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local talent.

RICKY TISHLER: The Quiet Discipline of Spearfi shing
Ricky speaks about spearfishing the way some people describe meditation.

LIFE BENEATH “Freediving is silence,” he explains. “Spearing just gives the silence a
purpose.” There’s nothing impulsive about how he hunts. In the water, he

is relaxed, methodical, and grounded, the opposite of what most people

THE SURFACE imagine when they think of spearfishing.

Many assume spearfishing is extreme, but for Ricky it’s a practice of calm
and control: steady breathing, awareness of limits, respect for the ocean,
and trust in his dive partners. Each dive is deliberate: one diver down

in Port Douglas at a time, float line in place, a buddy on watch, and a first-aid kit with a
tourniquet always within reach.
Hunting With Purpose
Ricky’s philosophy is simple: take only what you need. Spearfishing, he

explains, is one of the most selective and sustainable ways to catch seafood,
no by-catch, no waste, no guesswork. When conditions line up, light winds,
clear water, steady current, he targets dogtooth tuna, a species known for
Words by Maura Mancini powerful runs, tearing gear, deep-water pressure, needing precise shot
Photography: Ricky Tishler placement and breaking confidence.

Spearfishers don’t chase blindly, they read the water. Currents hitting a reef,

lifting pressure lines, and bait holding tight all signal where dogtooth might
t the Port Douglas marina there’s always movement: deckhands be sitting just off the edge. When he’s not chasing big pelagics offshore,

rinsing salt from rails, tourists drifting towards reef boats, ropes he targets coral trout around reef bommies and ledges, and tuskfish over

Acreaking against cleats. Chances are, you’ll cross paths with Ricky sandy patches and rubble, and crayfish tucked into crevices along the reef.

Tishler, the man behind Armour Yachtcare, the trusted name keeping hulls
gleaming and vessels seaworthy in a climate that constantly tries to corrode October and November are his preferred months in Far North Queensland,
everything. glassy seas, long weather windows, and the reef at its sharpest. His reward
isn’t the shot, it’s the food. After a day on the water, he enjoys preparing the

I’ve helped Ricky on a couple of jobs around the marina and in the yard catch: ceviche, sashimi, coral trout skin-fried, a simple fish wrap. “You get

behind the slipway, in the shade of a vessel on the travel-lift. He works with the the best food in the world,” he says, “and I love sharing it.”

steady focus of someone underwater: unhurried, precise, aware of everything
without needing to look twice. Moments That Stay With Him

A close encounter with a bull shark shook him, but also clarified something:

Head offshore past the headland and Ricky changes gears. He’s an experienced awareness, staying calm, knowing your limits, and respecting the wild
spearfisherman with the Great Barrier Reef as his backyard. From superyacht environment are the only ways to dive safely.

decks to hidden reefs, his world runs on salt, tide and hours spent beneath But not all memories are adrenaline-fueled. Most moments on the reef
the surface. But his story didn’t start here, Port Douglas was a calling, not a are calm and joyful, light falling through the water, the muffled heartbeat

coincidence.
of the sea. But one experience stands apart. At Ribbon Reef Five, one of
A Childhood That Led North the most pristine stretches of the Great Barrier Reef, he surfaced to find

Ricky grew up far from the ocean in Lightning Ridge, the opal-mining heart a whale shark gliding alongside. The gentle giant lingered, unhurried and

of New South Wales which is not exactly from where you’d expect a future majestic, a humbling reminder of the scale and wonder of the ocean.
freediver to emerge. Yet water was never far away. His grandparents ran The Man Behind Armour Yachtcare

charter game fishing and scuba diving trips at Lizard Island and Ricky spent On land, Ricky brings the same discipline to Armour Yachtcare, overseeing
holidays flying north exploring the reef. While learning to dive and fish he detailing, maintenance, and prevention. These days he doesn’t do it alone;

gradually built the confidence that would shape his life. as he puts it, Abel Terry is his right-hand man. Born and bred in Port
“I felt at home on the ocean before I even knew it,” he says. He began Douglas, Abel is another young local legend and a passionate fisherman,

spearfishing at just 12 in Hervey Bay, discovering a love for both the challenge backing Ricky on every job and making Armour Yachtcare a homegrown
and the quiet intimacy of the underwater world.
operation. Working in the tropics means early starts to beat the heat, and
Finding Home in Port Douglas the wet season can sometimes shut the yard entirely.

After years working mining sites around the world, Ricky was living in Sydney “Boats can become a headache for their owners,” he says. “We help boat

when a motivational seminar with Tony Robbins triggered a decision that owners avoid problems before they happen.” The work can be tough,
surprised even him. In a short time, he quit, packed his life, and headed north. but the reward outweighs everything: a life lived close to the water, in a
Work and travel shaped his early years, but Port Douglas gave him something community he loves.

new: freedom. The moment he arrived in Port Douglas, Ricky bought a small What Comes Next

boat. The reef was finally within reach. With business thriving, Ricky recently upgraded to the boat he always

“Here, you don’t need to steam for hours,” he says. “The reef is just there.” dreamt of, an Edencraft. He hopes to expand Armour Yachtcare also into

Walking down Macrossan Street almost a decade ago, he felt something Cairns and help more people to care for their vessels. And of course, there
instantly familiar. “It just felt like home,” he recalls.
are still dream dives ahead.
He stepped into the marine world full-time, starting as a dive instructor with Some people move to Port Douglas for the reef. Others stay because they
local operator Calypso, and within 18 months he was skippering their vessels can’t imagine leaving it. Ricky is one of the latter, someone whose life didn’t

across the reef. When COVID paused tourism, he began helping with boat just find the water, but was quietly shaped by it. He embodies the spirit of
maintenance in the marina, a job that sparked a career. Port Douglas: a place where the reef is never far, where life is lived outdoors
and on the sea, and where work, play, and passion merge into something
Today, Ricky manages 22 boats through Armour Yachtcare, trusted by locals defined by salt, sun, and tide.

and visiting yacht owners, with most clients relying on him year-round to care
for their vessels as if they were his own. @iamrickyt
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