JOHN DORNELLAS

I have many. But I might as well give some credit to my late brother, Michael.

Michael called me one time after he'd been in recovery from heroin addiction for about a year. He was finding his passion for the natural world again, especially in regards to being underwater. At the time, I was so focused on teaching, "guiding" spearfishing trips and writing articles that an almost imperceptible stress had tainted my love for spearfishing.

I picked up the phone when I saw Michael was calling. "Hey man!" I said. He immediately got to the point by responding: "Dude, I just got done diving with bull sharks. It was so awesome. Hey, have you ever just floated at the surface breathing and moved your hands through the water, feeling the water move through your fingers and the light dance on your hands? Just being there, in the moment?"

I contemplated for a second then replied: "Man, you know what? I don't think I've just enjoyed the moment for quite a while. I think I've been too distracted, too focused on trying to accomplish something every time I dive to enjoy little moments like that".

I took that phone call to heart. I try to relinquish my desires for success before every dive. I try my very best to enjoy little moments, be present and care less about the outcome of the hunt. I find that the less I try to force my will into existence, the more I enjoy myself in the water. The byproduct of being more present in the small moments is that my whole demeanor in the water changes and becomes less forced, less threatening. Often, when I'm in that "zone", the fish swim right to me.

Describe your favorite marine species and what makes them special.

I've had plenty of terrifying experiences with sharks, but I sure think they're awesome. I absolutely love freediving with bullsharks and great hammerheads.

Whales take the cake though. I had a sperm whale come to me in the Azores one time and holy crap it was epic. I recently had another experience though that might be my pinnacle underwater encounter.

I was spearing out of Homer, Alaska with some buddies this summer and had a whole pod of orcas come check us out. We could see their dorsal fins from the surface. They turned at us and I knew they were aware of our presence in the water. My heart was in my throat, but I figured I might as well dive to the bottom if they were coming at us anyways. I hit the bottom just as a 35' male resident orca (fish eating orca) blasted past me, rotating upside-down. He was so close his pectoral fin passed over my head. He and the rest of the pod were rubbing against the gravel and stones on the bottom (exfoliating some researches say). They passed all around us, making eye contact. It was immensely slate-cleaning for me. As soon as that huge male swam past, all of my fears left, making way for total elation. A sense of peace, calm and joy overcame me and stayed with me for days. I've been in the water with countless shark species, whales, seals, sea lions etc, but the orca is at the top of my list. They are such powerful animals, perfect hunters and scarily intelligent.

Are there any misconceptions about spearfishing/freediving that you’d like to address?

Absolutely. The loudest folks on social media aren't always the best representatives of how the rest of us think. I would say the vast majority of seasoned underwater hunters are those who honor their kills, check their egos and make sure their intentions are pure before they pull the trigger. Killing is a small part of the hunting process, but it carries with it a large weight. When the dust settles after a good fight with a fish, there is respect, sadness, joy and gratitude that permeates the space between the hunter and the prey. That moment is heavy and beautiful all at once.

 

How has spearfishing/freediving impacted other aspects of your life, such as your mindset, relationships, or personal development?

Freediving in any form gives such a unique opportunity to place trust in others. We trust ourselves to be there for our buddies and our buddies to be there for us. We share in each others successes and failures. That kind of kinship is rare. Some of my closest friends are those I've speared with. We sometimes differ in our opinions and beliefs, but we trust each other and we rejoice when the other person rejoices. When one mourns, we mourn together. The last few years have been brutal for me in terms of loss. The people that ached with me the most, who supported me and my family the most were also my most trusted dive buddies. I've learned a lot about showing support for my fellow man and being willing to be supported through this sport.

 

Can you recommend any resources or tips for someone interested in getting started with spearfishing/freediving?

Take a Level 1 FII freediving course and let that be the foundation for any other future pursuits in freediving or spearfishing.

Choose dive buddies wisely. Make sure they know the same rescues and safety knowledge.

Don't give in to hype, fads or ego. Stay true and pure in your intents when hunting.

If you're worried about the GoPro on your head recording, you're missing out on the moment. Savor it. By all means, take some cool videos here and there, but don't let anything taint how incredibly lucky you are to be in the water doing what we do.

Be willing to NOT take the shot if it doesn't feel right. When the shot is right, you'll know it, but don't rush it. Give a half-second to narrow the focus of your shot to an exact point on the fish.

What future goals or aspirations do you have related to spearfishing/freediving? What do you hope to achieve within the community?

At this point in my life, I find such joy in making sure my family is eating healthy proteins that I have harvested myself. I can see the benefits in the health of my children and I want to use hunting of all kinds to provide for their nutritional needs.

I also have found tremendous purpose in teaching others freediving and spearfishing, especially when human resiliency and mental health are concerned. I wrote a curriculum using breath-holding called Wolf Walk that helps people (myself included) identify thought patterns caused by the fight/flight system. Once identified, these thoughts, resultant negative emotional states and subsequent compulsive tendencies are able to be overcome with various higher-functioning brain practices and meditations all while under breath hold. Ive had numerous letters and testimonials sent to me by people struggling with addiction, PTSD, marital conflicts, obesity and several SOF individuals who have made positive changes in their lives after participating in Wolf Walk. I plan on continuing with it and helping as many people as I can. I have a book coming out as well.

What is your go-to RIFFE set up and why?

My go-to gun for the majority of my diving is the Marauder. It's such an incredible, versatile gun that delivers accuracy, power and ease of handling. All of my Marauders are set up with a reel, double flopper 8mm shafts and three 5/8 bands. My Marauder 63 set up like that has never lost a wahoo screaming away once the shot was placed. Likewise, my Marauder 47 has never had a halibut come loose, even with a couple just under 150 pounds. They fight like freight trains, but goodness, that 47 delivers every time.

The rest of my essential gear is as follows: Wrangler double serrated knife, Nekton clear mask (no matter what kind of conditions I dive in: Always clear lenses), the good old J snorkel and the Vortex camo suit.

Why choose RIFFE?

The ingenuity but adherence to proven methodology had kept RIFFE at the top for a reason. The guns work. They’re accurate, reliable, last a lifetime if maintained and are beautiful. All gear created by RIFFE goes through years of research and development before being released.

When a certain product needs improvement, the suggestions for improvement come directly from the incredibly talented divers on the RIFFE team and are implemented by designers and engineers at the factory. Often team members are present at the factory so the creative process is uninhibited. I find this process so empowering. I love being part of it.

 RIFFE doesn’t follow trends because they’re trendy. RIFFE keeps what works, discards what doesn’t and creates more efficient ways of pursuing the craft of spearfishing with the best materials available.

Anything else you would like to let the world know?

Love you Jay. I’m thankful for the tremendous impact you’ve made on the spearfishing world and on the divers in it. Thank you. We miss you.