Won with a one-pound fish.
Santa Barbara Freedivers held their 19th spearfishing tournament in low visibility and a bad wind forecast. Two fish weighed in. The winner went one pound.
Santa Barbara, CA · August 29, 2026 · Published
01 / The story
The Santa Barbara Freedivers held their 19th annual spearfishing tournament on Saturday, August 29, with about twenty divers. Visibility was six to twelve feet and the water was 72 to 74 degrees. A shaky wind forecast kept many boats on the mainland side.
Only two fish made it to the scale. Bradley won with a one-pound rockfish. Adam took second with a topsmelt of a little under a pound. The trophies were etched glass made by Tony Huerta, and Bradley, the winner, also designed the tournament shirt.
02 / The take
This is our favorite story of the issue, because it is honest. Spearfishing on a hard day looks like this: green water, short visibility, a long breath-hold and very little to show for it. The ocean decides. Everyone still showed up, and someone still won.
Look at the details: a hand-etched glass trophy, a shirt drawn by one of the divers and a winning fish you could hold in one hand. That is a culture made by its own people, for its own people, with no sponsor deck in sight.
03 / The thread
The diver who designs the tournament tee is the whole idea of DATWA in one sentence. The person in the water makes the art. Swim shorts dry on the walk back to the truck.