How's the Diving on the Big Island of Hawaii?
An ongoing series of freediving journals by Rob White

October 9, 2005

Ok, this time it was I that was under the microscope of a writer for a popular magazine. I got to spearfish for the first time in a while but the luxury came at the price of having to perform on the one and only day the writer could make it. To say I had to earn my fish and the right to be in any magazine would be an understatement!

The writer brought his father along so they would have a chance to dive together in the bottomless blue and be able to write the story at the same time. The father was using a speargun he borrowed, which had neither a tag line, float or even a reel. The writer was using a big gun with an appropriate setup and me with my usual C4X.

And wouldn’t you know it, the first Mahi’s we came upon swam straight up to the least equipped diver, the father… and the Mahi’s were big! I see him point his gun at the Bull Mahi so I thought to myself, oh no, he’s going to loose his $700.00 borrowed gun. I think it was for the best that he missed the fish completely when he fired but the shot scared the Mahi’s away.

Half the day went by and we were far south when the usual trade winds started to pick up. Without seeing a thing on the other buoys we passed all of them as we headed toward home. The writer seem to be giving me the look of, ya, sure you are Mr. Blue Water Hunter guy… sure. The pressure was on!

Desperately, I stopped at one last buoy hoping I could spear something… anything. Dumping all the remaining palu (chum) I was counting on this last big hurrah to redeem any hope of fame and fortune… well, a story in a magazine at least.

Ok, it was something… at least they were fish… a quite amazing parade of medium sized Kamanu (Rainbow Runner) came in for a nibble so I seized the first opportunity to pick one out of the crowd. In my usual style I left the Kamanu down at about forty feet in the hopes of attracting some “larger” game. Possibly due to the struggling fish and the palu I noticed small Mahi Mahi joining the crowd of Kamanu eating the palu. The writer dropped down but for some reason stopped about half way and just sat there and watched. I gazed eagerly as the Mahi fed below and the writer, who had the biggest gun and it was loaded, just watched while he hung about thirty feet below the surface.

Upon the writer reaching the surface for some fresh air, I calmly asked, would you mind if I borrowed your gun for a moment? He generously handed it to me as I traded him my tag line with the Kamanu still dangling on the spear shaft. A quick breath I excitedly dove toward the mass of Kamanu, chum, Mahi, chum… did I mention how much chum was floating down? Enough to attract every shark in the Pacific but luckily there were none at this time.

I picked four Mahi out of all the action and chose the largest one. The sun hidden by the early afternoon clouds made for difficulty in determining the size and distance of the Mahi. My angle of approach, dropping downward, and the angle of the Mahi’s departure, upward and out, made for a “unique” upward/outward/downward/inward shot… Anyway, I lead the fish by a mile and shot a mile high. The shaft took an hour to arrive at it’s final destination, the fish, and boy was it NOT my finest work.

The shaft struck the fish inches from the tail itself but somehow was dead center where the bone would hold it. The Mahi didn’t like that very much so it pulled me around for a while, as you might imagine, but I couldn’t apply any pressure or the shaft might rip out. Within the Mahi’s struggle he pulled me right past the father, whose speargun was still loaded! As I came skipping past him I calmly asked through the wake of water before me and grabbed at the same time, can I borrow this, and pulled the gun from his hand for a backup shot.

I had shot three guns in a mater of minutes. I apologized for any abruptness or rudeness I may have caused to the other two divers and added, but ya-gota do-what-ya-gota-do. In all the commotion I managed to land two nice fish and gave the writer something to write about so I think/hope it was worth it. I can just see the headlines now… “Blue Water Diver steals guns from partners and leaves them defenseless amongst the oceans greatest predators!” Ya, that will do wonders for someone’s reputation.

One added benefit to the day, I got some pictures I have always wanted out of it. Ya see, Mahi’s change an amazing variety of colors like a chameleon. Most of us are familiar with the Green and some may be familiar with the florescent blue spots that erupt through the skin when the fish feels threatened or excited. But when they want to “disappear” or appear less threatening they change the most incredible blueish-silver that reflects the colors around it… and I’ve never seen a picture of it, until now!

Keep in mind these pictures are completely untouched. No coloring, enhancement, cropping… nothing… so the colors you see throughout the fish are the actual colors I was seeing with my own eyes and is why it fascinates me so much. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do.

Thank you mother ocean for the inspiration and beauty you naturally create.

