We take a look at yet another 24-hour tournament, The 2021 Annual Swordfish Cup. Established in 2019, the tourney is the brainchild of Robert (The Fly) Navarro, the man behind the annual Blue Marlin World Cup. Although not quite as popular yet, the 2021 event attracted international anglers from all backgrounds to compete to land the largest swordfish over 200LB (90 kgs).
Swordfish Cup 2021
Putting together an event like this is difficult at the best of times, but this year was much more interesting. Robert, one of the biggest names in the international game fish tournament circuit, faced some serious challenges to make sure the 2021 event got off the ground. From language barriers, tournament rule compliance, certifying weighed fish, compounded by the restrictions centred around COVID-19, meant a lot of international boats tied up that would ordinarily be competing.
“The popularity of swordfish has exploded in recent years and this tournament is designed to showcase this incredible fishery to the world,”
– Says Robert “FLY” Navarro, President, FLY ZONE FISHING
For the 3rd Annual Swordfish Cup, teams from the ports of New Zealand, Grand Caymans, Mexico and the USA participated in the event. Despite the limited number of competing teams, the tournament turned out to be just as challenging, as only one team made it to the weigh station with a fish over 200LB.
Emerging as the 2021 champions was Team Defiance, a group of anglers from New Zealand. The winning captain was Guy Sutherland who partnered with renowned kiwi angler Greg Haliday. The experienced partnership were able to secure the top spot with a 318 pound (144 kg) broadbill, winning the tournament two years running.
Team Defiance also took out the 2020 cup with a 357lb (162 kgs) fish, pipping Team Nautilus from Cancun at the post. The latter losing a 400lb (182 kgs) fish next to the boat after a lengthy fight.
Joining the Swordfish Cup
The Swordfish Cup runs annually at the end of July. The innaugural 2019 competition attracted 23 boats from around the globe with the Dominican team “Dulce Coco” snagging gold with a 321-pound (146 kgs) swordfish. They beat four other teams that weighed in swordfish between 190lb to 290lb (86 – 132 kgs).
Like the Blue Marlin World Cup, the Swordfish Cup requires an entry fee. The fee amounts to $1,500 per team, and the winning team is guaranteed a payout of 80 percent of the total entries for the heaviest fish landed over the 200-pound minimum weight.
The tournament allows all line classes, but restricts gear to only conventional rod and reel, including electric reels mounted on rods, but excludes hydraulic reels. As for the weigh in, all fish must be weighed in on IGFA certified scales.
Continuous video verification of the gaffing and boating of the fish along with a GPS date and time stamp are required to prove the fish was caught during tournament hours. A polygraph test may also be required from the winning angler and/or team member to ensure compliance.
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The Future of the Annual Swordfish Cup
With three successful tournaments completed, the Annual Swordfish Cup is slowly but surely gaining popularity and definitely a tourney worth adding to your 2022 fishing calendar. Who knows, next year we may see a few Aussie teams enter. With spectacular swordfish grounds located off Australia’s east coast, as well as our tropical base in Vanuatu, I know Team OceanBlue will be there.
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