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Diver Profile - Cameron Kirkconnell (International Spearo)
Cameron is one of the best know spearos on the planet. He World record Dogtooth Tuna is the stuff of legend. Cameron travels the earth to remote locations to spearfishing some of the most exciting destinations in the world and trusts one brand to never let him down - RIFFE. Cameron has some phenomenal captures to his name and embraces the true essence of adventure. Extreme is not a word used lightly with spearfishers but there is little doubt Cameron is extreme. We welcome Cameron to the pages of the Riffe Oceania website courtesy of Riffe International. A true talent and incredible asset to the Riffe Diver Team. Name: Cameron Kirkconnell Home Town: Orlando Florida USA Diving For (Years): Been diving since before I could talk. Family is from the Cayman Islands and father and grandfather were divers. Passions: Diving, Fishing, Surfing, Traveling, Hunting, Wakeboarding, Writing, running boats Occupation: I do have to work I am a Merchant Ship Captain traveling the world running giant oil tankers and cargo ships. Family: Mom dad sisters cousins, grandparents aunts uncles extended family... everyone dives and fish. Its in the blood and isn't' going anywhere. My mother was diving well before I was born and I look forward to having her show my kids someday how to catch lobsters and get a fish out of a hole in the reef. Dad started out with homemade slings and growing up there was nothing I liked more than holding on to his arm as he towed me along the reef pointing out fish and watching him shoot them. When the water was dirty I waited in the boat and would wait expectantly as he surfaced each time and wanted to know everything he had seen every rock every fish every crab and I'm still the same way when other people are in the water. Diving with him is still my favorite thing in the world to do and I like being the one to put him in the best situations to shoot incredible fish and return the favor of years of taking me out. Seeing him shoot his first wahoo was possibly the best day or my life. My best diving buddy since we were born has been my cousin Blake Gaylord who can still dive deeper and out shoot me on any given day. We speared our first fish together when we were still too small to even cock a speargun and had to work together to get the pole spear far enough back to make it go through a miniature surgeon fish.
My little cousins Aaron and Willam Scott are my little protégé's. They are better than I was at their age and I can only hope that their generation learns from us how to dive safe so that they can live to the age of our grandfather and enjoy the ocean that long. These kids have speared more fish than most seasoned spearo's and are as comfortable in the water as anyone I've ever seen. I almost ended Aaron's life one day when he was only 9 years old and we were spearing in about 80 feet of water off Florida. The water was murky and I was shooting fish on the bottom before returning to the cleared water on the surface. I had shot a big Grouper and decided I would give it to him (who at the time was only about 30 kilos) to take back to the boat. As I was getting ready to hand it to him I caught a movement and behind him appeared a 3.5 meter Hammerhead. We watched it together and when the shark faded into the distance Aaron without the slightest hint of fear in his voice, "That was really cool!" Such a good kid. Can't wait to see what these guys do in years to come. Favourite Locations: Oil Rigs off Louisiana in the United States. Because you never know what you are going to encounter and can shoot reef fish in 1000 feet of water and then swim 100 feet outside the rig and shoot Wahoo and Yellowfin tuna seconds later. Favourite Fish: Dogtooth Tuna: They aren't the hardest fish to shoot but they are by far the hardest to land. Everyone that hunts them has seen big ones but very few have landed really exceptional fish myself included. They are the most frustratingly stupid smart fish there is. They are always with sharks. They are always in current, a drop off or nasty looking reef. They combine the power and characteristics of a Bluewater fish with the sneakiness and desire to get in the bottom of the angriest of bottom fish. They think they are sharks, then they think they are Tuna, then they decide they are Groupers and the whole combination makes for a difficult fish to plan for and land. 2nd place is tied between Wahoo and Jobfish: Both because until you get your first one they are frustrating and you have to pay attention to each and every fish to determine where you need to be, when to dive, which fish to shoot. Once you figure them out it is another world and you can get almost every one you see and it drives your friends mad! 5 Best Fish: 10 Best Fish (sorry I did five and forgot Dogtooth so I just kept going).... I love getting together with my buddies and brainstorming on where and when and how and the comraderie of putting those trips together and making them successful. There is so much to do and so many places to go and no matter if we land fish or not it is exciting to see what is under water. We know we are eventually going to get fish and are usually more excited for each other to land the fish of our lives than we would be for ourselves. I strive to go that extra little bit to refine my technique to make it happen. I like outsmarting the fish and shooting them from only a few feet away knowing that it wasn't chance that brought him close enough it was time and effort and letting 100 others pass before the right one and the right time presented itself. I love getting one that I can't pick up. That is always my goal and the strain on my face or friends when we get one like that makes all the days of crappy vis, rough weather and no fish worthwhile. I love shooting that one wily little fish that tastes really good and figuring him out. This past year visiting Oz when Tim and Chris took me out I had the best time shooting Snappers. Having only seen small ones in the past and never ones worth pulling the trigger on it was so much fun spending the morning figuring them