I glanced down at my depth gauge. 50 feet. The current was mild, and the visibility reasonable good for scuba diving around oil and gas platforms off Louisiana's coast. We had a clear view of the fish in all its beautiful, venomous glory.

Tenney Flynn, chef and co-owner of GW Fins restaurant in the French Quarter, was swimming near my elbow. He reached for his spear, a shrunken trident-looking device called a Hawaiian Sling. I grabbed the mesh bag clipped to my waist.