“No matter how many fish I spear, my heart rate still gets going when I see one. Their power never ceases to amaze me,” says professional spearfishing guide, Peter Correale. “Some of the most memorable fish that I have speared over the years are a 117 pound gulf grouper that I shot down off the pacific coast of Baja, a 112 pound wahoo in The Sea Of Cortez, and a 56 pound stripe bass out near Block Island.”  Splitting his time between Montauk, Mexico and Panama, Peter is living the dream as he builds a business doing what he loves most.  Through his company Spearfishing Panama, Peter takes clients out to sea for thrilling adventures he shares with us in this NEW KDHamptons Lifestyle Diary, below:

KDHamptons: What is your schedule like, in terms of splitting your time between Montauk, Mexico and Panama?

Peter Correale: I spend February to May down in Panama running spearfishing trips.  I return home to the East Coast for June through September and spend most of my time with family out in Montauk.  Then I head down to Baja, Mexico for about three months running spearfishing trips to remote areas on the Pacific coast of the peninsula.  I try to make it back home for Christmas and New Years every year.

Photo By Michael Marcello

KDHamptons: What do you love most about each destination?

Peter Correale: People always ask me which place I like better, but each one is so different from the other.  When I am in Panama, I spend most of my time on a very small deserted island that is covered in dense jungle.  In Baja, it’s all desert and cactus as far as you can see.  Air and water tempatures, as well as the species of fish we target are also very different from each location.  My favorite part of the year is definitely summer time back in Montauk.  I love being back home with family and friends, and the Spearfishing on the East Coast can be amazing as well.

KDHamptons: Can you describe the sport of spearfishing and your role as a guide?  How do people hold their breath for that long?

Peter Correale: The sport of spearfishing essentially entails diving anywhere from 10 to 150 feet with a speargun while holding your breath.  There are different techniques and equipment that are dependent on the type and size of the fish that you are hunting, as well as the over all conditions that you are diving in.  My role as a spearfishing guide pretty much entails putting my clients in the right place at the right time to allow them to have a shot on a trophy fish.  I help them with diving and breath hold techniques, as well as advise them on what gear to use and how to rig everything.  The technique of breath hold diving is learned like most anything, through practice. There are a couple of different companies that offer freedive courses which help teach the technique of breath hold diving, as well as a lot of the safety aspects of the sport.

Peter Correale: Obviously because of what I do for a living I end up eating fish almost on a daily basis. I have eaten many different kinds of fish, cooked many different ways, but for me there is still nothing better then a fresh plate of Tuna Sashimi with some soy sauce and wasabi.

The view overlooking Ditch Plains in Montauk never gets old…

KDHamptons: What does a perfect day in Montauk look like to you?

Peter Correale: My perfect day in Montauk would be waking up early, going to Happy Bowls for an Acai bowl, then getting a surf in if there are some waves.  After a quick surf, take the boat out with some buddies and do some spearfishing out at Block Island.  I would cap the day off by having a big BBQ up at our house with all my friends and family enjoying the fish that we brought back.

KDHamptons: Okay here’s a few questions that may be silly, but we’ve always wondered: Are bigger fish usually older? How long do most fish live? Do bigger fish taste better or worse than small fish?

Peter Correale: Bigger fish are not necessarily older than smaller fish, it depends on the species. Most Pelagic fish tend to grow faster and have shorter life spans then the inshore and reef species of fish.  For example, a Mahi Mahi is one of the fastest growing fish in the ocean, but has a very short life span of usually no more then 4 to 5 years, which at that point they can be upwards of 40 to 50 pounds.  So if you were to compare the age of a 40 to 50 pound Mahi Mahi to a Stripe Bass of the same size, the Striper would be a lot older, as it is a much slower growing fish.  The same goes for the difference in size verse the quality of table fare of each species. Some fish, such as a grouper for example, tend to taste better when they are smaller, though other species like Tuna can be of a much better quality when they are harvested at a larger size.

KDHamptons: What is the biggest fish you have ever shot? How much did it weigh?

Peter Correale: The biggest fish that I have shot to date was a 269 pound yellowfin tuna down in Panama. That big Tuna was very exciting for me, it was at the time by far the biggest Pelagic fish that I had ever speared, and it was my first year diving down in Panama, and we were way offshore in a very small beat up boat with a small outboard engine.  After I shot that Tuna, it dragged me on the surface for over a mile and it took nearly two hours before I was able to get it into the boat.

KDHamptons: What does it feel like when you are that close to these giants? Are you scared? 

Peter Correale: There is really no feeling in the world like spearfishing, especially when hunting large pelagic fish. You can spend hundreds of hours diving out in the blue water before you even get to see a large Tuna, let alone actually put a spear in one.  Just seeing those massive fish out in their element is one of the most impressive things you can ever witness.

**Check out these short spearfishing films that Peter put together with Videographer/Photographer Perrin James. [Thanks to Perrin for the photos in this layout]:

“Hannibal” : https://vimeo.com/65749730

“The Island”: https://vimeo.com/114312363

“Five Stones”: https://vimeo.com/84648031

* Be sure to check out Peter’s amazing Instagram @petercorreale and for more information, please contact: Peter Correale, Spearfishing Panama; 203-524-3654, Panama Mobile# 507-665-31734; www.spearfishingpanama.com