Spearfishing 'huntress' takes Instagram by storm
Digital Reporter
Monday, July 6, 2015, 1:00 PM - A Canadian-born spear fisher has been getting plenty of attention -- and some criticism -- over Instagram pics that would be any fishing enthusiast's dream.
Valentine Thomas moved from Montreal to London, U.K. in 2010, was persuaded to take a diving course by a friend, and bagged her first fish on a trip off Ascension Island in the south Atlantic.
Since then, she's been dubbed the "spearfishing huntress," according to Business Insider, and posts amazing pics of her exploits on social media.
As fun as it looks, diving can be dangerous, and she found herself in dire straights on her very first trip, losing sight of her partner in rough seas, miles from the shore. Luckily, she managed to pull herself to safety with a rope attached to her partner.
Since then, she's picked up more than 33,000 followers on her Instagram account, and she is very, very good at her hobby, even bagging the world record for largest speared Atlantic jack while diving off Ascension in 2013, according to the Daily Mail.
Her Internet fame hasn't been without some drawbacks, however. She often suffers sexism from people who comment on her photos, and has been called a killer by people opposed to fishing.
Thomas doesn't buy that, and in fact is an advocate for sustainable fishing, eating everything she catches and not spearing anything she doesn't intend to eat.
"With a spear gun, it’s really accurate — you’re going to kill exactly what you’re aiming for. With a net, normally you’re going to catch way more things,” Thomas told the Toronto Sun.
While this is presently a hobby for Thomas, she says she would one day like the pursue spear fishing full-time.
In the meantime, aside from her Instagram, she also has a Facebook page and a YouTube account with footage of her exploits, like her encounter with a Whale Shark, below.
SOURCES: Valentine Thomas | Daily Mail | Business Insider | Toronto Sun
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Man swims for his life after shark overturns his kayak. Watch below.
