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

December 30, 2007

The last weekend and dive of the year for 2007 went to a great charter. I guided the father, Chuck, and his two twenty-something year old kids, Charles and Matt, on a three-prong adventure. Sometimes going back to the basics can not only be important but a lot of fun too.

The father came into the store and said, “I would like to get into spearfishing with my two sons but I want them to be safe and to do it right and not just to kill everything that moves.” Perfect, I said, you are my kind of guy. Chuck picked up a Sea Horse three-prong and a few other things for the boys and left the store. The next day he was back to pick up a Spetton Sportline speargun. I said, wow, advancing quickly eh? He laughed and said, “Well, ya just gota try right?

The morning of the dive I went over the basics of breath holding, ear clearing, three prong and gun loading and use. Next we took the boat out to our reef destination, anchored the boat up and jumped in. For the first few minutes I just let the guys settle in and than brought them to a part of the reef that was about 15-20 feet deep where I dropped a three prong to the bottom. From there we practiced our breath holds, clearing our ears and laying motionless on the bottom. I was just about to give one of the guys some pointers when I looked over and saw a nice size Munu. I said, I'll be right back... just keep practicing.

I dropped down but expecting the Munu to swim away. I laid on the bottom and the Munu continued doing his thing about fifteen feet away. So I slowly crept up, aimed the Sea Horse 8 foot Graphite three-prong and let it fly. This was the first time I have used a three-prong in 5-6 years and before that day was another 7-8 years, so I didn't expect much, let alone hit the fish... but I stoned it! No way, I thought! This Munu I would have been proud to shoot with my big speargun but I stoned it with the three prong... I was stoked.

Swimming back to the guys I showed them the fish and let them know that if they see a fish like this to try and spear it because it is a good eating fish. We continued to practice laying on the bottom for a few more minutes than swam back to the boat for some mask repairs for one of the guys. We changed locations just for a different view and after some story telling, water and a snack we were ready to go back in.

We could instantly tell the water in this spot was much colder but the visibility was crystal clear and fish were everywhere. The cold got to Chuck and Charles pretty quick but Matt was willing to tough it out. Charles was also having some sinus issues preventing him from diving very deep. I still had my trusty-rusty 8 foot three-prong but Matt decided to bring along the 90 cm. Sportline speargun. I think he wanted to spear something big. All right, here we go.

I understand traveling and spearfishing can be very difficult because just knowing which fish to shoot can take a while to learn, let alone each fishes habits and areas they like to hang out. One by one I would find a fish, tell Matt a little about it than try and get it. Than he would try his luck and skill at landing the same type of fish. But it's not easy and as the saying goes, in Hawaii fish are easy to find but hard to spear, in California fish are hard to find but easy to spear. Of course there are exceptions but you get the idea.

At the end of the day we ended up with a nice little stringer of fish. The guys seemed to be a little discouraged about not spearing anything huge, but this isn't land hunting. It takes a lot more physical and psychological skill to freedive and spearfish than it does to shoot a Deer through a scope at 300 yards. Besides, Matt started the day barely able to dive 15 feet and ended the day diving 40-45 easily. Not a bad start, eh. Stay with it guys, you are doing just fine.

Peace,

December 16 Charter, 2007

Another group of divers dare to drop into the open ocean. An ever growing number of adventurers are taking advantage of our charter and to their benefit they are achieving things they never though possible.

Personally, I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of passing on my experiences and any knowledge gained along the way to these divers. So far we have been taking out many people who are avid reef spearfisherpeople that have not had the opportunity to hunt in the blue so just getting them comfortable in the new environment has been a key factor. This weekend we entertained Michael, Scott, Malcom, Brian and Dan.

It started off kinda slow, with one buoy broke off in our last big storm a few weeks ago, the choices were limited and distant. But everyone was in good spirits and the boat was fast so we made it to our destinations in no time. Another way of saying it is we made it to our destination fast... to find nothing. I always get a bit nervous when the first buoy we jump in at is absolutely dead. I mean DEAD... nothing at all. Oh boy!

