Kill Roi Day

Today Ammon, Josh and I dove Breakwall.

After picking Ammon up we headed down to the dive spot. The conditions were perfect with no wind and good visibility. We jumped in late morning around 10:15am. We swam out to the same exact ledge where we saw the tiger a couple days before.

Not seeing much I decided to shoot some rois. Using "Ammon's technique" I was able to get a good shot off on one which was the first fish of the day to add on the stringer. I see uhus and try to take drops, but since its late in the morning they refuse to come within range. We continue further and see a big Mu pile with some "makoons".

After trying to take drops on the pile, they also refuse to come in. We swim further out and to the right and I see yet another roi. I take a drop and lay on the bottom waiting for it to come within range. A small moana kali comes in and I take a shot and am able to land it.

Ammon shoots a big roi and we both see a baby fish fall out of its mouth dead. Swimming on further Josh launches a shot at a big kumu but misses and ends up getting his shaft stuck in the reef. After two tries he can't budge the shaft. I go down and after pulling, pushing and turning am finally able to get it free.

We head in and end up with 6 Rois, 1 menpachi, 1 Toau and 1 Kali. After getting out I happily eat my Kalua bowl in front of Ammon. (After he offered me fresh kalua for his bros wedding).

First Tiger Experience

Today....Shark....a BIG one.

Josh and I went diving out on the Kawaihae Breakwall today. He wanted to test out his new shaft that was customized for his 125cm aimrite. I decided to use my 90cm HHead in hopes of shooting some rois and small game. I also got to use my "daisy chain" for the first time.

We jumped in late around 10:15 am. Swimming out to the ledge we see a few uhu here and there but nothing big. We finally get to the ledge and I decide to anchor my float. I see two decent sized joes but they are skiddish. I start to watch Josh stalk a toau when I see a good size Mu outta the corner of my eye...

The Mu looks curious so I take a drop and find a good reef depression to hide in. I make sure my whole body is well concealed and grab a rock an start scratching. I take a quick peek from behind the ledge and to my surprise the Mu is coming towards me! I put my head down and wait a little longer...

The next thing I know the Mu is right above me! I aim and fire my 90cm and the Mu takes off in a flash. He holes up and I try to call Josh over. Swimming towards me Josh takes a drop and just as he reaches the cave the Mu manages to rip off! I follow him from the top and lose him in a deep crack. :'(

We decide to swim back to the float and work the ledge. Upon reaching the float I look towards the surface above the sand and see an small shape approaching from the distance. Not sure what it was it came closer and closer. My first impression was that it was a whale shark due to the massive girth and size. As he finally came into range I realized it was a "makoon" tiger shark! She looked to be about 12-15ft long!

She came in straight at me reaching about 10-15ft. I raised my HHead 90cm realizing that this was the only thing between me and her. She turned broadside and gave us a glimpse of her massive size and stripes! Luckily she wasn't aggressive and vanished in a blink.

Josh looked up at me and his eyes were big like menpachis! "We go in?!" he said. I tried my hardest not to laugh and said "ya lets head in". On the swim back I kept laughing and he kept saying "F*ck I wish the truck was a little closer!" hahaha.

We noticed two other divers and decided to warn them. Josh told them "tiger shark" and before we knew it they swam in faster than we did! Just as we were about to reach the stairs I see a good sized Alaihi and fire. After stringing the red fish up we called it a day. We washed our gear down at the harbor, ate some Earl's bento rolls and stopped at Seafood Bar for a few brewskies laughing and retelling our account of "Unko Tony".

I was happy that we both came back in one piece and have gained even more respect for the ocean and its tenants.

1st day of School=Reds

After graduating from college it felt weird not to be in school when all my friends were starting their first day. The weather and water conditions were pretty nice so Ammon, Josh and I decided to do a dive out on the Hamakua Coast. I had a hard time choosing between my speargun and 3 prong. I finally chose my 3 prong and we decided to all use 3 prongs. We jumped in around 8:30am and swam to the left.

