Sign up for the St. Pete Open spearfishing tournament!
Register here today for the August 15-17 St. Pete Open! Lots of prizes and one of the largest spearfishing tournaments in the world! The St. Pete Open started in 1956 and draws more than 6,000 people annually with shooters from all over Florida and beyond. Not a pro spearfisherman? Don’t sweat it, this is fun family-friendly event with shooters of all skill levels. To register, click here.
Schedule:
Kickoff Party
Friday July 18, 2014
7:30pm at Ferg’s Sports Bar
Register Early !!!
All Events Aug 15-17 (below)
Held @ Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove
6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane,
St. Petersburg, FL
Friday Aug 15th :
Registration at Pool Area 6-8:30pm
MANDATORY Captain’s Meeting 8:30pm
This is where everyone meets to hear the final rule changes and other information. After this meeting the tournament starts at one minute past midnight at 12:01am Saturday morning, no fish can be shot before this time. One registered paid shooter from each boat or team needs to attend this meeting.
Saturday Aug 16th :
Tournament Ends 7:30pm
At least one member from your team must be in weigh-in line with their entire team’s catch before 7:30pm.
Fish must be gutted and properly iced by this time, no cleaning fish at the resort location.
This the the big party! There will be food and drinks and a beer truck to ensure that everyone is well hydrated. Sponsors will be on site with displays and there may be charities accepting donations of fish, making t-shirts, doing fish-rub (gyotaku) artwork, and much more.
Sunday Aug 17th :
Awards Ceremony 10am – 2pm
Everyone who weighs a fish in the tournament on Saturday wins a prize on Sunday! Come out for coffee and breakfast snacks to see who won big! Shooters will be called to come up and choose their prize from the biggest prize table in spearfishing! The “mystery tickets” given to each shooter will be called out during the ceremony at random times and winners get to pick from the huge prize table. Bar opens at 11am per local laws.
The awards ceremnony is held inside the resort building, rain or shine.
Tournament Rules
For a list of the tournament rules, click here.
The History
In l966, 50 divers entered the first ever St. Pete Open. Since its inception, the Open has grown to an annual attendance of more than 300 competitors! More than 6,000 people, spanning the last 40 years have taken part in the St. Pete Open; making it the premier spearfishing event in the world. No tournament consistently draws such a huge following as the St. Pete Open, hosted annually by The St. Pete Underwater Club (SPUC). Each year, the tournament is expected to set several new records, including attendance, prize value, and the number of great sponsors who make it all possible.