing you want to do is eat a stinky fish.” He will partake in Grouper, especially Black Grouper. But on any given day, he will trade some snapper (or lobster or stone crab) for a rod fisher’s Wahoo.

Life Under Water

After being under South Florida waters for 25 years, Menendez has also seen cars, army tanks, and even a completely submerged bar, but he’s also observed the steady depletion of reefs due to anchoring, dangerous debris such as jumbled fishing line, and a significantly less population of the Red Grouper (which he’s chosen not to hunt as a result). A former avid rod fisher, Menendez mostly hunts fish underwater these days, because he can practice selectivity. While a rod fisher will reel in 20 and keep one, a spearfisher, he said, will spear only what he wants to keep. In the few circumstances one has regrettably gotten away, Menendez claims “those are the ones we always remember.”

You can see Menendez, his diving buddy, Chica, and fellow spearfishers in their element on any given Saturday, often between Haulover and the Whistle Buoy. (He thanks his wife for her continued tolerance.) Plus, watch them compete on December 5th at the 2nd Annual Jack Kearn’s Spearfishing Tournament where they’ll shoot for the biggest catch of the day. “Last year I just got lucly,” he said. “Some say I’m the one to beat,” he said, “but I think I’m one to easily beat.”