However, like I said earlier, this charter is first time for many so getting the gear situated and the divers in and out of the boat easily and safely is the main goal at the beginning but sooner than latter we all start getting a little anxious for some fish action. Onto the next buoy yielded nothing as well but the current looked promising for the third and last buoy.

The water had definitely cooled off so as soon as we jumped in I felt that little trickle down the spine... you know that, Aaaaaaahhhhh... felling and than your voice goes falsetto all of the sudden... Ya well, even in Hawaii that happens. I can't believe I just complained about the temperature of the water in Hawaii...

We tossed some palu in the water and right away we had small Ahi and Aku all around us, but they were to fast to get a shot on. Besides, we were all waiting for something larger to show itself. Drift after drift, rotating the divers in and out of the water, we encountered pretty much the same thing, bait fish eating the bait. I look to my left and notice one of the guys slowly swimming in the direction of four (4) nice Ono coming up from the depths right up to the surface and only about 15 – 20 feet away. But, the Ono's were heading away and wouldn't turn around. Not long after they disappeared into the distance.

Well, the guys were stoked to see them and I was happy knowing something was at least in the area, so there was a chance we would see them again... A slim chance but none the less a chance. To my surprise it didn't take long for them to show up again, and right under the buoy! Wow, what a sight. Four nice Ono's about 20 – 40 pounds just hanging by the buoy totally calm. One of the guys, about forty feet away from us sees the Ono's and dives to get in position for a shot.

He shoots and misses but the Ono's stay around. Not only do they stay around but the largest of the four is heading right toward me and one of the other guys is two feet away from me with eyes as big as watermelons. Perfect, I think to myself. I lift my head and tell him, now drop down to about 5-10 feet and shoot when he turns broadside. He says, “Ok” as he shakes his head up and down... I could see his excitement. The fish swam to about three feet from the tip of his gun and he shoots... from the surface... and misses due to the moving surface water. Oh well, at least he got the experience and now he knows why to get off the surface before the shot.

December 9, 2007

Wow! Can you say SHARK? Sure you can. Man, what a day... Went out with three guys and only came back with two. No, just kidding but it was an exceptionally sharky day.

People ask me all the time, “Do you shoot fish when there are sharks around.?” Well, the answer to that question is kinda tricky for two basic reasons. The first reason is that people want to know how I do things, BUT, they are also asking me what I think THEY should do... and those are sometimes two very different things.

I'm sure you've seen that disclaimer “Don't try this at home...” Well, I can't tell you how true it is. I'm just human but I am a human with a lot of diving experience so because I like to play with sharks doesn't mean that sharks are suddenly harmless and anyone can pet them, NO. Sharks are extremely unpredictable and extremely dangerous, but after YEARS of experience through simple observation individual humans learn how sharks work and can predict their movements and behavior. But even the most experienced and knowledgeable diver knows that a shark can turn on them in an instant and literally tear them to shreds... even after a long and seemingly docile interaction.

When I take people out to dive that have little or no shark experience, my objective is to show them that most sharks can be enjoyed from a safe distance in the water. Inevitably, sooner or latter, the shark, or sharks, will come up close and personal. In that case I just tell people to keep the speargun between them and the shark and take their hand OFF the trigger. Also, it's vital NOT to swim away from the shark if it's heading in your general direction, as prey would run from the predator the shark will instinctually chase you.

Today, I'm diving with two guys, one named Jeff and the other, Yuri. As a courtesy, when I jump in the water first, I let the guys know on the boat if I see a shark down below, that way they are not surprised when they jump in. On this day I tell Jeff and Yuri, ok, one shark... ok two now... three... four... nine... ten... and they were all coming up to the palu (chum) line. Oh boy... Well, Yuri has never even seen a shark before so I told him he will get plenty of experience today. As would be expected, Yuri backed away from the first shark that came up to him. I reminded him not to back away and just to sit still with the gun between the shark and him. After the reminder, Yuri was a champ and enjoyed the rest of the day in the water with all the sharp-toothed critters.

