One of the fishing techniques used in Madagascar is harpoon fishing — where the fisher becomes an underwater hunter.
For two days, I went out with a local harpoon fisher, observing their incredible ability to free dive to over 10 metre depth, while harpooning finger-thick eels.
7:00 AM - Like flying fish, we are gliding through the saltwater in the wooden blue & yellow painted pirogue. At first, the water seems to still be sleeping peacefully, quietly. Three local fishermen are paddling synchroniously with hand-carved padals, pushing us further out to sea.
7:40 AM - The water is dancing furiously. Waves are spilling into our pirogue as if we were a sand shore and our feet are now submerged. We are scooping out water with a plastic bottle.
8:20 AM - One of the fishermen jumps into the ocean with his wetsuit and snorkeling gear. His harpoon is steady by his side like a loyal hunting dog. Weights on his hips help him dive deep down to the ocean floor — he is better equipped than most others. We watch from the see-sawing pirogue. Sometimes minutes pass before he emerges again, gasping for air. Every few dives, we hear the slight thud of the harpoon going off on the ocean ground. If successful, his snorkel breaches the surface and he lifts the harpoon with a pierced fish around the size of a hand.
9:30 AM - The catch today was 5 small fish, an eel and a sea cucumber. A tremendous effort for that small of a catch. The precision and skill needed to pierce a moving eel the width of two ropes, while at the same time diving ten metres, aiming the harpoon on the ocean floor without being able to breath, is incredible.
10:00 AM - Fixed the boat with string. Heading back as the waters are too rough.
