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Cassidy-Fanui wins spearfishing tourney
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Posted on Jun 26 2011
Guam’s Cassidy-Fanui topped nine teams in the Marianas Apnea Spearfishing Club’s 5th Annual Spearfishing Tournament held Saturday at Smiling Cove Marina.
Led by boat captain Mark Artero, Cassidy-Fanui had a total catch of 173.98 lbs.
“The conditions were very rough, which made the diving more difficult, but our guys were in the water at 7am this morning and we went non-stop until 3pm,” said Artero, who has been participating in various fishing events on Saipan since the 1990s and his team’s success validated his familiarity of the area.
Joining Artero on the winning squad are team captain Ray Flores and fishermen Mike Cassidy and Carl Dela Cruz. They set out to sea with a safety diver on board the Magnificat.
The winners received $600 cash prize and a brand new Cressi Rifle with a set of top and bottom Riffe rash guards.
Cassidy-Fanui total catch was over 100lbs ahead of runner up Devil’s Ray (72.64lbs) of Saipan. Devil’s Ray members include captain Ray Yumul and Dave Camacho, Derek San Nicolas and Tony Roberts. The runners-up won $400 along with a set of Riffe diving fins, a Riffe snorkel and a diving knife.
Saipan team Salty’s total catch of 61.80lbs edged fourth place Stone Fish (61.68lbs) of Guam, while last year’s winners Bantalan Boyz (55.78lbs) settled for fifth place. Shell fuel cards and Coca-Cola gift packages were presented to the fourth and fifth finishers.
Notably, Salty’s was the youngest team in the field. Its member, 17-year old Kagman High School student David P. Lizama Jr. caught a 12.34-lb sweet lips fish to win the individual biggest catch award and a cooler from L50 Club. Salty’s also won $200 and $30 Shell fuel card. Other members of the team are captain Ken Jepan, Robert Norita and his 16-year-old brother, Manny.
Mar-Pac, Budweiser, Risse International, Docomo Pacific, Cressi Sub and Aquasmith sponsored the event that drew 26 fishermen.
Meanwhile, the 2011 Guam Spearfishing Challenge is set for August 13 at Guam’s Agatna Marina with $5,000 worth of prizes up for grabs in the annual tournament.
