About Lauren
I did not grow up hunting. Nobody in my family hunted, and for a long time I was terrified of sharks and of deep water. Diving in the open ocean for my own dinner was the last thing anyone expected of me, including me.
What changed was caring about where my food came from. So much of what we buy comes from mass fishing and large-scale farming, which can mean a lot of bycatch and a lot of suffering for animals, and I did not want to be part of that. I was living in Miami with the ocean right there, so I decided to learn to spearfish, face my fear of sharks and deep water, and start hunting my own food sustainably. Spearfishing lets me choose one fish at a time, take only what I will eat, and leave everything else in the water.
Spearfishing also brought me the love of my life. It is how I met Jose, and now I get to share every one of my passions with someone who loves to travel, spearfish and hunt as much as I do. We rely on each other to keep each other safe, and it has been absolutely wonderful. I love being able to share our competitive and adventurous love story.
Today I am based in Miami, and Jose and I spend most of the year travelling together, exploring new places and cultures, hunting our own food in the water and in the field, and cooking what we bring home. I also compete: I hold multiple spearfishing world records and took second place at the 2025 Spearfishing World Championship representing Team USA.
I started sharing my adventures to show people how much more is out there, and how much you can accomplish. Honestly, I first started my YouTube channel to show that I was really doing what I said I was doing. It became something much better: a way to take you to all these different places and show you what it really looks like under the ocean. Most people only ever see a blanket of blue from the surface, and never get to appreciate everything underneath it. I feel that seeing it for yourself is what helps people truly care about conservation.
If I can go from being scared of deep water to diving for my dinner, you can take your first step too, whether that is a snorkel at the beach or cooking a whole fish from the market for the first time. The videos show every part of it: the learning dives, the days the weather had other plans, and every step from the catch to the plate.
I am one of very few women leading in this sport, which means a lot of the people who write to me are women learning to dive and hunt for the first time. That matters to me more than the numbers do.
What I care about
What I hunt, I eat. We use the whole animal and I honor every catch. The only exceptions are when we help commercial fishermen catch fish to sell, or hunt to share our catch with the local community. Learn the rules of the place you are diving before you get in the water, and leave it better than you found it. Invasive species are always fair game.
Get in touch
For partnerships, press and hosted trips, see work with me or email lauren.collaborations@gmail.com.
Common questions
How did Lauren Sarasua get into spearfishing?
I did not grow up hunting, and I was terrified of sharks and of deep water. I wanted to know where my food came from instead of relying on mass fishing and large-scale farming, so living in Miami I learned to spearfish and faced those fears. Spearfishing lets me choose one fish at a time, take only what I will eat, and leave everything else in the water.
What spearfishing world records does Lauren Sarasua hold?
I’ve shot multiple world records, including most recently the Atlantic bluefin tuna, black grouper, Atlantic cubera snapper, amberjack, and yellowjack on polespear.
Where has Lauren Sarasua filmed?
I’ve travelled all over the world, and I have made videos showcasing spearfishing in Mexico, Ecuador, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Turkey, Alaska, California, Utah and all over Florida, from the Keys and Miami to the Everglades and Cedar Key.
Does Lauren Sarasua eat everything she hunts?
Almost always. We use the whole animal and I honor every catch. I learn the rules of the place I am diving before I get in the water, and invasive species are always fair game. There are times we help commercial fishermen catch fish to sell, and times we hunt to share our catch with the local community. Those are the only times we don’t eat our catch.
What gear does Lauren Sarasua use?
Everything in my bag is listed on my gear page, from spearguns, floats and reels to wetsuits, fins, weights, gloves, knives and dive bags, with a note on why I use each one.
How can brands work with Lauren Sarasua?
Brands and tourism boards can see my case studies on the portfolio page and get in touch through my work with me page, or email lauren.collaborations@gmail.com directly.
More: the videos, the places I have filmed, the gear I use, brand case studies and working with me.
The dive log
One email every other week: where I am diving, what I caught, how I cooked it, and the gear I am loving. Just the good stuff, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
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