Kimi Werner, a Native Hawaiian who grew up in a remote part of Maui, was introduced to spearfishing at a young age. She often accompanied her father, who went freediving in search of wild fish to feed their family. But Werner didn’t spearfish on her own until the age of 24. She quickly became obsessed with the sport and started reaching new depths, catching and cooking new types of fish, and eventually competing. After winning trophies, her relationship with the ocean changed. Werner left the competition world and, eventually, found a way to reconnect with the sea and the sport that had transformed her life.
Here’s Kimi Werner’s story, as told to writer Julia Ries.
I was introduced to spearfishing when I was five years old. I grew up in a rural part of Maui, and at the time, my family had little money. My dad would go freediving and spearfishing just to put food on the table. He said if I could keep up, I could tag along. So, he’d put me on his back, and we’d hike down cliffs and jump into water that was 30 to 40 feet deep.
I didn’t have a spear, just a snorkel, mask, and rubber fins, but I absolutely…
