Angulo Profile: Joe T. - Spear Fishing and Free Diving

Angulo stand up paddle boards are becoming the platform of choice for the avid and discriminating folks who seek to pursue full throttle free diving and spearfishing. Angulo stand up paddleboards are perhaps, the most efficient and effective way to get the coastal fish free divers and spear fishermen are after. It is a privilege for Angulo SUPs to have Joe Tobin as our next Angulo Profile.

Joe T. is a highly charged surfer and freediver with a passion for spearfishing. Joe holds a world spearfishing record for a 72 pound yellowtail taken while freediving at Guadalupe Island, Mexico and also holds a state spearfishing record for a 30 pound albacore tuna taken while freediving 20 miles offshore near the Monterey Bay in California.

Joe has traveled around the world pursuing his passion for surfing and bluewater spearfishing and is a frequent contributor to Hawaii Skin Diver magazine and International Freediving & Spearfishing News. Joe lives with his wife and two dogs in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the central California coast.

The first time Joe saw a stand up surfer catching waves in Santa Cruz he looked at it as more of a curiosity than anything else but all of that changed when Joe was out spearfishing in local waters one flat calm day. Joe recalls:

“I was out on my lay down style paddle board, scouting for fish. The water was really dirty that day, but there were some areas of clear water where the visibility would be better for spearfishing. I was struggling to get up on my knees where I could get a better look at the water clarity. My lay down paddle board is built for speed, not stability but when you are lying down and paddling with your arms, you don’t get much of a view of the water around you. Then this guy (Andy Whitman, West Coast distributor for Angulo Stand Up Paddleboards) paddled by me on a 12 foot stand up paddle board trolling with a fishing pole. I knew right then that a stand up board was the platform I needed for spearfishing. The view of the water around you when you are standing up on a stable platform makes it possible to scout for good freediving sites very quickly. From the vantage point offered on a stand up paddle board, I could spot the areas with clear water or bait fish or other signs I look for when selecting a site for spearfishing.”

After striking up a conversation with Andy that first day, Joe arranged to test the 11-9 Angulo Nui as a platform for free diving and spearfishing. The first minute Joe got up and started paddling the 11-9 Nui, he knew it would work perfectly for his needs. He uses a mesh bag strapped to the front of the board to carry his gear and finds it just as easy to dive from as his old lay down paddle board. When Joe’s dive buddy, Ken, saw how effective this new stand up board was for freediving and spearfishing, Ken bought one too. Now they both are often seen on calm summer days, out in the local kelp beds scouting for fish and diving off their stand up paddle boards.

Though Joe’s original purpose was to dive off of his 11-9 Nui, he soon found himself catching waves when the surf was up or just enjoying long distance paddle sessions along the coast. Joe’s wife, Stacy, has now taken to stand up paddling and they have found that their dogs enjoy going for rides on the stand up board.