Well this is pretty impressive.
I’ve never been freediving with a polespear, but from what I’ve seen, it looks incredibly difficult.
Now, try it 8 months pregnant…
It doesn’t sound possible, but according to The Destin Log, Destin, 40-year-old Florida resident Julie Augustine did it… and is a future black drum world record holder.
Julie shot the 37.6 pound black drum on October 1st, with a nine-foot Bermudian slip tip polespear while freediving.
Augustine expressed her excitement over the shot:
“It was crazy, that’s not how I anticipated my day starting, but what an adventure.”
And according to the International Underwater Spearfishing Association, the current record for black drum in the Sling/Polespear Division for a female diver sits at 36.3 pounds, shot by Lucie Cardet on July 19th, 2018.
The adventure began when her friend, Joe D’Agostino, asked her if she wanted to go on the boat.
She said the conversation went like this:
“It’s looking really clear…. you should be able to handle the conditions today, if you want to come along. I won’t be out that long.”
D’Agostino had moved the boat to Joe’s Bayou due to Hurricane Ian, but on his way back, he noticed a school of fish with pretty big fish in it.
That’s when he told Augustine to grab her polespear.
He asked:
“Do you want to go find a world record?”
Augustine responded:
“I said, ‘Yes, I do,’ and that’s what happened.”
She was underwater in Choctawhatchee Bay for about 45 seconds, and after she got the fish, they took it down to the Destin Fishing Rodeo to get an official weight.
“It was such a fun experience. We needed that certified scale to make it perfect, but it was fun to represent that sport as well.”
Now, she has not only a baby boy (named Finn) due on November 15th, but also a pending world record.
Exciting times.
