Puerto Vallarta is the home of various International sportfishing competitions and there are plenty of charter boats that will take you out for a fun day on the water. I never want to miss out on good stories. So, when a couple of friends announced that they were going spearfishing, I was happy to join. Surely this would be an adventure and stories would be made. We met our guides, Aldo and Adan, from Two Brothers and a Panga in Playa Mismayola, which is about 5 miles from Villa Azul Celeste. I have snorkeled many times, but I had never gone spear fishing. Here is what I learned:
Spearfishing is a true physical challenge. In my head, I thought that this would be like the proverbial “shooting fish in a barrel.” I am not sure why I thought that, because the Pacific Ocean is not exactly a barrel. Our guides provided us weight belts to help us dive down. So, when you factor in the extra weight and the fact that one hand is holding the spear gun, it is a lot more challenging than the typical snorkeling trip. I would only go if you are very confident of your snorkeling ability.
Snorkeling with a spear gun still has all of the fun of snorkeling. After I became comfortable with the extra gear, I was able to ease back into a regular snorkeling mode. As I cruised around looking for fish to catch, a large manta ray wooshed underneath me. I was reminded why I love snorkeling. So much of the world opens up when you put your mask under the water.
I will never eat better ceviche. Our guides kept telling us what fish we wanted to catch for ceviche. I didn’t realize that they planned on making the ceviche on the boat to eat while we were coming back home. You literally could not have fresher ceviche.
The journey is half the fun. Our guides told us that based on the conditions and visibility, they choose from a variety of locations. Our first stop was south of Quimixto and then we went south of Yelapa. When we stopped, we were never around any other boats. There is something spectacular about speeding along the shore, seeing the small coves, looking up at where the jungle meets the ocean and not being able to see any signs of civilization. And, the process for getting the boat back to shore is a hoot. I will not spoil it so you can enjoy the process with a bit of surprise.
Safety is key. As Aldo and Adan loaded the guns, one of my friends declared that the number one goal was that we all needed to come back alive. Seemed like a good goal. I guess that he meant to be careful where we pointed the business end of the spear gun. Not going to lie: There were a few times during the day when I was trying to manage the spear gun and the waves, that I had to remind myself, “Remember goal number one.” We swam in pairs and would watch to make sure that our companion always came up from a dive before we went down.
If one person catches a fish, then “we” caught a fish. I became worried about the teasing that would ensue if we came back with no fish. Fortunately, Aldo and Adan jumped in and helped us bring a respectable catch home. To this day, we only talk about the fish “we” caught.
Maria’s fish recipes are amazing. My only regret was that we waited to go fishing until the last day. So, we already had plans for dinner. Maria cooked some of the fish for us for breakfast on the morning we left. Next time I would go earlier in the week so she could add it to the dinner menu.
It is easy to transport fish back to the U.S. Because “we” caught so many fish, we had an extra one that we would not be able to eat. Flor and Maria gave us tips on how to transport it and Juan Jose helped make it all happen by getting a cooler from the store. It made for a great way to reminisce about the trip after returning home.