October 2-3, 2005

Spearfishing never ceases to amaze me for many reasons… We go out with the hopes of catching big fish but many times our most memorable experiences are that of other marine animals and not game fish. It’s a good reminder to stop and smell the roses once in a while…

This weekend I took Deron Verbeck out for some adventure. Deron is The Blue Water Hunter’s Freediving instructor and has many impressive records to prove his worthiness. However, the poor guy trains so much for Freediving he rarely gets out to Spearfish! My inspiration was peaked to find Deron some fish when he told me he had never even seen a Mahi Mahi in the water before. WOW! Ok hommie, we go!

We checked a couple buoys but know body was home. Finally, we found a buoy that was holding… and boy was it. Deron brought his home made trusty-rusty speargun and I was armed with my video camera. Within a minute or so a squadron of Ono’s ranging from 20 – 35 pounds came straight at Deron and I right on the surface. Deron dropped down but the Ono’s seem to know this game and stayed just out of range time after time. We could see them clearly in the open blue water but they just seem to be talking to one another and telling each other when we were getting too close.

We packed up and left empty handed but I was happy because Deron didn’t waist any “bad shots” and wound any of the fish, which is the right thing to do… not to take “Hail Mary” shots so the fish goes off and dies somewhere else. With no fish but good karma we headed in the direction of home hoping to find something on the way, when a big black dorsal fin appeared.

In the distance we could see our coarse was merging with that of the Pilot whales so I slowed the motors and asked Deron if he’d like to get in? I was gambling that some Oceanic White Tips might be hunting with the Pilots and wanted to get some footage. Deron asked, “You WANT to find sharks…” as if I was totally out of my mind. Uhhh, YaAa! I responded like a “Valley Girl.”

Floating motionless on the surface, Deron and I watched the emerging parade of large black ghosts… but with a twist of tan color. Tan color…? Oh boy… Five Oceanic white tip sharks swam randomly around us as the Pilots frolicked, whistled, spy-hoped and tail slapped all around. There was so much going on to be captivated by but Deron and I were busy fending off the curious White Tips that we couldn’t really relax and enjoy the show. But hopefully you will when the video/show comes out.

Peace out…

September 18-19, 2005

A couple years ago I started a game with myself that I’ll now share with yall. I call it Determining Destiny…. Actually I just made that name up… you can tell haw? It all started at a prestigious Freediving and Spearfishing tournament held once a year, where all the top guys from around the state of Hawaii come to the Big Island. A dinner is given the evening before the tournament and is where all the competitors, organizers etc. would gather and go over the rules and answer any questions. I gazed around the room, stopping for a moment on each competitor and imagined him winning the tournament. Realizing they all couldn’t win, but knowing someone had to, encouraged me to play the game in my head and try to predict who the winner might be. I know it sounds stupid and impossible but, nonetheless, fun for me. Anyway, I turned to my dive partner Garrett and said something like, isn’t it strange to think that someone in this room is going to win tomorrow and they don’t even know it? Of course he looked at me and smiled like I had three heads and ten eyes. Ironically, Garrett and I won the tournament the next day. The next time you go on a dive with some friends or a big boat full of people you don’t know, look around and try to predict who is going to catch the biggest fish of the day or something. You might be surprised at the things you learn about others… but mostly about yourself.

Your probably asking yourself what my little game has to do with diving this weekend? The relation here is I played the game at the beginning of the day and you’d never guess how the day turned out… It was equally as incredible to me as winning the lottery.

I met Bill Morris a few years ago and he struck me as someone who truly appreciated life… and death. As mostly a land hunter, Bill has dipped his feet into the cool ocean blue many times but humbly states his abilities are that of an intermediate diver. Little does Bill realize that in my opinion a diver is not measured by the size of fish he has speared or even how often he is able to dive, it is the quality of each individual experience and the connection made to the environment but mostly his ability to blend in and be accepted by the animals in his immediate surroundings.

Day one turned out to be similar to that of last weekend, “a day of working out the bugs,” which is very normal and expected from visitors. And staying true to form, Bill retained his positive attitude throughout what would have normally been a frustrating day and realized how lucky we are for simply having the opportunity to be out on the water in such an amazing place like Hawaii. Ending the first day early enough to save energy for the next day of diving we headed homeward.

