Spearfishing in Baja, Mexico by Dan Silveira

Early spring is one of my most anticipated times as my friends, and I travel down to Baja, Mexico, in search of migrating pelagic Yellowtail—a sustainable yet difficult fish to freedive spearfish for. Timing is everything as tradewinds subside from winter and the warm waters rush up the sea of Cortez. Every day the dive spots can change dramatically, making a week-long trip feel pretty dynamic. On my first day of the trip, I had two huge majestic striped Marlin swim right up to me. 

They were not my target fish to harvest, but they made for a magical experience. Their iridescent blue and white stripes add to their size and power. I was face to face with two fish that were sizing me up! I enjoyed the brief experience as they swam away and was immediately filled with excitement, knowing that the timing of the trip was perfect and that we would see a wide variety of fish on this trip. If you have been to a Japanese sushi restaurant and ordered Hamachi, you likely ordered Yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis). It is among the most delicious fish you can enjoy. By the next day, I had determined where the Yellowtail fish were schooling around a deep pinnacle several miles offshore. 

captured by >name of photographer<

My friends and I made dives from 70-100' deep, where there was a thermocline of cold and murky water. The fish were in that area, and that's why the Yellowtails were there. By the end of the second day, we had success with four large Yellowtail on the boat and some great encounters with sea lions, Mantas, dolphins, and orcas.

"Light and shadow are the key elements that make great images, and when the complexity of the shot defies normal lighting, the photo comes to life. Introducing new light sources is the key to magical pictures where you can have natural light from behind the subject and new light from the front. Asking for more light has never been an issue with these lights, but I have had cases when using smaller ones where I wanted more. Using two Sola 15,000s give me the light I need in those situations. " - Dan Silveira

captured by Dan Silveira