The shortbill spearfish is not an easy fish to land, especially with a speargun. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Mark Healey is a lot more than just one of the best big wave surfers in all of surfing. Yes, he’s definitely that, but he’s also a champion spearfisherman and a very accomplished bow hunter as well. In his words, “being self-sufficient is the last punk rock thing left.”
Spearfishing is one of the most sustainable ways to eat. Those who do it properly are far more likely to be aware of that fact — it’s a big part of the reason many of them do it — and it’s generally something that should be done with others. When you’re freediving and hunting big fish, a LOT can go wrong, and it can go wrong very fast. Healey hunts the sea with people like Kimi Werner, Eli Olson, and Justin Lee, all of whom are among the best at what they do.
In this video, Healey, Olson, and Lee went out to look for Pacific blue marlin with Captain Cyrus aboard the Kraken and something pretty incredible happened: Lee wound up shooting a world-record shortbill spearfish.
It’s an amazing fish. A species of marlin that lives in the Indian and Pacific oceans, it’s not an easy animal to land. They can reach lengths of over seven feet, and they’re lighting fast and very strong, and this one will be a fish they’ll remember forever.