The next morning both Bill and I had a renewed interest toward a new dawning, which inspired me to play Determining Destiny. Since we had seen fish at UU Buoy the day before I wasted no time and shot straight to it. Arriving at the buoy, Bill and I began to suit up when Bill says, “I’m going to try something a little different this time, so, we’ll see if I can get close enough for a shot.” Sounds good, I replied thinking of Bill Bennit the previous weekend (see Journal Sep. 11-12) that’s exactly what I wanted to hear!

Again, as I have stated in the recent-past Journals we will all have to wait to watch the video to see the incredible interaction with the fish Bill and I had at UU buoy… but that’s not all… With an incredible start to the day the clouds started rolling in like they do every afternoon between 1pm to about 5pm, we decided to check one more buoy.

Dazed from all the excitement up to this point combined with the usual sun-drunk feeling and dehydration Bill and I were less than energetic to suit up and get in again. But upon entering the deep purple, cloud casted, afternoon water I made a mental note that the common pelagic Trigger Fish, which are usually gray in color, were jet black, which usually means they are VERY scared. Within thirty seconds or so I turn around behind me, doing my usual visual sweep and noticed something black colored a bit behind me… but it didn’t look like a black Trigger Fish.

I whipped around and immediately started filming the Marlin that was on the surface of the water and heading straight for me about forty-feet away. The Marlin turned and paced back and forth slowly sizing up Bill and I who were on the opposite side of the boat from the Marlin. I thought to myself, why is he here right now and stared looking around (see Journal Aug 13-14)? I noticed a small Aku pacing nervously underneath the boat that was badly scratched up undoubtedly from the Marlins Bill.

For the next three or four minutes I filmed some of the most incredible footage I never imagined I would ever get. This, as well, we will all have to wait and see when the video, or otherwise, comes out. So stay tuned.

There is obviously no way I could have predicted a day like this while playing the Determining Destiny game… HOWEVER… I have in fact ran the scenario soooooooooo many times in my head that a sigh of relief came with the realization of FINALLY… finally I got to swim with such an incredible fish, a Marlin, and the footage to prove it rather than simply a dream or a story.

Thank you Hawaii for keeping me alive.

September 11-12, 2005

Last weekend was so incredible how can it get any better? Well, I’m not going to imply this weekend diving with Bill Bennit was “better” but nature can definitely keep the good times roll’n. Perhaps seeing events unfold through the unjaded eyes of Bill, who is on vacation to Hawaii and doesn’t get to dive as often as he dreams about it that makes everything appear more significant to me… or it was just another bad-ass weekend?

The first day was mellow and the conditions were good. Bill explained with a smile, “This day will probably be the day to work out the bugs since it’s been so long.” Boy, were we about to work the bugs out and fast!!! Entering the bottomless blue water we distributed an offering of palu (chum) to the sea gods. As the palu slowly drifted downward Bill and I situated ourselves within our neoprene confines and peripheral weapons of choice. An eruption of Aku racing for the palu bounced off one another like an entire professional football team trying to fit through a narrow doorway, Bill’s head dancing in all directions to capture all the movement and watching for any slightly “unusual” shape. Through that narrow doorway came a shape more menacing than any football player rushing for the winning T.D. Two girthy Oceanic White Tip sharks slam their way through the front line and commenced devouring the goal.

I dropped down to film the frenzy only to turn in time to see one of the sharks coming up on my fins, fast! I whipped around to confront the one while the other now turned in my direction for an interception. I must have missed the huddle where the two gray-suited toothed tormenters planned their tag-team. Bill and I played this game time and time again before we decided the gray team had won this round and exited the arena.

With ruffled feathers we wicked the water from our coats and flew to our next wet landing. We foraged through the drift at C-Buoy and managed to unearth the presence of a beautiful Ono barely two feet from the surface and arcing curiously around us. Bill dipped slowly causing the Ono to swim directly in front of his speargun and WHAM, Bill fired! The Ono headed for the depths and the line suddenly became limp. I couldn’t believe it, I saw the shaft hit well… It turns out that the cable on Bill’s Alexander slip-tip broke in half so he ended up loosing the fish and the tip. Ouch!

Bill reloaded his back-up shaft and off we went to the next spot. Arriving at UU Buoy we were greeted with several Mahi Mahi. Bill reminded me that the day was for “working the bugs out” after missing shots on the cautious Mahi’s. We ended the day shortly thereafter deciding to save our energy for the following day.

We headed straight for the same buoy the next morning and there the Mahi stayed, parading around in a seemingly more relaxed state than the day before. Bill took the opportunity and dove time and time again but just couldn’t get the right opportunity to present itself. Back on the boat I asked Bill what he would like to do? He pulled in a big breath and said as he exhaled, “Bring me back up current one more time so I can try one more thing.” I smiled and steered us for the best drift position.

