His name is Paulo Afonso Melo and he is from Santo Amaro do Pico. His friends and followers have already become accustomed to his videos, recorded between shoals, as well as to his impressive spearfishing catches. In 2019, for example, the video of his encounter with a whale shark received national prominence.
In March 2021, the European Spearfishing Records Association confirmed yet another European record, for the 115 kilogram tuna (Thunnus albacares) he captured south of Pico.
Paulo Afonso is a true collector of world (four) and European spearfishing records. Therefore, he intends to continue expanding his list of trophies, even beating his own records a few times.
His expertise earned him recognition from Riffe International, a world-renowned American manufacturer of spearfishing and scuba diving equipment, by including him in his elite group and making him the only European to be sponsored by the brand. Açoriano Oriental wanted to get to know the diver who claims, without any doubt, that he belongs to the ocean.

You and the ocean are inseparable. Since when?
Since always. I have always felt a very strong attraction to the sea and I believe that forces like this one come from the cradle, they belong to us.

What about your relationship with spearfishing?
My father is a man of the sea, passionate about fishing. And my two older brothers practiced spearfishing. Even today, stories of their exploits are told. I grew up in this salty environment, on an island that allowed me to enjoy some freedom. The incredible histories and the beautiful fish that my father and my brothers brought from that mysterious sea left me in constant allure. To my eyes, they had superpowers and I wanted to be just like them.
I started by fishing with hook and line, but not in the conventional way. I did it in water. It was a huge advantage to be able to see and thus select which fish you wanted to try to catch. For me, that was the only way it made sense.
I spent most of my childhood with salty skin and purple lips. I was extremely curious and, as far as I can tell, dangerously courageous when it came to the sea. It took me no time until I was very comfortable in the water and started to venture a little further. The line car and the hook were no longer enough, I needed a weapon for those bigger fish. And my parents bought it. And the rest is history.

What kind of attachment is it? What do you feel when you are at sea?
This is a question to which I should have a prompt and concise answer, but I don't. I feel everything without feeling anything. It is a very genuine sense of belonging, a pure, effortless thing, with no imposition of commitment or interest. I am absolutely sure that the ocean is my place! Even on land, it is at sea that I am often.
My mind can speak quite loud at times, but when I'm immersed all voices are silent. The focus is total, and that is when I best recognize myself.
Your father, even at his age, is still a fisherman. You inherited that passion…

Do your children also feel that closeness, that call? Did you pass it on to their DNA?
I like to think so, that it is also in their blood! At least in their names the connection exists, as both have “Mar” ("Sea") as a middle name: Afonso Mar and Noah Mar. However, they are still very young and any conclusion can be precipitated, specially coming from me. But it is clear that they are very at ease in the water.
You are part of the Riffe Internacional team, a group of just 13 handpicked elements to represent the brand. How did the opportunity arise?
I joined the Riffe team in February 2015. It happened very naturally.
Alongside my evolution as a spear fisher, there was always the need to improve the quality of essential equipment. This became especially true when I started venturing to deeper waters, far from the protection of the coast, in search of bigger fish, much more powerful and hard to reach. It was essential to find equipment that was up to the challenge. It was then that I came across Riffe.
Riffe International, based in California, was founded by the legendary Mr. Jay Riffe and is, to this day, proudly managed by his family. It counts on more than 40 years of developing excellent equipment, based on the enormous experience of its founder and a whole team of sponsored athletes. At the moment, the brand works with 13 athletes from around the world. They are carefully chosen, not only for their abilities, but mainly for their ethical behavior.
This brand is renowned for manufacturing the best and most reliable spearfishing weapons on the market. That led me to purchase a Riffe weapon suited to my intentions and I was completely surrendered! The difference in the results I obtained from fishing with a Riffe weapon was clear. The quality of that product greatly increased my confidence, bringing out the best in my abilities.
It was then that I started exhibiting some of my catches and their stories on social media and in specialty magazines, through which I also followed some top spearfishing athletes, some of them sponsored by Riffe. I never dreamed that I, too, was being followed/observed by the Riffe family.
"Fish for the Future" is the Riffe International motto, a message based on a philosophy of ethics and conservationism in the practice of spearfishing. These are values that I firmly share, so the Riffe family thought that I would be a good addition to the team. The invitation was made official through a conference via Skype, in which all the members of the Riffe family were gathered. I would therefore become the first and only European athlete to be part of this group. A huge honor for me! It goes without saying that I accepted it without thinking.
I am a dreamer but not even in my wildest dreams would I imagine being a part of a group with such capable athletes, representing the most renowned spearfishing brand in the world.

You hold several European records and four world spearfishing records. You even broke two records that had been set by you. Is there a constant search for the largest specimen?
There is, in fact, a constant search for the greater adventure. Not exactly because of the record itself. That comes as a consequence and that is the part I value the least. Of course, recognition feeds my ego and gives me confidence... and, without confidence, I would never even consider trying to achieve some of the crazy things I set out to do. I think that my true impetus is in the pleasure taken from the challenge itself, in the emotion, the adrenalin that comes from trying.
Usually, people see only the final result, the photograph holding the fish, the record. Most people have no idea of the path to get there, to that moment when you take the picture.
Accepting that challenge, that dream, as possible is where it all starts. Then comes the choice to do it and the preparation of the equipment, the research, the study of habits and behaviors of each species. It is also necessary to keep your physical shape, to be very patient, stubborn, persistent, and, above all, extremely selective. More than 90 percent of the times I come from the sea with nothing and, normally, is not due to not seeing fish.
It is necessary to always be prepared for that right moment, but it is also imperative to accept the fact that that moment can take years to arrive. I am still waiting for some of those moments, but I am not just sitting around!
All of this may seem a bit unreasonable, but the sense of accomplishment that comes with reaching the goal makes it worth all the effort and sacrifice.

What record would you still like to see associated with your name?
There are a few that would have a very special flavor, but these are things that I keep for myself, I don't like to reveal. Maybe I am afraid of bad luck if I do.

Finally, are there good locations for spearfishing in Pico Island?
Yes. Fortunately, we can still find, around the island of Pico, as well as in the entire archipelago, very interesting spots with varied and very tasty fish.