Spearfishing with Mark Healey in Remote Waters off Oahu

Not only is Mark Healey the ‘greatest athlete you’ve never heard of’ when it comes to surfing, he’s also a world-class spearfisher. Just wait until you hear about the massive uku that he caught on his latest trip out on the open waters! 

Healey makes a point to go spearfishing every winter - but this year, he hasn’t been out on the waves as much as he’d like (thanks to finding waves in the general business of life). No big deal, though. He still caught a giant fish, and there’s video to prove it. 

With Mark, it’s not about the frequency of the trips. It’s all about timing and technique. 

Usually, when Mark is out hunting for ukus (also known as jobfish), he hangs around the reef and scratches the sea floor for a long time; it’s a game of patience. He and his crew want to stir up the fish that aren’t used to spearfishers, and they ended up being successful - clearly, with the catch that Mark brought in. 

He caught his second-biggest uku ever; the fish weighed in at 26.5 pounds and he was beyond stoked about that. You don’t see a fish that big every day (unless you’re an icon like Mark, apparently)!

With good water conditions, a great crew, and some amazing spearfishing skills of his own, Mark was able to reel in this giant of an Uku. You can watch the video here:

“The story is... that it was easier than it should’ve been,” Mark said with a laugh. “This guy [the fish] came in aggressive, and I shot him - he ran down and a shark showed up at the same time. So, I was kinda stressed that the shark was gonna go after him all the way down deep. So, I just forced him up as fast as I could and got him on the boat.” 

It’s no doubt that Mark wouldn’t have been as successful if he wasn’t prepared for long hours on the boat in the hot sun. And there’s no way he could’ve spent as much time as he did on the water without putting on some eco-friendly sunscreen from Protekt. 

Healey spends most of his time in the water, so he would never use zinc oxide sunscreen that isn’t good for the environment and sensitive marine life. Luckily, Protekt puts the earth first when creating products; it’s all natural for us. 

Our sunscreen is a physical sunscreen, meaning that it creates a physical barrier between your skin and the sun’s damaging rays. While he’s in the water, Mark’s body might be covered by a wetsuit, but his face is not. He would’ve come out with a nasty burn had it not been for the eco-friendly sunscreen he was sporting. Not only is it good for your skin’s health, it doesn’t burn the eyes, it’s water-resistant, and it doesn’t harm the reefs either. It’s a win for everyone, on all sides. 
Check out the video of Mark snagging the huge uku, and see what an awesome experience it was!