Salt Aotearoa - freediving

Renee Taylor shares an inspirational story about a wahine who discovers a deep passion for spearfishing and connecting with the ocean. Images by Kent Remihana

“For any ladies out there thinking about giving it a nudge, just go for it! I hope that one day I can be that mentor for future spearfisher women. Connect with the community, join a club, find your mentor, dive within your limits and always with a buddy, and obviously have fun.”

These were the final words of my first article for NZ Fishing News three years ago! Man is it cool to reflect on that statement and the growth of Salt Aotearoa since then, and to realise that the hope expressed way back then has come to fruition, as you’ll read in this next kōrero!

So here it is… Benny, and her epic journey from ‘all the gear and no idea’ to landing her first fish on spear! Benny connected with Salt two years ago when she attended one of our ‘Intro to Freediving’ pool sessions in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. Showing up quietly and on her own, she turned out to be a real natural in the water. With borrowed gear and a keen attitude, it was clear from the beginning that she was going to be an absolute weapon in the ocean.

After she caught the bug at our intro session, Benny’s fire started to grow. Next step: hone the freediving skills, and what better way than a gals-only (yeowwww!) freedive camp at Kai Iwi Lakes? Oooossh it was fun, and Benny was there with bells on. By this stage, she had invested in her own dive kit and was ready to get wet. Alongside 11 other amazing wāhine and our incredible team of instructors, Benny truly flourished. She was able to refine her technique and confidently achieve longer breath holds and deeper dives, eventually reaching 20 metres! She made mates for life and solidified her passion for freediving.

Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi/ The Poor Knights Islands offer some of the best diving in the country.

There’s nothing quite like being in a supportive environment, sharing kai, kōrero, passion, and learning as a collective. Then, after almost a year of the usual life-grind, mixed in with some ocean time and diving, Benny was finally ready to go get some fish. Like I said before, Benny is an inspiration. When she sets a goal, she will achieve it. She listens, absorbs, asks questions, and is open to feedback. These are all such crucial skills when learning something new, and they really paid off for Benny. I’ve learned so much from her drive, which has also helped give Salt Aotearoa the strength to keep moving forward (something she may not even be aware of!).

After catching up with her recently, she told me that her goal for this year was to spear her first fish. Now, this is the kind of stuff that gets me going, and your damn right I was going to help her smash this goal. Being somewhat of an old mate now, I see so much of myself in her. This had now become my goal too, but we didn’t do it alone… cue Uncle Kent (the absolute man!). He’s Aotearoa’s answer to wāhine in the water. He’s the kindest, most generous, and knowledgeable freediver/spearo out there, who is responsible for supporting so many women’s spearing journeys in Aotearoa.

A friend, mentor, and all round solid tāne, he is always keen on a mission and makes time and space for us at the drop of a hat. Salt Aotearoa, and myself personally, wouldn’t be where we are without him (he’s also single, gals!). I got the last minute callup from Kent about a mission he was going to do out to Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi/ The Poor Knights Islands one Sunday. I invited Benny the night before and it was all set, our big ocean adventure! It was a 5am start to drive up to Hikurangi from Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland to meet Uncle, then a roadie further north to Tutukaka where we’d launch. After some pre-dive poos (IYKYK), we set off for the islands. When we arrived, we started off the day by entering Rikoriko (apparently the largest sea cave in the world). Here, we mihi/pay tribute to Tangaroa and Hinemoana – our ocean atua/ personification of the natural elements, and karakia for the lives lost in the ocean here.

Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi are considered wahi tapu/sacred after the devastating bloodshed of the Ngāti Wai descendants in the 1820’s. It hasn’t been inhabited since, and we weren’t there to spear anything, but just experience the place. Once you put your head below the water, you quickly realise this place is magic. If you haven’t been there before, put it on your list! It’s breathtaking both above and below the water, and can be enjoyed either snorkelling, freediving, or SCUBA diving. There’s beauty to be experienced by all.

We were greeted with an ocean filled to the brim with life: clouds of pinkies; archaic snapper mixing around with their trevally buddies; schools of kingies; and a timid little shark. We spent our time immersed in the liquid world, warming up our lungs, and making friends with our new marine mates. After a morning of filling our wairua/spirit cups with this magic, it was then time to fill our tummies with snacks and move on to catch our own salty snacks (of the kaimoana variety). I’m always in awe of Kent’s knowledge of the area and how all the natural elements come into play. The sea was a little swelly (and pretty green) but this didn’t deter Benny – she was going to get her fish! So, Kent took us to a coastal reef on the way home and threw us in.

We started it off with a lesson on gun etiquette in the water. I knew she had the diving part down pat, but freediving with a gun in hand while trying to find your target (without scaring it) is a little different and can take some getting used to. We did a few drops to get familiar with the feeling and start to observe how the fish were moving and reacting, and then she was away. Keeping still on the bottom, she aimed, fired, and missed. This was good for me though – it meant I could teach her how to reload a gun, without the adrenaline of landing her first fish. I showed Benny how to reload, and she mastered the skill quickly and off she went again. This time, quiet and still, she aimed, fired, and gotttemmmmm!

The joy was REAL – for her and for me. This was way more exciting for me than getting my own fish – it was pure elation! There’s nothing better than a wahine toa catching her own kaimoana, ready to feed herself, her family and friends. Two blue maomao and a pigfish for the win. We had a quick in-water tutorial on how to dispatch, gut, and scale them, and then headed back to the waka to relish in the joy. There were hugs. There was screaming. The smiles were glued to our faces. She did it – of course, she did it! I could not have been prouder.

On our way home, we were spilling over with so much gratitude to Kent and the moana for our adventure. Then, at home, we had one final lesson on how to prepare her fish for the meals she had in mind – a mixture of filleting and keeping whole – and she was ready for a week of creativity in the kitchen. I cannot wait to see this girl continue on her journey!

At Salt Aotearoa, we reckon that learning to freedive before starting your spearing journey is the best way to learn to gather kaimoana. There are lots of transferable skills that crossover from freediving to spearing, from how to breathe up properly, relax your heart rate, and duck dive efficiently; to understanding the safety aspects – dive physiology, the risk of shallow water blackout, loss of motor control, and how to rescue others in dangerous situations.

By doing a freedive course you’ll learn all these things, which will help you be safe and enjoy the moana even more! There are freedive clubs across the motu/ country that run regular courses (as do most dive centres), so we recommend you sign up for one to start you on your own journey! Some words from Benny herself: “Being a newbie at something can be daunting, but embrace that fear and let it fuel you. We were all new to something at some point, so don’t let it stop you! Getting out of my comfort zone has been the most rewarding experience, but ultimately I do owe my freediving and spearing journey to Salt Aotearoa. 

It’s never too late to learn, get out there and find your people; find a dive course, join groups, put yourself and the energy out there and it will come back to you in return. I still have so much to learn, but I’m excited to continue to perfect my skills, learn new ones, make mistakes, go on missions, and then pass on my passion to others. Get out there, you won’t regret it!”

June 2022 - Renee Taylor
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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