Tim McGraw is a man that needs no introduction.
The dude who sang the smash hits I Like It, I Love It, Where The Green Grass Grows, Something Like That, Just To See You Smile, and The Cowboy In Me (just to name a few) is undoubtedly one of country music’s true kings.
That status is obviously further cemented by his marriage to one of the queens of ’90s country music herself, Faith Hill.
If you want to believe in true love, just watch them duet the song It’s Your Love.
But just like Roger Creager once famously sang, love ain’t what this blog is about. Candlelight ain’t what I’m in the mood for now. I don’t need a metaphor to help me get this out… So I’ll just say it:
Tim McGraw has also become one of the spearfishing world’s true kings.
McGraw and Hill both spend a lot of time in the Bahamas (although their house is for sale now), because why wouldn’t you if you can afford it?
Tim doesn’t just lounge around sipping Mai Tai’s in a hammock on the beach though. He’s gone full send on one of the most intensely wild activities in the great outdoors… Freedive spearfishing.
Tim McGraw spearing fish has become one of the annual rites of late spring. A sure-fire sign that summer is almost here, just like spring turkey hunting season and the largemouth bass spawn. He was so excited to get back out there that he even started the countdown to his ensuing summer spearfishing escapades back in Mid-March.
“Summer is coming! Can’t wait to get under the water!”
While he could just as easily haul in some fish with a rod and reel like most post people, Tim McGraw is not most people.
He has committed himself to the adrenaline rush and adventure that comes with underwater freediving and spearing his fish with a harpoon gun. It’s a similar hunting tactic to what you have may have seen from herons, the notorious fish spearing water birds.
Instead of stalking his fish through shallow water like a heron though, McGraw’s crazy-ass prefers to go find his fish by swimming down to depths of the ocean that most people will never experience. Making it even more insane is that freediving is done without a scuba tank since they are prohibited to use while spearfishing in most instances.
His success in finding fish with the tip of his spear means that McGraw has perfected the art of equalizing, which is a diving concept that involves regulating the pressure in your middle ear. The technique is fairly simple and straightforward, especially if you’ve ever flown on an airplane and started to feel that pressure building up in your ears. To equalize, free divers close their nostrils and blow gently until you feel a popping sensation. Just be careful not to blow too hard as you can cause damage to your eardrums.
Once a freediver has equalized, they’re capable of holding their breath for abnormally long periods of time and descending to incredible depths. McGraw is no exception, as he plunged down deep to spear a hogfish just last week. Hogfish are one of the most widespread species of fish in the world, ranging from Canada all the way down through the Gulf of Mexico and into northern South America.
“Nice hogfish. Pole spear free dive shot at 44 feet down.”
Just a few days ago, he again went out under the water looking for fish. This time spearing an absolute thumper of a wahoo.
Known for their speed through the water, wahoo are also one of the finest eating species of fish in the tropics. In fact, they’re one of the priciest fillets on the commercial market too, so you know Tim was eatin’ good after his latest adventure.
“Another great day out on the water… got a wahoo!”
McGraw knows that the spearfishing opportunities he’s grown to love would not be possible without sound environmental stewardship.
Last summer he used his platform to raise awareness for World Ocean Day by emphasizing the importance of responsible fishing and mitigating plastic pollution in the sea.
“Today is World Oceans Day! Let’s work together to keep it healthy!”
If you’re interested in learning how to spearfish, you can either get started by reading over this article titled “5 Things To Know About Spearfishing For Beginners” courtesy of Spearfishing Today, or you can purchase Tim and Faith’s private island in the Bahamas for $35 million to ensure that you have access to a place to go spearfishing.
Although, there might be some cheaper ways to get started…