Another boat next to us, with divers, experienced much the same as we did. Lots of sharks but they said they managed to spear one small Ahi (Yellow Fin Tuna) and the sharks ate it. So they decided to stay on the boat and fish instead.

After about an hour and many drifts by the buoy we hadn't seen any large game fish at all, only sharks. Finally, I jumped in the water and immediately noticed two Ono (Wahoo) coming up from the deep. I had already thrown some palu so I just sat still to see what the Ono's were going to do. Jeff and Yuri were still on the boat getting ready to jump in. I whispered, Ono, to them but they latter told me they never heard me say anything.

The Ono's swam all the way up to about six inches below the surface and kept me at their six-o'clock. As they were swimming away I slowly dove to about ten feet and leveled off, trying to look as small and un-intimidating as I could. The tactic worked and the larger of the two turned around and started heading back. From about seventy feet away the large Ono closed the gap to about forty feet, about twenty-five feet shy of my spearguns range with this upward-angle opportunity. I was forced to do something I don't like to and I started swimming toward the Ono to close the gap. I managed to get close enough but I could tell the Ono was getting twitchy and was getting ready to run, so I shot.

The Ono took off horizontally along the surface, at first. I gave chase but could not keep up. I watched my one Rob Allen foam float descend to about twenty feet and disappear into the distance. Right on target, Jeff and Yuri came and picked me with the boat so I could catch up with the now bobbing float. Navy Seal style, I jumped on my float while the boat was still moving... Not to smart but I was pumped. I knew the Ono was big and I also knew there were LOTS of sharks around so I had to get him up fast.

My eyes followed the stretched bungee tag line down to a tiring Ono surrounded by hungry sharks. The dark ominous figures circle the glistening silver-sided Ono ever closer. The seemingly lifeless Ono suddenly woke up and sped away as two sharks give chase. Luckily the Ono outruns the sharks so I start pulling at the bungee hand over hand as fast as I could. Again, another shark gives chase to the now exhausted Ono but the Ono manages to outmaneuver the shark. I see the Ono has done all that it could and I desperately pull with all my might realizing I may loose the fish by this action alone, but what choice did I have.

Finally, about forty feet below the surface the sharks start moving away. I continue to pull hastily. Now twenty feet below, I notice only one barb is holding a quarter inch piece of skin making the difference between the sharks enjoying a nice meal or the three of us divers sharing in the bounty. I had no idea how large the Ono was until I was holding it in my hand. I thought initially it was about thirty pounds but after pulling him on the boat we all guessed he was fifty-plus. Ok, that was exciting.

Oct. 13-14, 2007

Ironman World Championship brings hard bodies from around the world to flex their muscles for an endurance test of their lives. With many of the roads closed, and therefore Kona business as well, why not spend the weekend diving? And I can't think of a better way to rejuvenate my dive journals than to write about the spearfishing charter I guided for the two days this weekend!

The first buoy we jumped in at had one small Mahi, which was perfect for these eager Blue Water Hunters. Bryan Maffei from California is an avid land hunter, while Ryan Kilkenny and his brother Jordan are avid reef spearfishermen from right here in from Kailua-Kona, HI. However, the Mahi had other plans and seem to know every trick we threw at it and didn't let any of us get very close. We tried for a while but the Mahi seem to have enough of us and swam away for good.

Packing up our floats and securing our guns, we headed for the next buoy about six miles out to sea and six thousand feet of mind boggling depth. We pulled up to the buoy and not a boat in sight, which in my experience is not a good sign. So I guess it wasn't a big surprise that nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, was on the buoy. What left to do but to try again, so we packed up and headed for one of the south buoys. Well, guess what, here we were again, nothing.

Keeping positive I said, well we know there is one Mahi at the first buoy so we can go back and check it out? They all agreed so we sped back to our original destination after traveling around the entire Pacific. Well, not really, but it feels like it sometimes.

