Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament - Destin, FL - 2023

The Emerald Coast Open (ECO) is the largest lionfish tournament in the world! In 2019, ECO had 189 participants and removed 19,167 lionfish throughout the tournament - 14,119 in 3 days! ECO gave away $48,000 in cash prizes, and over $10,000 in gear prizes. As you'll see, in 2023, the 144 participants broke all those records, including sharing in what is now close to $100,000 in cash & prizes!!!
I had the privilege to be a part of a team named after a good friend's, and spearfishing mentor's boat, the Reel Easy. That name goes back to a time he still used to fish a lot from the surface with a rod and reel. Now, John is known within our spearfishing circle as the "Guru!" The other two members of team were for the second year in a row, Nate and Austin. Two excellent divers and also very accomplished spear fisherman!
You can learn more about the Emerald Coast Open at emeraldcoastopen.com and make your plans to participate in 2024! Also, visit www.destinfwb.com to learn more about visiting the Destin/Fort Walton Beach coast, and coordinates for all Okaloosa County artificial reefs can be found at www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco....
How I made my Lionfish container: • Making a Lionfish Cont...

[@Dee-ye2dk]

Good! Keep out native fish life intact. Keep up the hard work!

[@jimmyratliff8750]

Glad to see you back in the water.

[@WesRatliffADV]

We definitely had a longer stretch than normal during the winter months when diving conditions in our area where not very good. Plus the fact that none of the fish we prefer to target had open seasons this winter. Some years they may open AJ or Trigger in January. Trigger did open in March this year, but with the bag limit at only one now, it isn't enough to draw some of my boat owner friends to go out in the cold! lol

[@karendegeyter2937]

Love seeing Lion fish. I enjoy the video. But why you made it faster when yall was catching them I would loved to see the full version. Thanks Mr. Wes for sharing with us.

[@WesRatliffADV]

I speed those sections up to show the reality of just how many there can be, but to try and retain the majority of viewers that have shorter attention spans and would then miss the remaining content. I'm glad you would enjoy seeing the full content at the actual speed, so I apologize for taking that away from you! I'll try to include some of that in future videos! ;-)

[@emperorgluteusmaximus7069]

Wes has lots of other videos that show more real-time taking of the Lionfish. It DOES get a bit repetitive even though I love each of his dives. After 17 years of commercial diving for tropicals in So. Florida, I miss diving something awful!

[@dedenreview1599]

Thank you so much for saving the ocean❤

[@troybrown5649]

Very nice video. What is the underwater camera you were using ?

[@WesRatliffADV]

Thanks! GoPro 7 Black

[@Alex90210alex]

Wow that’s like 10k fish and they’re still going strong

[@batottahell1]

Someday I will get down there to compete.

[@philg2415]

2,898 fish Deepwater Mafia, 1St place. wow. i assume no cheating there.

[@steveo3831]

Just get the lion fish. Nothing else

[@magnumxlpi]

That's the whole idea......

[@barrajr7]

Great job against Lion fish...However, is it not forbiden spear fishing with tanks? In Europe it is... too easy and harmfull if everybody does it..

[@WesRatliffADV]

Spearfishing on scuba is restricted in some areas, such as in some areas of the Florida Keys, but that is rare in the USA. The fishing seasons are pretty strictly managed and enforced, so I suppose that is the way it is managed over here.

[@magnumxlpi]

The US is nearly the size of Europe with less than half the population and more than double the length of coastline