Spearing the World with Adventure Man Dan

Words by Levi 'Turbo' Brown

Have you ever dreamed of spearfishing around the world? Hopping from location to location chasing fish you've only dreamed about.  It's a mouth-watering prospect, isn't it? If you're anything like me you probably have a bucket list of fish rather than a bucket list of sights to see. For me, it's Hogfish in the Bahamas, big Snapper and Kingfish in New Zealand, the white muscle cracker in South Africa, and let's not forget the king of the jungle, the dog tooth tuna of New Caledonia. The list goes on and on and though I'd like to see Great Wall of China, I'd love to spear Fiji's the wall! Don't get me wrong, I've always liked travel; the food, the sights, the techno toilet that sprays high-pressure water at your date, are all great experiences but it always feels like the experience lacks something. A purpose for being there other than to be a tourist.

The problem is like everything in life it costs money, bummer! But not just money it costs time as well. Time away from your career, your family, your life. And that's why for most of us spearfishing around the world will always be just a dream. It will always remain a "what if". And if we're lucky we might squeeze a charter in once a year, if we're lucky. Enter Adventure Man Dan AKA Dan Byrne (he sounds like a summer T.V serial hero). Dan Byrne who henceforth will be referred to by his title as Adventure Man Dan or AMD is a twenty-something spearo from California that cast off the shackles of everyday life to pursue his dreams of hunting some of the world's most prized fish across four countries, and he did all this for less than the price of Shrek's yearly KFC bill and he's not even close to calling it quits (Shrek has by the way, I'm so proud).

For the past 12 months or so AMD has linked up with spearo's from the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He is the kind of guy that has looked for solutions rather than problems when contemplating traveling the world in search of great fish and thus has made the spearo's version of the Endless Summer a reality.  So how did he do it?

Dan modelling Barry Paxman’s iconic Bali Mask in Western Australia

The first thing Dan did was take advantage of the power of social media. Dan forged relationships with spearos in the area he was traveling too through facebook and forums. In our recent interview with Dan he explained the power of complimenting fish pics as a way of breaking the ice. And lets face it, who amongst us doesn't love it when someone compliments our catch. By making relationships with local spearo's Dan received invites to go spearfishing all across the world by local divers that know their waters better than anyone else. How good is that! and not just average spearos either but with guys like Barry Paxman and John Pengelly .

The other problem with extended travel is the cost of accommodation, something Dan says he spends very little money on. So how does he do it? Well other than staying with local spearos, Dan is a member of Couch Surfing, an online platform that allows travelers from all over the world find free accommodation in the area they are traveling to. And the best bit is, it's 100% free. Before Dan started his journey he acted as a host on the site to gain a rating so that people could see he was trustworthy as a guest, kind of like uber.

These are just a couple of Dan's strategies for making the ultimate world spearfishing trip a reality. Dan explained to us what gear he can and can't do without and how to maximise the dreaded baggage allowance. To listen to Dan's full story tune into the noob spearo podcast on itunes or listen via our blog. Dan continues you live his dream and you can follow him on facebook. He also tells us about his latest plans which you can be a part of.