The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

20.6 kg. , 45.4 lbs.

Halibut, Atlantic Hippoglossus hippoglossus

Record Category: Women Sling / Polespear

Diver:		Katya Karankevich
Date:		10/12/2025
Location:		NORWAY

My hands were numb before we even entered the water at dawn above the arctic circle. The cold wind was blowing as we got naked between the doors of a car and poured hot water into our wetsuits. Joel Burman brought a scalding hot water thermos for the rubber boat that we would pour off into our gloves every hour or so to rewarm them. After 8 days of diving in Norway, I finally started getting the eye for the camouflaged fish. A halibut’s outline is all that can first be noticed with my untrained eye against the dark sand or rock that they lay on. I saw it on a flat rock with another fish opposite it, like they were having a chat. I dove down on them twice from a distance so that I could judge which one was thicker or bigger in size. I used a short version (7 feet versus the full sections that bring it to14) of my Redtide carbon fiber roller polespear. It has a dyneema slip tip and we had a 50 foot float line attached to a 1 ATM float. The fish did not fight after a head shot but did run 100 feet. I dove down and shot a second polespear through it as a holding measure but I think that was overkill. I brought it to surface with no issues. At surface, it woke up and drug me down several times before I tied its tail off and brought it to the boat for the last time before cleating it off.
Make Certificate