Former Spearfisherman Turned Videographer Mike Laptew Is
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nautical neighbor ShShoooottiinngg ttoo TThhririllll T o m Former spearfisherman turned videographer R i c h a r Mike Laptew is focused on giving his d s o by Tom Richardson n audience a unique look at life below Mike Laptew prepares to enter the familiar photographs by Mike Laptew waters off Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, the surface and a greater appreciation where he has filmed stripers up to 50 pounds on the boulder-strewn bottom. of the Northeast’s vibrant and often mysterious marine environment. s I followed Mike Laptew’s was desperate to enter the cool, green mier underwater videographers. To date Laptew balances this familiar fare with and began renting space at a local edit- dome of white hair along water, but first I had to endure an agoniz - he has produced six videos aimed at fish- underwater sequences that provide a fas - ing studio. Within a year he released his the rugged eastern shore ing 10-minute struggle with my mask, ermen seeking greater knowledge of cinating look at the marine environment first video, Striper Magic, which he of Rhode Island’s fins and belt while Laptew laughed at my their quarries’ habits and habitat, as well and the creatures that call it home. “I dis - filmed, wrote, edited and even narrated. Beavertail Point, I was contortions. Finally, I wallowed into the as a fish-eye view of the region ’s marine covered from showing my early video He also took it upon himself to market AprAetty sure I had hit upon a new weight- sea and began my introductory foray into environment. He has also produced sev- clips at fishing seminars that fishermen the product, which meant making the loss fad. Clad in black, skintight neoprene the underwater realm of the Northeast. eral short documentaries, and his wanted to know more about what was rounds of the region ’s tackle shops and and lugging a 20-pound weight belt, It’s a place Laptew—also known as footage has appeared on 60 Minutes, going on under the surface,” Laptew fishing outfitters. snorkel mask, dive buoy and three-foot- the Diving Fisherman—knows well, numerous fishing TV shows and websites recalls in his distinctive Rhode Island A posterboy for self-sufficiency—and long fins, I could feel the pounds melting having snorkeled, dived and fished these and in the International Game Fish accent. “It was like I was scratching a occasional self-micromanagement— off me with every precarious step. I was waters since he was a kid, growing up in Association museum. particular itch of these anglers, and I Laptew now produces his videos in the soaked in sweat and sucking wind, but Pawtucket, Rhode Island, just outside What makes Laptew’s work unique in knew I had found a niche.” darkened basement of his home in North Laptew pressed on, scooting over the slop- Providence. In fact, many of his forma- the crowded world of fishing videos is It was this realization that prompted Kingston, Rhode Island, which he has ing granite ledges with impressive agility, tive saltwater experiences took place at their blend of how-to information and Laptew to leave his longtime job as a turned into a full-blown digital editing especially considering that he was toting a his uncle’s summer home in Jamestown, natural history. In Stripers in Paradise, marketing manager with Pitney Bowes suite. Some spouses might have grum - Above: Laptew captured this blue-claw crab Laptew’s second retail video, he takes the 11 years ago, at the age of 44, and dive bled over such a move, but Laptew main- hiding among the rocks along a stretch of the 25-pound video camera in addition to all a few miles from where we had just Rhode Island coast. of his dive gear. entered the water. Roughly half a centu- viewer on a tour of the most famous fish- headfirst into full-time filming and pro- tains that Donna, his wife of 29 years, Right: Laptew’s videos provide stunning After 100 yards of this torture, we ry of aquatic adventure has passed, and ing spots in the Northeast, explaining duction. Completely self-taught in the art has been nothing but supportive. “I footage of migratory schools of game fish, stopped beside a narrow fissure where the the 55-year-old Laptew now finds him- why each is a magnet for game fish. The and science of underwater videography, couldn ’t do what I’m doing without her,” such as these school striped bass. ocean lapped at the weed-fringed rocks. I self ranked among the Northeast’s pre- video offers plenty of fishing action, but he invested in high-tech video equipment he says. “She’s even gone so far as to help 