J.T. Thompson was spearfishing while diving about 17 miles off the coast of Orange Beach, Alabama and he was totally hooked…literally.
Thompson spoke with local news station WRIC.
“We had a snapper on a spear and myself on a hook,” he joked. “I felt my neck jerk and immediately grabbed to see what it was. I knew exactly what it was.”
(Courtesy of J.T. Thompson)
Thompson pulled a circle hook from his neck.
Thompson did everything by the book, making sure to put his dive flag up so others know there are divers in the water. But that didn’t seem to matter!
“We were actually the only boat when we pulled up and put our dive flag up. Everything by the book,” Thompson said. “Had two other boats come up as we were sitting there and essentially told us they were going to wait. We were going to go down and do our thing and they would drop afterwards.”
Thompson was 100 feet down when he got hooked, and it wasn’t only in his neck. There were circle hooks in his hand and in his scuba gear. When he removed one of the hooks, it hooked the hose to his regulator and pulled it from his mouth. Meanwhile, he was steadily being pulled to the surface.
“I’ve caught many fish but never planned on getting caught,” Thompson said. “But I can say I know how it feels.”