Darren Shields has lost his best mate and nearly his own life and his son's life to spear fishing but it is something which still gives him a huge buzz.
Mr Shields, who has turned his passion for spear fishing into a successful career and business, was in Dunedin yesterday.
The 48-year-old talked to the Otago Student Spear Fishing and Hunting Club in the first of the club's Mahinga Kai talks last night.
His talk was the first of a series planned by the club in which people will discuss what the sea and the capture of fish means to them.
Mr Shields, of Auckland, told the Otago Daily Times spear fishing went back to man's prime instincts.
''At the end of the day, we are all hunters and gatherers. It is in our blood, to go out and catch animals,'' he said.
''If you have the right gear, you are fine. I could go out now, off Dunedin, and with the right gear swim all day.
''My dad is 71, has had a heart bypass and he can still get out there and catch fish.
''But it is a sport not without its dangers.
''Everyone talks about sharks, but shallow water blackouts are [spear fishers] biggest problems. I've lost a few mates. I lost my best friend a few years ago.
''You're diving down to 30m to then spear a fish - and that is a long way to get [back] up.
''A common question I get asked - in fact, the first question I always get asked - is how long I can hold my breath. But I don't want to say. It just encourages those young ones to try and do it. And they will get into trouble.
''I had three incidents before I was 20 when it happened to me. I was young and dumb, thought I could do it all. But I was lucky. There was someone there to rescue me. My son, Jackson, blacked out, but he was saved.''
The sport of spear fishing had grown and there were competitions around New Zealand. It involves competitors having to catch a list of fish, sometimes up to 20 different species, in an area off the coast in a limited time.
Mr Shields is a six-times national champion and his son, Jackson, and daughter Gemma are in the national team heading to the world championships in Peru next month.
The sport is in Mr Shields' blood. His love for it has grown into a business selling fishing equipment and wetsuits.
He said criticism of spear fishing stripping the coast of fish was unfounded.
''Sure, some guys do that. But we are the cleanest catch of any. We don't have any by-catch. We don't catch 10 undersized fish before getting the right size.
''I work on those fishing television shows which catch and release fish. A lot of those fish get released, go down to the sea floor and just die.''
