Hawke’s Bay Freedom Divers Spearfishing club calls for new members to keep it from going under

A Hawke’s Bay club is on the hunt for friendly fishers of all levels to join them, but they won’t be standing on a beach or boat.

The Hawke’s Bay Freedom Divers Spearfishing Club, also known as the HB Spearos, has been operating since 1999 and is seeking new members to join their ranks.

Freedivers hold their breath for minutes at a time when diving, and don’t use oxygen tanks.

While freediving, divers take spear guns or similar tools to catch fish.

The Hawke's Bay Freedom Divers Club, aka HB Spearos, are on the hunt for new members.

Club president Gavin Herewini put the club’s current position bluntly.

“If we keep going the way we are, the club’s going to die,” he said.

“They’ve just elected me as president, so I really don’t want it to happen on my watch.

“It’s such a good club, and it’s the only club like it in the Hawke’s Bay - I just really want it to flourish.”

Herewini said the club is filled with great people who look out for one another.

“The boys are really good at making people feel at home,” he said.

“A lot of the time when bums are needed on seats for boats, people will reach out to the club and ask who’s keen, and off they go.”

There are also club competitions, road trips to free diving spots around the country, including to Great Barrier Island, and club beach days.

“That’s where we all meet up and do some spearfishing, have a barbecue, enjoy a couple of cold beverages,” Herewini said.

The club meets every second Wednesday to swap yarns and plan trips, and hang out.

Members of the Hawke's Bay Divers Spearfishing Club celebrate the fruits of their labour.

Club member David Scott joined after he moved to Hawke’s Bay from Wellington, and has been involved for the past “10 or 12 years”.

Scott calls freediving “totally different from anything else you can do”.

“You can have a reasonably good day in the water, get some crayfish and paua, and a few fish,” he said.

“So you can go out and do something fun, but when you get home, you’ve got something to show for it and something to eat.”

Scott says anyone can give freediving a try, whether it’s fishers looking for a new way to hunt or people who have never dived.

“We have quite a few people that come along that have no diving experience and someone will take them out and show them what to do and what gear they’ve got to get and, you know, where to go,” he said.

“There’s quite a good camaraderie amongst the members that show up, everyone’s really friendly.”

Scott recommends anyone interested in joining the club to head along to the Hawke’s Bay Sports Fishing on Thursday, September 25 at 6.30pm to meet the club and have a chat with champion spear fisherman Dwane Herbert.

Alternatively, the club can be contacted on Facebook at Freedom Divers Club HB Spearos.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.