The first group jumped in and swam around for a while but we didn't see a whole lot. So we moved the boat back up current and Bryan and I got in. We were drifting close to the buoy when I noticed about fifty Hogi (pelagic trigger fish) turn jet black, from their usual light gray color, swarm up from the depths and ball up into a tight school. Next, I saw several Aku, or skip jack tuna, zip into the school of Hogi to hide. I looked around a bit and swam excitedly toward Bryan to ask him to keep his eyes open because something was coming! When all of the sudden, what I estimate to be about a 300 pound Marlin, swam about thirty or forty feet to our right side! Beautiful, dark black and looking mean! I made a half attempt to get into some sort of position to spear it but by the time we all turned to watch it, the Marlin was already on his way out.

Wow! Not only was the Marlin a great sight to see but it also scared the Mahi back underneath the buoy! Our day was up and all the chum was gone, it was time to go home. Bryan tried for a while to get close enough for a shot but the Mahi just didn't want to give in. I knew we had to get going, and I also knew the Mahi wasn't going to hang around much longer with us chasing it around, plus I figure it might be good for Bryan to “see it done” and to watch somebody the first time... so I shot the Mahi. The guys were stoked and insisted we go out the very next day.

We cut up the 25 pound fish and divided it between Bryan, Ryan, Jordan and I. I brought my piece to the local Chinese restaurant where they cooked it up with their world famous Honey Glaze Walnut sauce. Mmm mmm good.

And another beautiful morning it was. Just like the previous day, there was hardly a breath of wind. But we were planning to go north out of the harbor so the calm morning could quickly change to a gail force afternoon.

By the time we reached our destination we had talked about the previous day and went over the game plan for today. And finding no boats at this buoy, once again, was not a good sign. I jumped in before the other guys to check things out and to make sure there weren't any man eaters. To my pleasant surprise there was a Silky shark and hundreds of baby 5-10 pound Ahi swimming around. I told the guys about the shark so they wouldn't be too surprised and to my amazement they were actually excited to see it. Cool, my kinda guys!

They all got in and were able to have a shark encounter of the mellow kind. The shark came to within thirty feet of everyone so they were able to enjoy the animal from a comfortable distance rather than hands-on. After everyone had their fill we packed up once again and headed for an on-shore reef destination to try for some tasty reef species that tend to hang on the ledges and drop offs.

When we found our reef location we threw some chum to see what would come up. The Uku, which is a local favorite, showed up almost immediately but was very shy and kept some distance. We all swam in a group and shot a few small reef fish before we reached the deep water ledge about seventy feet below.

Once again, time had slipped away and it was almost time to go home. I asked the Captain to dump any remaining chum and told the guys to keep an eye for anything that may come up. We bobbed on the surface in a semi-circle while some of the guys made shallow dives just to see if something was coming up the dark, mysterious, shadowy ledge. I'm embarrassed to admit that all three of the guys saw something and I did not because I am supposed to be the guide and point everything out to them but I must have been too focused on their whereabouts and safety.

The chum had almost completely settled on the bottom as I breathed up for a final dive for the day. I simply planned on making a routine check while laying on the bottom as long as I can. I looked at the guys to make sure everyone was accounted for and no body else was beginning a dive. On my way down I just closed my eyes and relaxed to make my decent as slow and calm as I could. Just before I reached the bottom I opened my eyes and saw what looked like an upside down image of a small White Tip reef shark about ten feet away feeding on the settling chum. I thought to myself, oh cool, I haven't seen a reef shark in a while and spun around to lay on the bottom and face the reef shark. When I spun around I noticed it wasn't a reef shark but one of the largest Uku I have EVER seen!!!

I looked at my rubber bands to make sure I had all three loaded and pointed my gun at the Uku. Upon doing this the smart fish turned away and showed me nothing but tail. I took a shot but it fell short and the fish swam away only to get even larger for our next meeting. But that may be quite some time from this day.

Reaching the surface Bryan, Ryan and Jordan all exclaimed their disbelief at how large the fish was. And all I could say is, dam, I never saw it until I was almost on top of it. OUCH it hurts when I make a simple yet costly error. By not seeing the fish before I dropped on it I was not able to position myself for interception or to apply any technique to possibly attract the fish if it saw me coming. By the time I noticed what was likely a record Uku it was too late.