I noticed something different coming from Bill like I have so many times before from other divers at times like this. A person, depending on their character and the situation, will either give up and be done with it or they will become extremely focused and “want to give it one last try.” Believe it or not I have found most divers will be successful on that last try due to their focus, concentration and selective, deliberate movement limiting their mental insecurities and pressure while acting physically precise yet non-intimidating due to the inherent “nothing to loose” mentality. Ironically, this is how a diver should strive to be at all times.

Bill let the spear fly and it impacted the closest Mahi well. With a short struggle Bill gained control and subdued the Mahi before boating it. With the Monkey (or Mahi) off his back, Bill seem to find a second wind and we both wanted more. Jumping back in for one final drift past the big yellow buoy the Mahi’s seem to have caught wind of our objective and left for less hazardous waters. I had already pulled myself up onto the side of the boat when I notice Bill unloading his gun but concentrating on something in the distance. His motion and demeanor changed and I knew he was back on the hunt. Before I could even get back in the water he had shot another Mahi and was fighting it.

Capturing these events on video as they unfold was priceless. The expression of excitement coupled with the struggling fish on the face of a man who truly appreciates every second of living and diving account for the lack of words that only a picture… or video… can describe.

September 4, 2005

Sharks, sharks and more sharks… the nightmares of many, us divers face the reality of being part of the food chain more often than most people can ever imagine. The martial art of Blue Water Hunting and handling sharks is reactive and defensive but sometimes aggressive. One must play off the action and reaction of his foe and match his movements but anticipate the unexpected yet be at peace within and outwardly unattached. Oh ya, and shoot a fish too…

That kid with glasses we use to tease in grade school by calling him four-eyes… boy, what I wouldn’t give to have had 4-eyes this weekend. What started as one of the most unproductive and frustrating days EVER, turned out to be one of the most memorable. Check this out… First, I broke my cooler last weekend and didn’t remember I broke my cooler until I wanted to put the days ice in it, today. Second, I went to get ice and the ice place was “out of business.” So, luckily Garrett had his cooler with him but he still had to run to the store to get some ice. Finally, we get the boat in the water and head south to VV Buoy… just to find three divers getting out of the water and back onto their boat. OH MAN…!

Talking with the other divers they mentioned that the buoy didn’t have any fish hanging around but there was a shark. Well, that’s cool, I thought, at least I could jump in with my new HD camera and get some cool shark stuff… But NoooooOOOOOOoooooooo… Boogernose-Bucktooth-Donkey-Breath (yes, that would be me) forgot to bring his camera!

Realizing these other divers had a WAY faster boat and that they would be able to hit all the buoys before we even got to the first one, Garrett and I decided to go north and do some reef diving. And since we are going by the harbor again I might as well pick up my camera that was sitting in my truck… ahhh, what a Donkey.

Finally, after some difficulty finding a place to anchor, we landed. The wind was already starting to pick up so the water was like a washing machine and was slapping me upside the head, both sides… kinda reminds me of my dad when I wouldn’t listen to him. Anyway, at least we were in the water. But WHERE are the fish?

We dove for about two hours and barely saw three fish worth spearing. One nice Uku came in but he was following the train tracks and kept on chugging. I’m sure was beginning to get noticeably frustrated so by the time I asked Garrett if we should try something else he readily agreed. Thank you Garrett.

Pulling up anchor we headed back toward the harbor. I said, Garrett would you mind if we shot by the buoy so I get some shark stuff to at least make all this running around worth while? He said, “No problem,” well aware that anything can happen out there with big fish and all.

Arriving at VV Buoy there was not a boat to be seen for miles, which historically is NOT a very good sign, but ya-gota-go when ya-gota-go. We jumped in and OH MY GOD!!! We were surrounded by… well… everything! There was soooooooo much action I didn’t know where to point my camera first so it turned out to be a scrambling mess of nothing for the first few minutes. Garrett didn’t pull the trigger, which was a good thing, possibly for the same reason, and realizing we had all of this to ourselves was… incredible!

Watching all the billions of Aku and Shibi mixed in with about six to eight Mahi Mahi and two Galapagos Sharks was somewhat overwhelming. Getting back on the boat, so we could move up current again, I had to let out a yell! Garrett had a big yet focused smile on his face where I could see him collaborating all the data and calculating possible outcomes to determine, ultimately, the most successful results.