out. Everything I hear and read and see I try to put together to use the next time I am in the water. There are so many similar fish throughout the world and figuring out which tactics will work where and when to make your day successful are a blast. That day I landed my first, second and third Snappers and while not huge they were so much fun to hunt and outsmart and even better on the table afterwards. The people you meet in this sport are classic. For as small as we are we are really a good group of guys and I have spent so many nights on so many friends couches around the world and gotten to dive so many cool new spots with them and on my own. We are a competitive yet tight group and there are few sports where you constantly have to look out for the life of your buddy beside you. It is that bond that brings us closer together and makes spearos such a bunch of fanatical, interesting, outgoing and quirky group all at the same time. Equipment I really enjoy using the gear that I have had a part in designing as it makes me feel like I am producing exactly what I want to have in the water and putting it to use to make sure it is what we want to be putting on the market so that spearo's have only the hardiest gear. Spearguns: My weapons of choice are the 120 and 130 Euro's rigged with single flopper shafts and a slip tip for Tuna's. I like hunting the medium size tunas with the Euro spearguns and teaching myself to be more and more patient to shoot them at very close range as it is really rewarding to have them up close and personal. The 120 with a reel is so versatile and powerful I have probably shot more quality fish with it in the past 3 years than any speargun I've ever owned. It is tough and maneuverable and accurate and as with all my Riffe spearguns I don't even have to aim I know it is going where I point it. Naida Amber lens mask. Everything is clearer. Low volume and the Amber lens brings out the details of the fish I am looking for so much better than a normal lens. Cryptic Green Camo. I think this is the first suit designed for green water which is what we are diving in 50% of the time so I want something that is going to allow me to fade into the distance when fish are looking to the side and up at me. We spend so much time on the surface and in mid water I want them to be curious enough to come close while not being able to tell how big I am. The Cryptic camo is almost like a mirage when you are looking at it under water. I'm in love with this camo and feel invisible when I have it on. The Spearfisherman Knife: There is nothing better than the serrated edge on this knife for cutting burley, shooting line or cable. The shape of the blade is perfect for killing fish as well and the blade and handle are well balanced so that I have something that fits well in my hand that I can hold on to but isn't bulky. One of my favorite things I like about it is being able to wear it on my belt in the front and with the Deluxe strap on the handle looped around underneath the sheath, I can grab the knife with either hand and simply pull up and the sheath will bend upwards releasing the knife in an emergency. Having been wrapped up in my bungey and pulled down by a big shark that took a fish this past year I can say that it is a lifesaver when within second I had pulled it out with my opposite hand and cut through the thick bungey in an instant letting me return to the surface. Conclusion There are dozens of accurate spearguns on the market and plenty of companies that are making gear. I like knowing that when I go on a trip I don't have to worry about my gear breaking and having to scramble and try to fix a little plastic piece that was probably pointless anyways. I like seeing new and better gear each year and a company that actually listens the industry and stays ahead of the curve instead of looking like 10 other companies with nothing but a different name and paint job to separate their products. I am hard on gear and always have been, I don't like to do maintenance on them or have to baby them. The gear is meant to be used and abused and it still holds up. My usual routine has me diving and throwing my spearguns and gear into their bags more often than not without even cleaning them with fresh water, driving or flying to the next destination a few days later and pulling it all out again to repeat. I never have any problems and while everyone is setting up their gear and untangling their mess of float lines I am secure in knowing that my gear is ready to go and will out perform anything else on the boat. Having that confidence before you enter the water every time already sets you ahead of the rest. There is nothing better than confidence in your equipment as it equates directly to confidence in the water and with that combination you can feel like every day you will be ready to land the fish of your life when the opportunity presents itself. When I was 13 years old I started saving up to buy a Riffe speargun and at age 15 received a Hawaiian. Within the first week I was in the water and landed my first open water fish a 50 lb Cobia and 20 lb dolphin and haven't looked back since. When I was 20 years old that speargun was run over by a boat and the end of the muzzle was chopped off and I was devastated. I sent it back with a few pictures and a letter to Riffe and within a few weeks received it back in the mail with a hand written letter from Julie and Jay Riffe explaining how they had reinforced and repaired it and appreciated the continued support. I was flattered that a big company would even take the time to put in the effort to fix something like that and like that they really paid attention to the every day spearo which is really what matters. I was hooked from then on and have always wanted to be a part of such a quality weapon maker. I'd like to see some different gloves, a 1.5 mil Camo suit for the summer, some carbon or composite fins and a big enclosed track speargun in the size range of the Bluewater and Island. Other than that I' don't have any real complaints. I am excited to try out the new reel and other products with each new season .
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