Dan Silveira has been freediving since the young age of seven, giving him 20+ years of experience. His father is from the Azores Islands of Portugal, where Dan would spearfish with his cousins for hours at a time. His cousins used Omer equipment, and at the age of twelve, Dan had an obsessive dream of one day being a top spearfisherman,  sponsored by Omer! 

His dream finally became a reality after five years of competitive spearfishing and traveling the world. Dan has taken the West Coast of the U.S by surprise. He won the Pacific Coast Championships four times in a row, which is an accomplishment that no other spearfisherman has ever achieved. He continued with top scores in the National circuit, and was selected as a diver for the USA World Spearfishing team in 2010. He was finally offered a sponsorship with Omer and Sporasub in 2009.

Silveira believes that Omer and Sporasub are spearfishing manufactures that set the trend when it comes to innovation and reliable products. Their line of equipment is vast and offers Silveira with an assortment of products to suit just about every situation of diving he encounters.

When Dan is not studying for college classes, he travels around the world in search of the next big fish to spear. He also conducts seminars about spearfishing, leads other divers in search of prized fish, and writes articles for six top spearfishing magazines which include; Hawaii Skindiver, Deep World Wide, New Zealand Spero, Apnea, Pesca Sub, and Spearing Magazine.

If Dan does not have a speargun in his hand while he is diving, then he is taking photos or shooting video. Silveira has been featured in videos and on TV several times, including a short segment on CNN international news, titled The Deep Blue, and he created a special feature in a big wave surf film, titled Ride On.

Here are some of Silveira’s recent spearfishing achievements:
-Diver for the USA freedive spearfishing Pan American Games and Worlds Competition
-First, and youngest, diver to ever win the Pacific coast championships FOUR times in a row.
1st Place: Pacific Coast Championship 2007    (Individual and Team)
1st Place: Pacific Coast Championship 2008    (Individual and Team)
1st Place: Pacific Coast Championship 2009   (Individual and Team)
1st Place: Pacific Coast Championship 2010   (Individual and Team)
2nd place United States 2008 Nationals in Rhode Island  (Individual)
3rd place United Stated 2009 Nationals Malibu, Ca  (Team)
1st place Noyo Harbor Cen-Cal Competition    (Individual)
1st Place Randy Fry Memorial Tournament    (Individual)
1st Place Mote Creek Nor-Cal Free divers Competition  (Individual)
1st place Coral Street Nor-Cal Competition    (Individual)
1st Place Alternate team member 2007 US Nationals  (Individual)
2nd Place Yellow Tail Open, Mexico     (Individual)
2nd Place Albion Cen-Cal Competition    (Individual)
2nd Place Coral Street Cen-Cal Competition    (Individual)
2nd place athlete of the year Cen-Cal     (Individual)
All American Dive team 2008     (Individual)
One of three Divers for TEAM USA in the 2010 Worlds Competition in Croatia
Best Catches:
175 pound Yellowfin Tuna
160, 150, 130, 120 pound Yellowfin Tunas
115 pound Sail Fish (15 pounds shy of the world record)
80 pound Dog Tooth Tuna, and many more
80 pound Rooster fish (World record size, but not recorded at the time)
76lb White Seabass (8th largest speared in the world)
70 pound Giant Travelli
90 pound Wahoo and many others
50 pound Dog Snapper 
80 pound Amber jack and many others 
Two of my favorite days included one day spearing 8 BIG WAHOO, and the  other day bagging 4 MASSIVE Yellowfin Tuna; 3 of which were over 100  pounds!!!
I have also caught many Large Dorado, Yellowtail, White Seabass, Halibut,  Lingcod, and Jacks.

These fish he caught were a result of hundreds of hours diving, scouting, and preparation. Many days, he does not to spear anything because he chooses to be selective and believes in sustainability.

For more information about Dan Silveira and to read some of his magazine articles, check out his website at www.spearfishingisnotacrime.com