Off the Hook: Up for an adventure? Try spearfishing.

John Parkman is always up for a fishing trip.

So when Ben and Benji Lineberry called and asked if he wanted to hit the Chesapeake Bay for a little action, he was all for it.

But when they arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and one of the Lineberrys jumped in the water, Parkman wasn't too sure what was going on.

"They said we were going to try for a few cobia, but that it was best to wait until the sun got high so you could see them better," said Parkman, the principal at Landstown Middle School in Virginia Beach. "OK. So we were going to try for some flounder and spadefish. That sounded good.

"Then they grabbed a mask and snorkel and dove in to spearfish for some spadefish."

Not exactly what Parkman was expecting.

"I hadn't been snorkeling since I was a kid," said the Norview High graduate, who now lives in Chesapeake. "So Ben goes in and comes back up with a couple of nice spadefish. Then Benji did and got back in the boat. They handed me the mask and flippers and asked if I wanted to try.

"I was a little nervous at first, but I gave it a try."

Parkman, 45, said his first trip down took him about 15 feet into a large school of spadefish. The minute he had a fish broadside, he let fly with the Hawaiian sling speargun.

"They told me to be selective," Parkman said with a laugh. "My first time doing this? I was shooting the first one that gave me a shot."

Parkman got a couple more spadefish before the crew decided it was time to bottom bounce for flatfish.

They caught several flounder using rod and reel, then found two cobia ripe for the taking - also with rod and reel.

Parkman was impressed enough with spearfishing that he's contemplating buying his own gear. He's also thought about scuba lessons.

And nobody who knows him should be surprised at his sense of adventure. The former Virginia Wesleyan soccer player has 170 parachute jumps to his credit.

"I like hunting, especially turkey hunting," he said. "This was really neat. I was amazed at the clarity of the water, and on a slack tide, it was really easy.

"It's definitely something that I'll do again."