She breaks records hunting underwater ‘ghosts’ — with a spear almost as big as she is

She breaks records hunting underwater ‘ghosts’ — with a spear almost as big as she is

By Kaila Yu

Source: la times

12/20/2022

Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Mitsuki Hara is hiding amid the undulating kelp forests 30 feet below the surface of the ocean. In her arms is a 4-foot-6-inch speargun — almost as tall as she is — that she’s training on white sea bass, the elusive “gray ghosts” of California.

The real fight begins after she pulls the trigger. The pierced silvery bass fights to escape both its hunter and the shiver of soupfin sharks starting to stalk the bleeding fish. Tightening the window further, Hara hunts on a single-held breath. This gives her just about 90 seconds to work with each time she plunges into the murky Pacific.