The Helldivers' Rodeo

An account of some of the wildest, most extreme sportsmen in recent memory, The Helldivers' Rodeo introduces a group of New Orleans scuba-diving clubs that dive from off-shore oil platforms in order to spear the giant fish that congregate around these artificial barrier reefs. Armed only with spear-guns, polyester dive-suits from the disco era, and a drunken sense of invulnerability, the members of different scuba/fishing clubs get together annually to compete. The winner, at the end of the week-long contest, will have bagged the biggest (and frequently deadliest) fish. Past winners include a 138 lb. amberjack fish speared by John Hagman in 1993; a 495 lb. sand tiger shark nailed by Stan Smith in '94; and a 127 lb. yellowfin tuna skewered by David Dauzat in '98.