Our Organization

About Watermen's Alliance

A California-based organization protecting and promoting the future of spearfishing through advocacy, education, and community leadership across the state.

Watermen's Alliance member diving in California waters

Who We Are

Our Organization

Watermen's Alliance serves as a voice for California watermen when ocean access, policy, regulation, or public process affects the future of spearfishing. The organization brings together member clubs, individual advocates, and community supporters committed to responsible participation, stewardship, and long-term access.

We do not exist to govern or rank the sport. We exist to protect it. When regulators convene, when protected areas are proposed, or when public comment periods open, the Alliance ensures that informed, credible spearfishing representation is present in the room.

Our work is issue-driven and community-rooted. We engage when it matters — in the regulatory process, in public hearings, and in the broader conversation about the future of California's coastal waters.

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Our Background

History of the Alliance

Watermen's Alliance traces its roots to a period of growing pressure on California spearfishing access. As marine protected area expansions, regulatory changes, and evolving public policy began to reshape the landscape for California watermen, the need for a unified, credible organizational voice became clear.

The Alliance was formed to fill that gap — not as a dive club, but as a coordinated advocacy body. Bringing together member clubs, community leaders, and individual watermen from across the state, it created a structure capable of engaging in public processes, submitting formal commentary, and representing the spearfishing community with institutional credibility.

From the beginning, the organization has been grounded in a commitment to ethical participation and environmental respect. The Alliance holds that responsible spearfishing and sound ocean stewardship are not at odds — and that the strongest way to protect access over time is to consistently demonstrate that.

Today, Watermen's Alliance continues to serve as a coordinated resource for its member clubs, a point of contact for policymakers and regulators, and a voice for California's spearfishing community in public matters affecting the sport.

Board of Directors

Our Leadership

Watermen's Alliance is guided by experienced leaders with deep roots in California spearfishing, ocean access advocacy, and community organizing.

Josh Russo, President

Josh Russo

President

Josh Russo is an active member of the Northern California dive community and has spent years supporting diver education, safety, and responsible access. He has served in leadership, volunteer, and mentorship roles across the diving community and helps new divers better understand regulations, safe practices, and effective hunting.

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Josh Russo is an active member of the Northern California dive community for the last 10 years. Josh is on the board of directors for Diving For a Cause, an administrator on norcalunderwaterhunters.com, a member of the Solano County Dive Rescue Team, and also does volunteer work with several other organizations that help people recovering from substance abuse. For the last six years, Josh has been sharing his passion for the ocean with new divers as an assistant scuba instructor and licensed guide for spearfishing and abalone diving. He also created a mentor thread on NorCal Underwater Hunters that helps new divers find an experienced diver who can teach them how to understand the regulations, dive safely, and hunt effectively.

Brandi Easter, Vice President

Brandi Easter

Vice President

Brandi Easter has been involved in marine resource issues for decades and has represented recreational divers in major California policy processes. She brings deep advocacy experience, long-term diving knowledge, and a strong connection to responsible consumptive use issues.

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Brandi Easter was inspired by Bob Humphrey and Randy Fry. Brandi has been involved with issues related to marine resources since 1998–1999. She served as a Marine Life Protection Act Regional Working Group member from 2001–2002 and then served as a Regional Stakeholder Group member in the final implementation of the MLPA for the North Coast region from 2009–2012, representing the recreational consumptive diver in both cases. She has been a SCUBA diver for over 25 years and a freediver / spearfisherwoman for over 20 years. She also enjoys kayak angling and kayak crabbing. Brandi is a professional commercial advertising photographer.

Volker Hoehne, Chairman of the Board

Volker Hoehne

Chairman of the Board

Volker Hoehne brings decades of public policy, environmental mediation, and California diving experience to the Alliance. His background bridges advocacy, conservation, and long-term strategic leadership across coastal and environmental issues.

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Volker Hoehne has 27 years of public policy experience working on issues such as implementation of wild pig hunting tags, environmental mediation, the Marine Life Protection Act, red abalone management, and economic development in Silicon Valley. His experience serving as Chairman of Humboldt Mediation Services, Vice President of the San Diego Council of Divers, Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network, and the Sierra Club gives him an inclusive understanding of environmental interests. Thirty-six years of diving experience gave Volker spearfishing adventures in every California coastal community. He also enjoys SCUBA diving and deer hunting. Volker provides market and financial analysis for Fortune 100 companies such as Hewlett Packard, Sempra Energy, and Eastman Kodak.

Dr. Terry Maas, Secretary

Dr. Terry Maas

Secretary

Dr. Terry Maas is a veteran freediver, multiple-time U.S. National Spearfishing Champion, author, filmmaker, and marine resource advocate. His decades of experience in bluewater hunting, education, and conservation make him one of the most accomplished voices in the sport.

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Dr. Terry Maas is a veteran freediver. He started diving when he was 14 years old and has been freediving steadily for the last 47 years. In his early years, Terry won the individual U.S. National Spearfishing Championships four times, and his team won 10 championships. In 1982, his interests turned to bluewater hunting. Over the next 10 years he captured three world records for yellowfin and bluefin tuna, and his 398-pound Pacific bluefin tuna record still stands.

In 1995, Terry published his first book, BlueWater Hunting and Freediving, and later published Freedive. He studied marine biology in his undergraduate work at the University of California and holds three advanced degrees: Doctor of Dental Science from the University of the Pacific, Residency in Oral Surgery from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

His PBS video Bluewater Hunters has been viewed by over 25 million people and helped introduce the sport of bluewater spearfishing to a broad audience. Terry has served as director of the International Blue Water Spearfishing Records Committee, co-host for the Outdoor Channel series Speargun Hunter, and an active advocate for marine conservation and the rights of spearfishers.

Nicholas DuMong, Treasurer

Nicholas DuMong

Treasurer

Nicholas DuMong was raised in Santa Barbara and has spent his life around fishing, diving, and California coastal waters. He combines an aquatic biology background with a strong commitment to community, tradition, and the long-term future of the waterman lifestyle.

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Nicholas DuMong was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. His father instilled an early appreciation for all aspects of ocean activities. His earliest memories include fishing from the family boat, getting pushed into waves, and strapping on a mask and snorkel to explore local reefs. These activities led to his exploration of the California coastline from Northern California through the Baja Peninsula.

After high school, Nicholas attended UC Santa Barbara, where he received his degree in Aquatic Biology. Currently, Nicholas is employed in the property management field and is the president of the Santa Barbara Freedivers Club. He finds every opportunity to get out into the ocean, either on his boat or on a shore dive. Given the choice, there is no way he would rather spend his day than stalking through kelp forests in search of white seabass or climbing under a ledge to grab lobsters for a friends-and-family barbecue. He believes the best part of the waterman lifestyle is the tradition and community it creates, and he looks forward to passing those ocean traditions to the next generation of watermen.

Learn More About What We Stand For

Explore our mission and the principles that guide our advocacy work on behalf of California's spearfishing community.

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