July 2026 Club Meeting

Ghosts of the Pacific

Film screening followed by Q&A with Mike Raabe

Ghosts of the Pacific is a spearfishing film built from time spent underwater, not commentary from the sidelines. It looks at the Pacific coast through the eyes of spearos who have watched familiar reefs, kelp forests, and fisheries change dramatically over a relatively short period of time.

Rather than focusing on trophies or highlight reels, the film captures what it feels like to keep diving places you have known for years as conditions shift and access tightens. It reflects the perspective of people who were there before the changes, stayed through them, and continue to hunt the same water afterward.

The film has screened to sold out audiences at theaters across California, including Dana Point, San Diego, Monterey, and Los Angeles. Along the way it has earned multiple awards on the independent film circuit, including Best Feature Film and Best Director at the Environmental Film and Screenplay Festival, Best First Time Director at the Los Angeles Movie and Music Video Awards, and Awards of Excellence and Merit from the Impact DOCS Awards. It has also been selected for several international film festivals.

Mike Raabe is a world class underwater photographer and cinematographer whose work is defined by patience, control, and an ability to operate in demanding conditions. His imagery combines technical precision with a strong sense of story and place, and that approach is central to what gives Ghosts of the Pacific its depth and credibility below the surface.

Only someone with a deep understanding of white seabass, firsthand experience diving the same water, and real ties to the spearfishing community could have made this film. This is not a project an outsider could have stepped into. It required years in the water, trust from the people involved, and genuine care for the fishery and the community around it. Very few people have the combination of knowledge, access, skill, and credibility needed to pull this off, and fewer still could execute it at this level.

Following the screening, Mike will join us for a live Q&A to talk about making the film, the stories behind the dives, and what it takes to produce high level underwater imagery while staying true to spearfishing and time spent on the bottom.

This is a special screening for Fathomiers, offered free to members. Mike is one of us, a true Fathomier, and we are proud to host this showing as a reflection of the community, trust, and shared experience that made the film possible.