Richard was born in Lebanon where he began his love for fishing as a young kid. His gear was very basic with a homemade bamboo pole, fishing line and a four way treble hook. He moved to California in 1990 and started diving five years later after seeing a diver in the water with a pole spear and a stringer of fish in San Pedro Break Wall. This was his “light bulb moment!” He realized then exactly where he belonged. He started out diving with the pole spear and a mask at first then slowly added gear. His first fish was a 16 pound white seabass. He now spends most of his time in water (well, it seems like it) trying to be at the right place at the right time and getting as close as he can to his hunt. His biggest fish to date is a 283 pound Yellow Fin Tuna, which is one of his favorites to catch. His future involves more fishing and travel and staying warm in-between in his Surf-fur boat coat!