Malén Sart came to spearfishing late, but she has gone on to become one of the leading figures in the sport, with two world titles to her name. The Mallorcan athlete is also outspoken about what she sees as the misconceptions surrounding her discipline.
A late start
Sart, from Binissalem, first tried spearfishing at 25, but struggled to find equipment that fitted her: most gear was designed for men. It was only years later, when she found a wetsuit in her size, that she picked up a speargun again — and fell in love with the sport.
Competing with the men
Encouraged by her husband and by local spearfishing figures, she entered her first competition in 2013. There was no women’s category, so she competed against men.
The first Spanish women’s championship was held in Porto Cristo in 2016, and two years later she took part in the first women’s European championship, in Denmark.
World champion
Sart won her first world title in Sardinia in 2021 and a second in Cantabria in 2023, as well as three Spanish championships. One of her most cherished memories, however, is a competition in Mallorca after the pandemic in which she beat every participant, men and women alike — she had to be told several times before she believed it.
Her club in Manacor named one of the events in its Mallorca circuit after her following her first world title.
A selective, sustainable sport
Sart stresses that spearfishing is done on a single breath, without scuba equipment. The diver observes, chooses and decides whether to take a fish, which she argues makes it one of the most selective ways of fishing. She eats everything she catches, often in a traditional bullit de peix with her family, and collects rubbish from the sea on each dive.
When critics blame spearfishing for the decline in fish stocks, she points instead to industrial fishing methods, which can take tonnes of fish in a single day.
The social media problem
Social media has given the sport more visibility, but Sart warns that it distorts reality. Videos of very deep dives, huge catches and rough seas show what only highly experienced specialists can do, often after many attempts. Trying to imitate them without training can lead to blackouts and fatal accidents.
Her advice
- Learn breath-hold and safety techniques properly.
- Know your limits and never push past them.
- Always use a surface buoy to mark your position.
- Never dive alone.
Sart hopes her career will help change perceptions of the sport — and show girls and young women that they can excel in fields traditionally dominated by men.
