USOA Nationals: Team Surffur wins

Sixty six divers across 34 teams gathered at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Arizona, to compete in the Underwater Society of America USOA National Freshwater Spearfishing Championship. This one-day tournament ran six hours, targeting Striped Bass (3 pts), Shad (1 pt), and invasive Carp (1 pt). Conditions were ideal—clear water, sunny skies, and no wind—setting the stage for some of the year’s top diving performances. At the 2025 USA Freshwater Nationals over 1,300 invasive carps and shads, along with 104 striped basses, were removed from the lake. All are considered invasive species. The bass were eaten, shad sent to an alligator farm, and carp turned into fertilizer.

This year’s USOA National Spearfishing Tournament successfully combined fierce competition, a strong community vibe, and an environmental mission to reduce invasive species in Lake Pleasant. The atmosphere was electric at the weigh-in, as teams celebrated each other’s successes. Among the standout performances was Spencer Vivian of Team Surffur. He took first place in the Men’s Individual Division with 104 points, helping secure Team Surffur’s win alongside teammate Kelston McGuire.

Spencer Vivian’s Road to Redemption

I competed at Lake Pleasant in 2021 for Freshwater Nationals, and placed third with my partner. However, Kelston won individually with 147 fish, while I only managed around 100. At the time, I felt I’ had ‘d let the team down. This was my chance to make it right.
After work Friday, I packed my truck with gear for two and left at 6 p.m., towing the boat for a 6.5-hour drive to Flagstaff. Three hours in, I hit a snowstorm. Visibility dropped to whiteout conditions. After 45 tense minutes, the roads cleared. I parked in a Safeway lot at midnight and slept in the boat’s cabin. It was -8°C (18°F) when I woke up—shorts and a T-shirt were a terrible choice. Thankfully, it was only two more hours to warmer weather at the lake.

Days of preparation

I arrived about four hours before Mike McGuire, who I’d be helping set up camp and scouing. I set up camp solo, then joined him to scout the 190 km (118 miles) of shoreline. We both had head colds, so we stayed out of the water that day.

Sunday, still under the weather, we joined Mike Van Haele in the water while McGuire captained. By noon, Van Haele was done, so I continued solo. We noticed carp congregating along an eastern wall. Mike Ban and Dennis Haussler were seeing the same pattern. My sinuses were bloody by day’s end, but I was more confident.

Monday, we were all back in the water, scouting more shoreline. Unlike Lake Geneva last year, this event had no secret spots. Success would come from finding productive areas with fewer divers. Getting there first wasn’t everything; I didn’t want to be boxed in.

Tuesday, Kelston and I scouted my best spots. He only had two full days, so we made them count. We planned Thursday as a rest and gear-prep day. Rising water temperatures (0.5–1°C daily) meant fish were constantly shifting.

 

Wednesday, we checked our best zones during competition hours. After 2 p.m., fish moved deeper. By the end of the day, we had two top areas selected. Thursday, we prepped in Jennifer Lim’s air-conditioned camper—crucial, as temps hit nearly 38°C (100°F). Frank, our boat captain, arrived. A local with no spearfishing experience, I found him through a public forum. He came through big time. That night, we finalized gear by 9 p.m. Despite last-minute issues—Kelston had neglected his gun—we were ready.

Tournament day

I woke up before my 5:15 a.m. alarm. Camp came down, suits went on, and we lined up behind the other boats. My weight belt broke, so I stuffed extra weights into my wetsuit. At the horn, we sped toward our top spot—but it was crowded. We pivoted and reached our alternate zone among the first. By 8 a.m., Kelston was diving. I moved to a nearby wall. Carp were everywhere at 2.7 m (9 ft). I quickly shot 25–30 fish. My stringer became camo, helping me shoot more. Visibility was poor (1.5 m/5 ft), but the spot was productive. In the second hour, things slowed. I moved to a mixed-terrain zone about the size of a football field. Staying in the water seemed better than relocating. As the sun rose, fish moved deeper (4–6 m/14–20 ft). Visibility improved to 4.5 m (15 ft). I saw stripers and used sound to attract one. But my dyneema line broke, and my mono line unraveled. I switched to my backup 70 cm gun, then took a break to re-rig my main one—ten minutes lost.

