Florida woman, 8 months pregnant, polespears fish for potential world record catch 

A mother-to-be has inspired women, fishing hobbyists and others after she polespeared a potential world record fish while freediving at eight months pregnant.

Julie Augustine, 40, of Destin, Florida, nailed a 37.6-pound black drum with her nine-foot Bermudian slip tip polespear on Oct. 1, 2022 — and now the catch is pending world record certification from the International Underwater Spearfishing Association.

"I've been approached by several individuals who recognize me," Augustine told Fox News Digital in a phone interview, "and they will come up and share how inspiring my story has been to them and how it's motivated them to get off the couch and do something that they wouldn't have normally done after reading what I was able to do while pregnant." 

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"It’s one of the most beautiful, special things to come out of this," she said.

Augustine, a physician assistant and Air Force veteran, began freediving after she took a free diver safety course in 2020 and earned her certification.

She said she eventually learned about polespear fishing from locals who spoke highly of the sport.

She didn't have the most outdoorsy background growing up, but Augustine said she was open to polespearing because she was looking for a watersport to help stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Augustine estimates that over the course of two years, she’s done four or five dozen free dives.

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During her pregnancy, she cut back on her dives as a precaution against sharks.

"During the warmer months, like in August, it gets quite sharky," Augustine said. "The bull sharks love to be around where people are fishing."

She said that the black drum she caught on Oct. 1 was the first time she'd been back in the water since her fifth month of pregnancy.

Augustine said she’s grateful to have learned how to free dive and polespear from experts who stressed the importance of safety, including proper breath hold and control, diving techniques, equipment familiarization and problem-solving.

"I'm just so very fortunate to live in one of the best places in the world, truly, to free dive and spearfish," Augustine said.

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When she goes on polespear fishing trips, Augustine wears a wetsuit, a weight belt, a set of fins, a mask and a snorkel. The equipment she uses includes her polespear, knife and belt reel.

Polespearing is one of the "more primitive" and "not as maneuverable" spearfishing methods, Augustine noted, when compared to spear guns.

"[Polespears are] exactly what you imagine [them] to be. You have bands that are released with a trigger pole," Augustine said. 

"On the polespear I use, you basically just have the three components, which is the spear tip, the shaft and then the band on the back," she continued. 

"The way you load it, you reach back, grab the band with one hand, and then you just pull up as far onto the shaft of the spear as you can, and all the ‘connect energy’ is stored within that band within your arm."

"You have to get a lot closer to what you're hunting to try to get a good shot," she added.

Catching fish with a polespear can attract sharks, which is why Augustine advises all spearfishers to dive with a buddy or crew who can be on the lookout for sea wildlife or other hazards.

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People who can dive 80 and 90 feet on a single breath hold tend to have access to more fish, according to Augustine. 

Identifying fish in accordance with local laws and environmental guidelines is another challenge that happens underwater, she noted.

"You just have to be very, very well-versed in the rules," Augustine said. 

"Some fish can look very similar, and some types are only available for hunting during a particular time of year during a particular season."

Though polespearing may require multitasking, Augustine said she views the sport as a form of self-care.

"When you actually spear the fish, of course, there's that adrenaline spike there. But, as far as freediving goes, you have to be in an almost meditative state where you're slowing down your breathing, and you're slowing down your heart rate," Augustine said.

"One of the best things that you can do in pregnancy is to de-stress and remain calm."

Augustine said she’s happy she’s been able to maintain a calm environment for her first baby, and she’s listened to her body and obstetrician.

"I'm very blessed to have this very healthy pregnancy up to this point," she said — adding that she hopes "it continues as such. I choose not to listen [to] or focus on any negativity."

She’d be open to polespearing with her son in the future, she said, when he’s old enough and has an interest in the sport, but she’d also support any other activity he wants to pursue.

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Augustine said she hopes women who read her story realize they don’t have to give up an opportunity or experience due to age or pregnancy.

The current world record for a black drum caught by a woman via sling or polespear is 36.3 pounds, according to the International Underwater Spearfishing Association’s current record database.

Augustine said she recently submitted her paperwork for world record consideration.

"You have to have different pictures, different testimony and different witnesses," Augustine explained. 

"You put together a package and then you submit it online. Once it's submitted, it's voted on by their board. If they need any clarifying information, they'll be back in touch with me," she added.

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"I'm not sure how long that process takes," she said. "It's in their hands now."

Fox News Digital reached out to the International Underwater Spearfishing Association for comment.

Astros complete sweep of Yankees, will face Phillies in World Series

The Houston Astros have owned the New York Yankees for years, and the American League Championship Series might have just been the most exact example of "big brother-little brother" in this rivalry.

The Astros completed their sweep of the Yankees with their 6-5 win on Sunday night.

The Astros will meet the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

Up 5-4, the Yankees got a tailor-made double play ball in the seventh to end the inning, but Gleyber Torres threw it wide of Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who didn’t take a great angle, either). And Houston took advantage. Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman had back-to-back RBI singles to tie and take the lead. The Astros bullpen shut it down from there.

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After struggling all series to get the offense going, the Yankees were desperate and got on the scoreboard early. Giancarlo Stanton and Torres hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Bombers a 2-0 lead in the first, and Anthony Rizzo added an RBI single in the second to make it a 3-0 lead.

But the Astros were quick to get back in the game though, as Jeremy Pena tied the game with a three-run home run. Nestor Cortes left the game with a left groin injury right after the home run (he had been checked on by a trainer in the at bat beforehand). Wandy Peralta was the first man out of the pen, but he allowed a double to Alvarez and an RBI single to Kyle Tucker that gave Houston a 4-3 lead.

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The Yanks weren’t dead, though, as Rizzo again hit an RBI single in the fourth to tie it up. In the sixth, noted power hitter Harrison Bader hit his fifth home run of the postseason (he had five in the 86 games he played in the regular season) to give New York a 5-4 lead.

But Bader's homer would be the last Yankee run scored of 2022.

At one point, the conversation was that the Yankees would be one of the best teams ever when they were on pace to shatter the 2001 Seattle Mariners' record 116 wins. Instead, it's another failure in the Bronx.

It is the second consecutive World Series appearance by the Astros, and their fourth in six seasons.

This is the Yankees' third elimination in the ALCS since 2017, all of which have come at the expense of the Astros.

Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 in the loss - he went 1-for-16 (.063) in the series, and 5-for-36 (.139) in the postseason, lowering his career postseason average to .211. This comes after he had one of the best offensive seasons of all time where he hit an AL record 62 home runs and hit .311, the second-best average in the American League.

It's understandable why Yankees fans hate the Astros - the sign-stealing scandal arguably robbed what seemed to be a destined Yankees team from a World Series in 2017. Plenty think Jose Altuve was wearing a wire in 2019.

But at this point, that hatred should now stem from jealousy - it's hard not to respect, and envy, the Astros for quite simply having the success every fanbase is jealous of.

Oh, and the Astros are 7-0 in this postseason.

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