Conquering the Royal Grand Slam: Black Marlin in Australia

The wait is over. The adventure of a lifetime begins now.

In the world of sport fishing, the Royal Grand Slam is like scaling the Seven Summits in mountaineering or completing a marathon in every major city—it’s the ultimate quest to catch all nine species of billfish, spread across vast oceans.

I’m sitting on seven, with just two more to achieve the slam.

Game on and was ready to go for it a while ago.

Then, like a rogue wave crashing out of nowhere, came the cancer diagnosis. It floored me, and in that moment, everything shifted. The small stuff? Irrelevant. Even the ‘medium-tier’ concerns faded into the background. What mattered was time—how to hold onto it, how to make every moment count. My priorities sharpened with a clarity I had never known before.

Fishing, once a passion, became my lifeline—every cast and every fight with a fish held more meaning. The catch was its own self-contained adventure, and a bit of a momentary escape. Before my dad passed, we had made peace and bonded once again in fishing.

Now that I’m bouncing back, this adventure is more than a goal; it’s personal.

“Carpe Vitam”—Seize Life—is my motto now. Every moment counts, every opportunity is precious, and there’s no room for half-measures. I’ve talked about this for years, but now it’s time to do it. No more “diddling about it”.

It’s time to make catch #8 happen.

But this isn’t just any fishing trip. Success at this level of adventure and fishing is half preparation, and half handling the chaos when things go sideways. And trust me, they will.

Here’s the plan: Destination - Australia.

The best shot at landing a Black Marlin, my next target, is this fall (spring in the Southern Hemisphere) along The Great Barrier Reef, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The marlin hot zone?...we’ll see. The stretch starts between Lizard Island and Cairns, where the marlin action is fierce, and the bite is strong. The reef teems with over 1,500 fish species, but I’m laser-focused on just one.

The Great Barrier Reef is more than a bucket-list destination—it’s the heart of the ‘Marlin Mecca.’ Known for being the largest black marlin in the world, this stretch of the Coral Sea is a living battleground where 1,000-pound giants test the limits of both man and equipment. Every year, anglers flock here, not just for the thrill, but to witness one of nature’s most powerful spectacles…and then release them right back to their habitat.

Preparation for this kind of journey is no small matter. It’s about aligning everything perfectly: the season, the location, the captain, the crew. Sounds easy, right? After pouring over research, reviews, and hours of phone calls, I’ve found my man: Captain Brad Craft out of Cairns. His team’s reputation is top-tier, and I’m confident he’ll put the boat in the right spot.

Now it’s on me to be ready when the time comes.

These fish are absolute titans.

The record for a Black Marlin is 1,560 pounds. They’re bigger and tougher than Blue Marlin, averaging 10 to 15 feet in length and weighing anywhere between 200 to 600 pounds. By the time they hit 15 to 20 years old, they can easily top 1,000 pounds.

And here’s the kicker: the fight can last over three hours.

Imagine battling a 1,000-pound marlin for hours on end. That’s where the real work comes in. It would be a nightmare to travel all this way, hook the fish of a lifetime, and not be physically ready for the battle.

That thought has been enough to haunt me.

Post-cancer, I transformed my routine. I shed the extra weight, honed my strength and stamina in the gym, and overhauled my nutrition. But physical prep is only part of it—there’s also the mental fortitude.

I’ve spent months researching, talking to experts, and mapping out every detail. I’ve actually visualized various scenes on the water. There are lots of “What ifs” out there.

The right gear, the right techniques, the right mindset—it all has to align perfectly.

Actually, I feel like I’m gearing up for a 15-round heavyweight title fight, and need to be ready to go the distance.

The logistics of this are pretty interesting, and intense.

It is unlike other fishing trips where you come back to the docks and give it another go in the morning.

I’ll be on the water for seven straight days. No coming back to port.

The fish move, it can be hundreds of miles from where you start. The boat has to adapt and be responsive to the changing environment on the water…tracking the marlin or adjusting to conditions to stay safe.

I guess that’s really getting your “sea legs”.

Several charters operate with a “mothership” option where the charter drops you off and picks you back up from a base ship. That ship can also move along the coastal waters for the same reasons. This whole model keeps everyone a tad bit saner, safer and within a zone to catch migratory fish.

Helen Keller once said, “Life is a great adventure or nothing.”

That’s how I’m choosing to live, “Carpe Vitam”: embrace every moment, fully live life, make the most out of each experience…and believe in the goodness of people.

If anything, I am humbled and very grateful that, given everything, I’m able to give this adventure a shot.

I’ll be out there, rod in hand, in the heartbeat of the Coral Sea, waiting for that telltale pull. This isn’t just another fishing trip. It’s the next chapter in my story—and trust me, it’s going to be one for the books. Stay tuned, because #8 is coming.