After several days of good catches and experiences comes the moment that has been burned into the memory. Visibility is good. Two beautiful cod of 8 and 10 kg all hang in our catch buoys.
By Simen Wilberg
We can see some shadows far down there. In the free bodies of water. A large group of cod swims in a ring. We see the outline of the cod's backs. They are big.
We breathe. One. Two. Three. Then time stops.
Calmly we sink into the blue. We don't make a sound. Not a bubble of air escapes. We must not frighten the fish. As soon as we pass 10 metres, the fish disperse. I aim at whoever is in the best shooting position, but again hold the shot. Sinking closer. Wait. The one next to it is bigger. Aiming. Waiting. Sinking closer.
I'm 15 meters deep now. Pisces is no longer beneath me. They are all around me. Just before I'm about to pull off, I see a large bright cod belly. There it is. The biggest in the pack. It is shy, and keeps at a distance.
Two calm kick-offs. No sudden movements now. I'll say more. The cod is there and turns away. Now the moment has come. I slide into range and aim for the fleshy area of the cod's neck. In this hold, the arrow will not go through the massive cod head.
The harpoon arrow hits where it's supposed to. The fish plunges towards the depths. I swim towards the surface. The fishing line whizzes through the hands.
I calmly pull the fish towards the surface before diving down and retrieving it at a depth of 10 metres. The fish is secured.
18 kg and what a feeling!
Thanks to the sea.
And thanks to @freedivingnorway who helped capture this moment.