The athlete
Diego Mazzocchi enters the Mares Pure Passion Team. He was born in Civitavecchia on February 2, 1987. His love for the sea and spearfishing has always been a defining part of his life. He entered competitive spearfishing in 2008 in the regional circuit, and by 2010, at just 23 years of age, he qualified for the Italian National Championships.
From that point, his career flourished with numerous national and international competitions, leading to multiple trophies and accomplishments. For three consecutive years, he participated in the “Talento Project,” an event organised by F.I.P.S.A.S (Italian Underwater Sports Federation) with the Italian Youth National Team. He became a part of the Omer/Sporasub team for 14 years.
Diego Mazzocchi has competed in 8 first-category championships, with a notable 5th place finish in 2018, and secured excellent placements in qualification championships, including a 3rd place in 2011. In 2020, he won the Italian Team Championship and claimed several trophies, such as the Isola d’Elba Trophy in 2014. He also participated in the DiveIn Cup in Croatia, a prestigious team competition, for two consecutive years, finishing 5th and 6th.
From 2018 to 2024 Diego Mazzocchi has been part of the “Club Azzurro”, the Italian National group of Athletes, and has represented the Italian national team as an assistant at the Euro-African Championships in Tunisia (2022) and Turkey (2024).
His usual fishing grounds are the northern Lazio and southern Tuscany areas, but over the years, he has fished all over Italy, particularly in Sardinia, and in more distant waters such as Greece, Spain, Mexico, and Madagascar, specifically in the Mozambique Channel.
In September 2024, Diego has joined the MARES Pure Passion team and will compete in the 2025 first-category Italian Championship, proudly representing this historic brand.
New brand and new products, the first impressions by Diego Mazzocchi
We have asked Diego Mazzocchi, as we are sure all of you want to know, his first impressions on the products of such an amazingly historic brand, which recently has shown renovated energy with great new products, among which 3 Best Choice by Apneapassion 2024 winners. These are the amazing Force pneumatic speargun, the EOS Pro torch and the Hydro backpack buoy…wow!
“Among all the equipment I’ve tested so far, the EOS Pro torch really stood out. It’s incredibly powerful and particularly easy to use, thanks to its sturdy and easily identifiable power button, which is simple to locate by touch during use. With its strong beam, it can illuminate even the deepest cracks, full of particles.
The X-WING C-S fins are also an excellent product. Besides their design, which I find really attractive, they feature a very comfortable foot pocket. At 60 cm in length, they’re not too long, which gives a sense of agility, allowing for quick direction changes on the seabed. I believe the medium stiffness is the perfect compromise between a fin that’s nimble for shallow water fishing and one suitable for deeper dives.
Recently, I also tested the Strike 100 cm speargun, equipped with double 14 mm bands and a 6.5 mm shaft. Right from the start, I had a good feeling with this speargun. The grip is comfortable, although the muzzle is a bit larger than what I’m used to, but during the test, I immediately caught two nice seabreams and a barracuda in shallow water. Later, I decided to test it on a more serious fish. Moving a few miles to a spot I know well, I found a grouper weighing about 4 kg, which I captured after a long ambush. The shot was powerful and precise, hitting the fish perfectly.“
Congratulations to Diego Mazzocchi from Apneapassion for entering the great Mares Pure Passion Team!!!