Kyle Morris is a life-long passionate fisherman with ten years of diving under his belt. Sometimes, that means taking one for the team.

He began fishing aged three or four at Great Barrier catching snapper with his father, and has been fishing at Motunau since he was around 17 years old. He says he typically dives for crays then fishes for cod.

“This day, I went down and there wasn’t much happening with the crays. I got a moki with the spear gun but the chum in the water attracted blue cod and they went into a bit of a feeding frenzy.”

One of the cod bit Kyle on the face. But he had his revenge. “I got him with the spear gun.”

He says it wasn’t til he got back on the boat with the fish that he realised there would be a lasting reminder of the dive. “My Dad and brother asked what had happened to my face - I said; ‘This bloke here’.

Kyle still has the scar under his beard to prove it.

Undeterred, Kyle is still enjoying diving, and fishing along with his wife Celeste who he introduced to the sport. And he can’t wait to have his two under-2s starting by fishing off the wharf for spotties once they’re old enough.

A busy father and site manager, Kyle says fishing is a great way to relax and wind-down. “It’s one of my favourite hobbies.”