The stories that follow come straight from the decks of the boats that rose to the challenge in 2025 — tales of grit, camaraderie, and the sheer thrill of marlin on the line.
Tonight, as we gather for the opening function, may these memories fire up every angler heading out to sea this year. The ocean is waiting, and so are the stories yet to be written.

Team Indigo, caught the first marlin of the competition and were the second prize winners.
Monday 3 March 2025
Chasing Dreams: My Journey in the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament By Peté (Jannie) Kotze

For six years, I have attempted to catch my first marlin in the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. Would 2025 be the year my unfulfilled dream comes true?
Above all, I participate in this tournament for the fun and camaraderie, yet the desire to catch the elusive fish remains strong. Last year, I almost caught one, but it got away, and the sting of losing it was still sorely felt, especially as the crew did not let me forget it!
On the first fishing day of the tournament, we were finalizing the Cona position when the back-line went off. The skipper spotted a single working bird, and putting our lines out early paid off. We were close to the 45s, a bank 45 miles due south of Struisbaai. We got distracted on the way with a good-sized dorado at Halfway House, not expecting a strike just then.
We were unsure. It was too soon, and the pull was not so strong. Then the 80’ ‘Alutecnos started shrieking, and we were in business. What followed were majestic aerial displays, excitement, anxiety, and adrenaline, all keeping me fighting through the deep burn in my arms! May this be my first TOMT marlin, I prayed! Don’t let this be a repeat of last year’s loss! The fear of a recurrence kept me going.

The forty-nine minutes felt like an eternity. At last, Werner pulled in the leader. However, this black marlin had the final say. It kicked under the boat before we could properly remove the hooks. It swam off in the wake, released by the engine, still towing our precious pink and blue Cona!

My marlin bogey is off my back, but I already dream of the next and the next marlin. “Is this normal?” my wife asked. I nodded affirmatively.
My heartfelt thanks to my Indigo crew mates, Gawie (skipper), Werner, Lourens, and Craig. This one is for our dear friend Eugene, who passed away suddenly in January. His spirit was with us all the way on the boat.

For a boat to get one of the mighty marlin is amazing but getting two in the same competition is just the cherry on top! Team Dory, won first prize for measuring and releasing two marlin.

Tuesday 4 March 2025
Dory’s First Marlin of the Tournament By Andrew Davidson
On the 4th of March 2025, Dory left Struisbaai harbour at around 06:50 and headed out to the Halfway House area. This is a well-known fishing spot en route to the famous Alphard Banks, about 40 nautical miles east of Struisbaai.
Sea conditions were close to perfect, with a light swell and nearly no wind. Upon reaching the area, the team had their coffee and a light breakfast.
We had just started trawling and settling down for the day’s fishing, talking about how fortunate we are to have been a crew for the past nine years, when we saw a black marlin coming from the port side.

It hit the short cona, then immediately moved to the starboard side long cona, striking it as well. The marlin then struck the long port side cona and moved away. During this, we continued trawling at about 8.5 knots, hoping to go “vas,” but it did not happen. The entire crew was happy to have had these strikes, but the marlin was not on yet.
We all thought the marlin had left us when the “Hongkong” cona was struck with a huge hit by the marlin.  It was game on. I was on the rod and got into the fighting chair, and the fight started. We had the privilege to view a black marlin jumping out of the water and giving us an unforgettable show of its power and survival skills. The fish was about 350 meters from the boat at the back, fighting me with all its power to escape and get the cona out of its mouth.
After about 30 minutes, I retrieved most of the line the marlin took and we could see it behind our boat. My thoughts were that the fight was over, but the marlin had other ideas. As I got the marlin closer to the boat, it decided to take a deep dive straight down into the sea next to the boat. After taking line again, I managed to turn it around, and the retrieving process started again. This happened another two times before I managed to get the marlin next to the boat. Emile managed to get hold of the leader line and pulled the marlin alongside. Chris was the video operator, and Dudley kept the boat on course next to the marlin.
As the marlin was next to the boat, Emile and I managed to remove both hooks on the cona from its mouth without any injuries to the fish. The black marlin was measured, and according to the tape, it was about 181 kg. We released it in good condition. We watched it dive under our boat towards the starboard side, and we had the pleasure of seeing it swim away.

This was the second black marlin I have caught at a Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, but the feeling of absolute respect, power, and beauty of such a fish will never leave me. It is an indescribable feeling to have one of the fastest fish in the sea fighting you. The best feeling of catching marlin is releasing it and seeing the fish swim away uninjured and in good shape.

Thursday 6 March 2025
Dory’s Second Marlin of the Tournament By Chris Gillit

As a team we felt jubilant that Andrew (Davy), on Day 2 of the tournament had caught and released a 180kg Black Marlin. What were the chances that we could get a second one? 
Nobody had caught on Day three, but when Day Four greeted us with fantastic conditions, we decided to go to our old hunting ground, the 12-mile bank, where we have had great success in the past. We reached the 100m contour and found shoals of mackerel like never seen before. We were convinced there would be a marlin in the area.  With no luck by early afternoon, we decided to go shallower and work some structure.
This decision paid off!   At 14:00, the Japan elastic broke, but alas, there was no hookup. We continued trolling and could see a marlin lit up and following the Japan. After two passes, the Captain Morgan lure was engulfed, and we were on. This fish was angry and was jumping continuously as it headed for the horizon.
It was my turn in the chair. I have been trying for 14 years to catch a marlin and to say I was nervous is an understatement. My teammates were fantastic and with their encouragement, the fight began. Again, with an 80 wide nearly empty I knew this was going to be a tough task.

Fifty-five minutes later, we brought the fish to the leader. After a quick measurement, the tape showed she weighed around 220kg. We carefully removed the hooks and released her, watching as this magnificent fish swam gracefully away.

Call back the past is now over. Thanks for reading, and may the memories shared here set the stage for new awesome stories to be written in the days ahead. Tight lines to all the teams. May the weather Gods be kind, the sea generously provide the mighty marlin, and the camaraderie stay strong. Keep an eye on this space as we share each day of the Twentieth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament.