Van Hook Spearfishing

Van Hook Spearfishing �Freediving and Spearfishing
�Florida Keys
(2)

02/17/2026

Spearing BIG BLUEFIN TUNA!

Cold water, long runs, heavy gear, and a fish that tested everything I had. One of the most demanding hunts I’ve done and one of the most rewarding. Grateful for the crew that made it happen. Check out the full length YouTube video by searching “Derek Van Hook”

02/08/2026

Those five magic words: “Ok, get in the water!”

The goal for this trip was to get my dad Ray, my brother Justin, and our buddy Carson on their first yellowfin tuna. It was my turn to follow Justin with the camera, and as soon as Michael said these words, we hit the water and dove as fast as we could.

What we saw had to be the most tuna I’ve ever seen. Justin lined up on one of the bigger fish swimming away, and right then another huge school rushed to the surface behind a tight ball of little red sardines. Justin took his shot, and we both headed for the surface surrounded by tuna.

Of course, just after this clip, a few even bigger fish swam right past us. There was plenty of time to be selective, in that moment we were just happy to have Justin’s first yellowfin tied off to a 3ATM float.

After a good fight, Justin went back down and put a knife in the fish to help guide it to the surface.

This trip was nothing short of incredible, and that first fish was only the beginning. I can’t wait to sit down and edit the full video.

I love chasing these fish. They definitely push the definition of insanity at times, doing the same drifts over the same...
02/08/2026

I love chasing these fish.

They definitely push the definition of insanity at times, doing the same drifts over the same ledges. Doing the same thing over and over, weekend after weekend and expecting a different result each time.

A few weeks ago the conditions were far from ideal. Dirty water, no current, not much going on. We drifted all day anyways.

Long after we should have quit, a fish swam into the spread and gave me an easy shot.

A man once ran some experiments on animals. He gave them a button and If they pressed it, they got a piece of food. When the food came every single time, the animals would press it for a while, but when the food stopped coming, they stopped pressing the button.

Then he tried a different experiment where the button only gave food every now and then. Then the animals became way more persistent. They just kept pressing, waiting on that next reward.

I can’t help but feel like that, always going back out and hoping this is the day, or this is the drift. The fact that it’s not guaranteed is exactly what makes it so addicting. It’s interesting because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, but at the same time, there’s something in each of us that makes us want to keep pressing that button. In a way, we can’t help but love the insanity.

01/30/2026

Filming a YouTube video often means taking the time to capture first and third person footage on every drop. While it is not the best way to shoot as many fish as possible, it gives you perspectives that would not otherwise be possible. And most of the time, we land plenty of fish anyway anyways!

Getting third person footage of landing an epic fish is always special, but when you miss a shot, you get to watch it back in slow motion 4K from two different perspectives. It certainly gives you something to learn from!

On this drop, Jack just barely misses this nice cobia. For the full video, check out the newest upload on my YouTube channel by searching Derek Van Hook.

01/28/2026

What went wrong here?

I make a drop in around 80 feet of water and hover around 15 feet above the bottom, when I spot these nice cobia. I could tell they weren’t going to stick around, so I take a couple of kicks to try to close the distance, then pull the trigger on the largest of the fish. The cob proceeds to go absolutely nuts and I sit there in awe.

Unfortunately, the fish shook the shaft completely out of it, and I headed to the surface without it. I couldn’t believe my shot didn’t stick. Any thoughts on what went wrong here? Too far? Gun too small? Unlucky?

Full video on this day in the Gulf is live on YouTube now.

01/26/2026

80 feet deep and face to face with a solid cobia.

On this dive, Jack drops on a piece of structure Captain Tanner had shown us during a scouting trip in the Gulf a few months back. We had just seen several sharks, and Jack had a close call on the surface with an aggressive bull, but this spot was too good to pass up. Visibility wasn’t great but workable for hunting, and unfortunately for this cobia, it swam directly into Jack’s line of sight.

Rather than letting the fish dangle for the bull sharks, Jack took a wrap and horsed it up to control the fight and get the fish to the surface. This is one of the things I love about diving with experienced divers, they know exactly how to play each fish and each fight based on the circumstances.

My newest video from this Gulf trip with Jack, my brother Justin, and Captain Tanner is live now!

01/14/2026

Sometimes it’s the little fish that are the real challenge!

Yellowtail are great tasting, plentiful, yet a challenge to spear. Add a little chum to the mix and things get a lot easier, but I probably make my longest dives waiting for one of these guys to grab the piece of chum I’m watching. I love the challenge and you can’t beat a whole fried Yellowtail!

Most days, you are lucky to land one, but every now and then the conditions align for a great day of Wahoo diving.The da...
01/12/2026

Most days, you are lucky to land one, but every now and then the conditions align for a great day of Wahoo diving.

The day started rather slow, but after a quick move and a bit of patience, we were fortunate enough to start seeing good sized schools of our favorite fish. My buddy Jake and I took turns making drifts and it wasn’t long before our two per person limit was met. Safe to say we were eating lots of sushi and so were our close friends and family!

01/10/2026

Beat this wahoo to the throw flasher then waited for it to meet me there. The fish came in fast, trying to beat me to the easy meal. Had to be quick on the draw with this one but I’m happy with my shot placement!

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Key Largo, FL

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