After it was all said and done the guys got to experience a Mahi, a Marlin, a Silky shark and an incredible Uku. Seriously, not a bad couple of days for what I would otherwise consider a slow time of year. However, if there is one thing I have to remind myself of is even if I think it's a “slow” time or “off season” I have often seen the most incredible things during those times.

Peace,

Jan. 1, 2007

New Years Day has always been a special day for me. It represents the obvious “new beginning” but what might not be so obvious is the history of great dives and luck I have had on New Years day. This year was no exception. After years of diving and spearfishing I truly enjoy simply watching the reactions of people when they see or experience something special.

Five of us venture out from Keahou Harbor around 7:00 am loaded with several spearguns, food, ice, chum and high hopes. Our first destination yielded very little so we headed to the next. Upon jumping in the water at the new location and a cast of slowly sinking palu (chum) brought up an abundance of 2-5 pound Aku and Ahi, which we consider bait fish. I looked deep below and noticed a slumbering figure cautiously watching our every move. I rose my head above the water and excitedly whispered, there is an Ahi down below!

Julie and Jackie were taking a break on the boat while Bill Morris, his son Roy and I were in the water. We communicated our plan of attack to limit excess movement and maximize our chance of success. Bill's equipment was best suited for this estimated 80 pound Ahi so Bill's son looked on while clinging to his gun with excitement staying close by his focused father. Bill and I swam down in unison like Synchronized swimmers so that I may capture the moment with moving pictures.

Our timing appeared perfect with one could-be major problem. A Oceanic White Tip shark was swimming straight up to Bill's face as he descended and the Ahi seem to use the shark as protection and hid directly behind it. With amazing calmness Bill gently nudged the shark with the handle of his gun than managed an excellent shot on the fast approaching Ahi.

The shot entered just behind the gill and stopped the Ahi dead in it's tracks for a moment, than it shuttered and threw it's head side to side like a bucking bronco, followed by all hell breaking loose. Bill passed me as he headed toward the surface just after the shot but I remained down to film the action from below. When the Ahi finally regained its composure, enough for a solid run toward the depths, I panned the camera up the tag line to capture the man battling his prey when I noticed something...

Looking through the camera lens, I caught Bill swimming quickly toward the surface but than he stopped and suddenly began to get pulled downward at a high rate of speed. Bill's tag-line had become entangled around his waist and arm and was being pulled along like a water skier behind a motor boat, but straight down! I only had a split second to think so I did the first thing that came to mind and reached for Bill as he was passing me toward the 6000 foot bottom. Suddenly Bill was swimming toward the surface again so I started the camera rolling once more from down below. Again, as I'm filming Bill pulling up the line I noticed the tag line becoming more and more entangled around Bill's body. I bolted toward the surface and yelled to Bill, watch out... you are getting tangled again! He replied, “He's gone, the Ahi broke the line!”

Back on the boat we assessed the Ahi broke free most likely when Bill became entangled in the tag line combined with me halting Bills descent to the depths. The pressure must have become too great for the 300 lb. Mono. We were very saddened by the loss of the incredible fish and the costly equipment but the cost of Bill's life is immeasurable.

We tucked our tails between our legs and headed for another destination. I gave Bill an old reef shaft I kept in the back of the boat so he had something to use for the rest of the day. We arrived at the next buoy and Bill jumped in. I was preparing some last minute adjustments on my gear when Bill yells, “Marlin!” I slowly entered the water and look around to see the Marlin about twenty feet from me circling the boat trying to get at an Aku it had chased up hiding under the boat.

This was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make but I asked Bill not to shoot the Marlin and swim back to the boat. I gave him my gun and asked him to attach my float to his float for added buoyancy. But by the time we jumped back in the water the Marlin was gone, never to be seen again. I knew we may lose the opportunity on the Marlin if we didn't take that first opportunity but we weren't set up properly and I couldn't stomach loosing two beautiful fish in one day so I took the chance. I guess you could say my decision was wrong but I don't believe in Hail-Mary shots or “I don't know how I got it” odds. I believe I did the right thing... but doing the right thing still hurts sometimes.

Only later would I find out a banana was on board!

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