For the next hour or two Garrett and I shared in one of the most inspiring days in the water I have EVER had! I don’t want to say what exactly happened because we will all have to wait for the footage to come out in one form or another around six months to a year from now. I did my best to transcribe to anyone who wasn’t there in the water with Garrett and I to take part in the moment(s). I hope you will appreciate the day even a fraction as much as Garrett and I did.

It’s days like this that remind me to never give up, to never stop trying even when it feels like it’s not worth it any longer, that sometimes the best things happen after you put your time in… where hard work and persistence pay off. And I didn’t have to travel to Mexico or the South Pacific and spend thousands of dollars. All this was on my weekend… in my back yard!

Sometimes life is simply beautiful.

August 29, 2005

Buying and selling real estate can be fun and exciting in today’s market but when you’re buying and selling your own home and the place you’re buying isn’t ready to move into and you already sold the place you were living… the place(s) you sleep can make life “interesting.” With my stress level exploding the stress-ometer I needed a good day of diving, to say the least. But sometimes you don’t get what you ask for, at least not the way you might expect it.

Much like a virus, stress can mutate and work itself into other facets of life that are completely unrelated to what is causing the stress in the first place, and this day was no exception; I was becoming frustrated by the simplest things. It was only Wayne Levin and I on the boat this day but I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders when it should have been a day to recharge my mental batteries. We attempted to dive back on the reef but after missing every shot I took I decided to take a moment to myself.

Wayne saw me sitting on the boat and asked, “Are you coming?” I replied, no, go ahead, I’m having a moment. Wayne swam off shaking his head. I opened a drink and a bag of BBQ chips which I proceeded to devour handful after handful totally uncaring of the collection of gunk on my face hands and stomach. I looked like a kid who just finished eating dirt and was proud of it.

Now falling asleep with chips hanging out of my mouth and my hand still in the bag Wayne woke me with a, “Hay Rob, there’s some strange looking fish behind the boat that just keeps swimming in circles.” I jumped and spat half a mouthful out asking, what does it look like?!? Wayne says, “Well, it’s just kinda plain and hard to describe…” I threw my stuff on and jumped in the water… I guess I should finish chewing now… I looked down and saw the distinct shape of a good size Uku, so I loaded all three bands.

He started swimming away but it was either the chips on my lips or the knife that I dropped but the Uku turned around and came right back. I dropped down and he swam right up to me so I took the first opportunity he offered and made good on the release. The Uku ran, stumbled then fell. I obliged and gently located the spear shaft with little struggle.

The entire episode took approximately two minutes from the moment Wayne first mentioned the fish hanging by the boat to landing my next feast and personal favorite fish. All aboard I looked at Wayne and laughed, I said, thank you Wayne… you have no idea how much I needed that!

Black and White pictures taken by:

Wayne Levin
Wayne Levin Photography
(808) 328-9036

http://waynelevinimages.com/
All rights reserved.

August 13-14, 2005

I have mentioned in past journal entries different sayings that I believe in and remind myself of, or are reminded of by others. One of my favorite sayings and a way to describe what spearfishing is like for me to a fledgling learning to fly (otherwise know as a youngster learning to spearfish) is, I consider spearfishing snorkeling with a speargun… Mother Ocean will show us many beautiful things and if you see something you would like to take home for dinner, than you can. Leave the rest for latter, like candy in a jar.

Past journal entries have mentioned the name Tobin Berry, a good friend and who was on leave from the military for this weekends dive. I also confirmed a spot on the boat for Wayne Levin, who was last journal entries amazing B&W photographer. And me, I brought my speargun on the boat but had to commit myself to utilizing my new HD Underwater camera in pursuit of, well, we’ll see…

If you didn’t know, now you will… In Hawaii, bananas are considered bad luck to bring on a boat, much less a fishing or diving boat. Well, someone who will remain nameless, had brought a beautiful bundle of Apple Bananas in his mini-cooler which he cordially offered to throw them away upon our dismay. Well, we didn’t want to waste food… right… that’s the right thing to do… right??? WRONG!!! Not two minutes after the decision to keep the bananas I broke the steering on the port motor. Luckily, it was stuck straight and the starboard motor turned about ten percent of what it was supposed to able to turn. Most people would have called it a day right there, but not us. But the bad luck didn’t end with the steering, that was just the beginning…

On day one we found OTEC Buoy, after some GPS issues, far North of the main Harbor. To our disappointment the significant commitment to go to OTEC Buoy was fruitless. After a few drifts past the Buoy we packed up and headed for VV Buoy, which is South of the Harbor. After the relatively long journey we arrived to VV and noticed right away that the current was dead, which is NOT a very good sign, but ya gota try right?!?

