MEMBER PROFILE
“My grandfather, who was a member of Outrigger, taught me how to three prong as a kid as well as basic diving skills.” until I finally landed another one,” he says. As for favorite spots, he’s keeping a tight lip. However, as chair of the Fishing & Boating committee, Salter is happy to share insider knowledge about the sport to those interested in learning more and giving it a shot. Actually, it was Salter who pushed for spearfishing to be included in OCC’s annual fishing tournament for the first time in its 13-year history. As a Club that fosters and promotes Hawaiian watersports, OCC has always had members who are avid fishermen and women, fishing from outrigger canoes or even sur²oards in the waters in front of the Club. In 2011, the Fishing & Boating Committee was formed and the Club began hosting annual fishing tournaments. Now in its 13th year, categories include motorized boat, human powered, shore angler and new to the tournament: spear fishing. Salter’s ea- ger to share his love of the sport with other members, just like his grandfather did. Jennifer Fratzke, the tournament’s director for the last five years, said spear- fishing has been a category on her radar for quite some time, and once Salter took over as chair of the committee, it was a
Salter says that moving forward, most, if not all, spearfishing tournaments will end up being invasive hun ng-based. So ge¥ing to know the invasive spe- cies in these waters is a win-win from a ecological perspec ve as well as a compe ve perspec ve!
no-brainer to finally add it. “I was so stoked to have an- other person with a similar passion for the sport join the team,” says Fratzke. The challenge of spearfishing is interwoven with the danger of it, so Salter intends to educate the next gen- eration about the sport, and ocean safety in general. He hopes this will serve as a means of prevention of future ocean-related accidents. For this reason, those participat- ing in the spearfishing category of the fishing tournament have to be with a partner—a rule Salter felt was necessary. To further highlight the importance of safety, he hopes to host more programs and provide training opportunities for members interested in spearfishing and freediving. In fact, Salter spearheaded a keiki clinic that was in- cluded in the fishing tournament, organizing two experts from Freedive Safe! Hawai‘i to teach about ocean safety. The 501(C)(3) nonprofit was founded in August 2020 by a team of freediving and spearfishing industry leaders to improve the safety instruction for communities in Hawai‘i and beyond, including the state’s youth. But, as Salter well knows, the excitement is worth
20 AMA | september / october 2023
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