Hawaii fisherman dies after being impaled by swordfish's bill

The man had been fishing in Hawaii for more than 25 years

Swordfish do not usually attack humans (Rex)

A Hawaii fisherman has died after being impaled by a swordfish’s bill when he shot the fish with a spear gun.

Randy Llanes, 47, jumped into the water of Honokohau harbour in Kailua-Kona from his boat when he spotted the fish to get a good shot.

But the line of the spear gun became tangled with the boat’s mooring anchor after he had shot the fish, leading it to swim at high speed into Mr Llanes and gore him in the upper chest with its 3ft bill.

Onlookers immediately pulled the unresponsive man from the water, but despite being given CPR he could not be resuscitated.

Mr Llanes was born and raised in Hawaii and was an experienced fisherman, having been a licensed boat captain for 18 years and had been fishing in the area for more than 25 years.

On his website he said: “It has been my good fortune in life to have a career in the world of sport fishing.

“My greatest pleasure is being able to share the excitement and natural wonder of the Hawaiian offshore fishing experience with others,” he added.

Kalina Llanes, Mr Llanes’ sister-in-law, told KITV news: “He was a tough guy, he was such a tough guy that everyone’s scared of him, the whole harbour’s scared of him.”

The broadbill swordfish which speared Mr Llanes measured 3ft in length, with a bill of the same length and weighed 40lbs. At full maturity the fish usually measure 9.8ft in length.