I guess you can say it wasn’t much of a surprise that we didn’t see anything, but after a couple hours and two boxes of palu (chum) we didn’t have much hope of spearing anything or even getting any pictures etc. I made the decision to head back for the boat and gave the guys a hand signal to save our energy for the next days dive. I was about twenty feet ahead of Tobin and Wayne when I did a routine buddy-check and glanced back to make sure nothing was chewing on their fins. I noticed some movement out of the depths as my eyes focused on the larger of two shapes.

I have seen so many videos and pictures of Marlin but have never seen one with my own eyes in the water. This “small” Blue Marlin, I estimate at around 120 – 150 pounds, was chasing a “small-er” Ahi when the Ahi decided to take cover underneath, I mean RIGHT underneath, Tobin. Tobin’s description explained the Ahi “hitting him in the chest.” There was nothing I could do but subtlety point in awe of the incredible sight before me. I put my faith in the Marlin’s aim and abilities as its bill passed inches from Tobin’s mid section trying to strike the Ahi, without Tobin even knowing he was there, yet.

Tobin noticed the Ahi was trying to hide, but from what? He looked around and met the stare of the Marlin as it broke off from the chase of the Ahi to reevaluate the situation and circle the divers. Very calmly the Marlin swam out and slightly away. Tobin, focused on the huge shape, followed it with his drawn gun but remained calm enough to time his shot and wait for the best opportunity. Wayne Levin managed to pop off a few shots of his own and managed to capture the very moment Tobin’s spear shaft hit the Marlin thus the hazy “moving” shot where black & white photography is usually extremely crisp and precise. PERFECT Wayne!!! I still don’t know how you did it?!?

And me with the video camera… by the time my video camera turned itself on, the action was mostly over. I got Tobin’s float zipping through the water… All in all, from the moment I saw the Marlin come up chasing the Ahi to the time Tobin took the shot couldn’t have been more than four (4) seconds. What can I say but DAMMIT!!!

We stayed at VV Buoy for a little longer and drifted a few more times without any luck. Tobin managed to spear a nice Kamanu (Rainbow Runner) for dinner but anything would seem minuscule after what we just experienced with the Marlin so we called it a day.

It was obvious what was on our focused mind as we met the next morning for another dive. As soon as I pulled up with the boat Tobin came up to me and said, “He got it, Wayne got the Marlin on film!” I jumped out of my truck before I had even stopped and ran to where Wayne was standing next to the open door of his car. He was shuffling through the pictures of the previous day trying to find copies of the Marlin pictures for me to keep. As soon as the pictures came into sight I snatched them from his hand like a kid snatching candy during Halloween. I couldn’t believe it! How did you do it Wayne, how did you do it???

After seeing Wayne’s pictures I was satisfied and ready to call it a day… but I guess we should go out since I made the effort to get out of bed this morning. I had to laugh when I asked the guys, where would you like to go this morning? Durrrrrrrr…

I have never seen two guys more focused when entering the water. Upon lifting their heads out of the water I said, I notice you guys are looking behind yourselves a bit more, aren’t you? We all laughed.

This day provided no fish, well, except for the large toothy kind. I don’t know what is more exciting for me, game fish or sharks? I guess it depends on weather I’m hunting with my gun or my camera. I am especially excited this day because I have my new High Definition camera and I’m looking for a large subject to practice on, so this is a perfect opportunity!

A short day with only the shark to tease us, we recapped the weekend realizing the brief moments we shared interacting with the marine environment is what keeps us coming back time and time again. And the Bananas… well, after breaking the steering, driving the boat all the way to OTEC Buoy and no fish, loosing a Marlin on what seemed to have been a sure-shot… I’ll leave the Bananas home next time. By the way, what does snorkeling with a speargun have to do with anything??? Because the fish you bring home is sometimes not as important as the memories. Enjoy each moment like it’s the last. And if you can, bring a cameraman along with ya!

Mahalo Hawaii!

Black and White pictures taken by:

Wayne Levin
Wayne Levin Photography
(808) 328-9036

http://waynelevinimages.com/
All rights reserved.

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