Unforgettable finish

I spent the final hours zigzagging between 4.5 and 14 m (15–45 ft), picking off fish. Boats dropped divers nearby—everyone was pushing hard. At 1:50 p.m., Kelston and Frank arrived. I wrapped up a few last dives, landing another striper and finishing by 1:58. After 217 dives and nearly three hours underwater, I was spent. I had nine stripers. Kelston had one. It was going to be close. At the ramp, we gathered for weigh-in. Hauling carp in trash cans is no joke. Kelston went first: 64 carp, 1 striper = 67 points. Then me: 9 stripers (27 points) and 77 carp—104 points total! I had the top score. Only one diver left to weigh in—the same one who beat me by two ounces last year. While he weighed in, I cleaned up and hit the showers. The awards banquet is always a favorite—great food and better company. When I returned, people were already congratulating me. I pushed to the scoreboard. There it was: 1st place team and 1st place individual! Ritchie Zacker (TGO) was 2nd (89 points), Mike Livingston 3rd (79), Nick Bailey 4th (72), and Kelston took 5th with 67—giving us a 28-point lead over 2nd place Team Redtide.

Seeing the Churchill Trophy in person was unforgettable. Past champions and AOY recipients were there. Dennis Haussler shook my hand and said, “Welcome to the club, champ.” I was speechless. Huge thanks to Surf-Fur for sponsoring us and to everyone who made this event possible. The spearfishing community is something special. I’m proud to be part of it—and I can’t wait for the next one.

 

Official Tournament Results

Men’s Individual – Top 5
1st – Spencer Vivian / Team Surffur – 104 pts
2nd – Ritchie Zacker / Team FSDA Red Tide – 89 pts
3rd – Mike Livingston / Team Salvimar – 79 pts
4th – Nick Bailey / Team Xhale – 72 pts
5th – Kelston McGuire / Team Surffur – 67 pts

Men’s Team – Top 5
1st – Team Surffur / Spencer Vivian & Kelston McGuire – 171 pts
2nd – Team FSDA Red Tide / Ritchie Zacker & G.R. Tarr – 143 pts
3rd – Team Salvimar / Mike Livingston & Kenneth Western – 142 pts
4th – Team Xhale / Nick Bailey & Ryan Myers – 136 pts
5th – Smokin Fish / Matt Warner & Mike Kennedy – 96 pts

Women’s Team – Top 3
1st – Team Speara Vida / Rosibel Molina & Melody Engle – 55 pts
2nd – Dive Like A Girl / Jess Price & Emily Darrow – 16 pts
3rd – Rocky Mountain Oyster Crushers / Liz Carpenter & Claire Strickland

Masters Individual – Top 5
1st – G.R. Tarr / Team FSDA Red Tide – 54 pts
2nd – Ken Lee / Team Makule – 42 pts
3rd – Mike McGuire / Team MAGA – 38 pts
4th – Gerald Lim / Team Makule – 28 pts
5th – Mike Van Haele / Team MAGA – 21 pts

Masters Team – Top 3
1st – Team Makule / Gerald Lim & Ken Lee – 70 pts
2nd – Team MAGA / Mike McGuire & Mike Van Haele – 59 pts
3rd – Carps and Stripers Forever / Brandi Easter & Anne Doherty – 18 pts

Mixed Team – Top 5
1st – Team VersaSpear / Ryan Peterson & Shelby Peterson – 119 pts
2nd – Team OceanAmmo / Anna Hilton & Paul Hamilton – 50 pts
3rd – Magic Fish / Seamus Culhane & Brittany Brockway – 34 pts
4th – High Altitude Aquanauts / Austin Rickard & Rodney Atkinson – 29 pts
5th – Team Laribee / Sierra Laribee & William Laribee – 9 pts