62 Offshore | October 2006 Offshore | October 2006 63 lug around my gear and stand in as Champion in a four-event match held by waystation for big stripers during the fall sound technician.” the Underwater Society of America. run. His numerous trips to the island have An ardent conservationist, Laptew is In breath-hold spearfishing, divers been rewarded with incredible footage of an active member of the Rhode Island eschew the use of compressed air and the stripers in the 50-pound range prowling environmental group Save The Bay, bulky equipment that comes with it. the famous boulder-strewn bottom. which named him its Volunteer of the Instead, they hold their breath, sometimes On a typical outing, Laptew begins by Year in 1994 for a video he produced on for up to four minutes, to be stealthier, regulating his breathing and making a the ecosystem of Narragansett Bay. He more mobile and more at one with the few short recon dives to warm up and get also serves on the advisory board of the marine environment. The sport can be a sense of the territory and conditions. “It Recreational Fishing Association, a dangerous, especially when competitors takes at least 15 minutes to get into a national angler-advocacy group for push the envelope to pursue a prize-win- rhythm and stretch your lungs a bit,” he which he helped produce an eye- ning fish or investigate a hard-to-reach explains, adding that he typically holds opening video on destructive spot. “If everything’s going perfectly dive his breath for a minute to a minute and a commercial-fishing practices. after dive after dive, you get into a zone, half per dive. At that rate he can dive all From overfishing to pollution almost a Zen-like state in which you feel day without taxing himself, he says. to habitat degradation, Laptew is as if you could stay down there forever. Unburdened by cumbersome air tanks passionate about all issues affecting the That’s when you can get into trouble,” and hoses, he’s able to canvas the area marine environment. But that’s really no explains Laptew, who has lost several quickly, maneuvering along ledges, kelp surprise given his almost boyish fascina- friends to diving accidents. beds, boulder fields and rock gullies— tion with the sea, which started with an The hunting skills honed through places he terms “underwater game early exposure to fishing. “I got involved in spearfishing continue to serve him well as trails”—using the prevailing current to surf fishing when I was knee-high,” he a videographer, since both pursuits carry him along. When he encounters recalls. “Dad, grandpa—everyone fished. require an intimate knowledge of fish something of interest, such as a school of At my uncle’s place in Jamestown I would behavior and ocean dynamics. Keeping predators herding baitfish against the swim, fish, dive. That’s where it all came tabs on the fishing scene also helps, and shore, he shifts into stealth mode, slipping together for me.” Laptew relies heavily on a network of top behind a boulder or a kelp bed to blend in A huge fan of the 1950s TV show Sea guides, charter captains and sportfisher - with the surroundings while he films the Hunt, the young Laptew took an early men who are on the water every day. event. The fish will usually stay in the interest in spearfishing and has fond When he learns of a hot bite somewhere area as long as he doesn ’t make any memories of chasing eels with a home- along the coast, he’s out the door with quick or threatening movements, and he made gig in the local salt ponds. The chal - camera and wetsuit in hand. He also can often make repeated dives on the lenge of hunting fish with a spear eventu- schedules many his dives based on his same spot without significantly disturb- ally led him to join the ranks of competi - knowledge of fish migratory patterns and ing their behavior. tive breath-hold spearfishermen when he historical records, which is why most The idea of gliding stealthily along a was 22. He got good at the game, and in Octobers find him in the waters off stretch of rocky bottom amid dozens of As the most popular game fish in the Northeast, striped bass steal the 1979 won the title of North Atlantic Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, a perennial happily feeding stripers was the driving spotlight in the majority of Laptew’s vidoes. When hunting for fish to film, Laptew follows the natural contour Tautog, such as this hefty “white-chinner,” are a common sight on On a typical dive Laptew holds his breath for up to 90 seconds as he Northeast waters sometimes offer a surprising variety of marine life lines created by weed-covered boulders and ledges.