The water was nice and there was no wind. I took a few drops early in the dive and started to check in between the boulders and under the ledges. After finding 2 menpachi holes and picking up some red fish, I swam towards a steep drop off. Reaching the edge, I see 2 small kumus and one good sized one! Armed with only my 3 prong, I knew that I would have to get really close to get a good shot off. I started a quiet descent slowly kicking down towards them. Upon seeing my presence the kumu starts to veer off. I keep swimming down and angle my attention away from him. I hit the bottom and give two soft grunts.

To my surprise I peek over a rock and see the kumu heading straight towards me! I slowly turn my right arm and take a reaction aim and get a good shot off! As I start to ascend im smiling and admiring the beauty of this prized fish! After a couple of cheers and high fives we start to swim further down. We find more menpachi and decide to head back. Ammon also picks up a nice sized kumu, a toau and some menpachi.

All in all today was a good dive!

A Short Dive

Todays dive was a short one. The conditions have been prime with small surf and no wind along the Hamakua coast. Ammon, Kealii, Josh and I decided to do a early morning dive. Ammon and Kealii arrived at my house around 7am and we loaded up and jumped in. We waited for Josh at Earl's Snack Shop. Everyone was itching to get into the water and the wait seemed like forever. We finally met up and drove down to the spot.

Upon hiking down the conditions were perfect. We jumped in and I stuck with Josh while Ammon stayed with Kealii. I followed a ledge out and saw a big blue whiptail peeking out. I took a drop down current, hit the bottom and snuck up towards the ledge. Peeking over I could see the big face of a big blue uhu. I lined up for the shot and squeezed my trigger. I swam up and saw it was a good holding shot. With an uhu on the stringer I could feel my dive mode start to kick in.

We started to swim further and Josh reported not feeling so good. He started to palu the water around us due to feeling sea sick! We signaled to Ammon guys that we were going to head in. Even though it was a short dive it felt good to get in the water again.

Diving with Dad

Today was one of those rare days where the conditions were almost perfect for diving off the beautiful hamakua coast. I was lucky enough that on this same day my dad was off from work. We decided to do a morning dive since there was a slight high tide. All this past week, the winds have been gusty. However today, there was no wind at all.

I decide to test out my bumper buoy rig that my friend Troy had helped me with. I also wanted to test out my flashers which were finally finished after 3 coats of clear casting resin had been applied. I checked my freezer and found two ziplocs of anchovies from the last dive Nick and I went on.

Soon after breakfast my dad and I load up the truck and drive down to one of our favorite spots to dive. Upon reaching our destination, I make quick note that the wind and water was almost perfect. We spotted a truck parked on top and I started to pray that they would let us jump in. We quickly suited up and hiked down.

There were two fishermen there who stayed and fished all night. They were friendly and allowed us to jump in since they were leaving. The water was the nicest I've seen it all summer. We started to swim to the right and stayed right along the ledge looking for some big game. Seeing nothing we decided to head in a ways to work the reef. I come across a nice fish pile with a good size Mu and Joe. I take a drop on the Mu and am just about to level off when the fish spook.

We continue to swim and I see yet another Mu which quickly evades me upon noticing my presence. I decide to head to really shallow water so my dad can pick up some kole. I see this good size omilu swimming slowly and throw a spoon but he bolts and doesn't want anything to do with me. We finally come to the pinnacle and my dad starts shooting koles. I see a Mu in the distance and notice that he is curious. I take a drop and hide behind a big bolder. I flatten my body as much as possible and take a quick peek to see the Mu swimming towards me. I look down and stay as still. The Mu finally swims within gun range and I get a good shot!

Since the water was nice we decide to swim out past the ledge in search of onos. I start to lower my flashers and start to chum. We drift for about an hour and see nothing. Swimming back in we decide to call it a day.

Windy Dive

The winds have been really blowing lately. A quick check on the surf report revealed that it was ok to dive. I called Ammon up the day before and he was still feeling sick with his sinuses bothering him. We ended up going out for a late afternoon dive. The weather was still really windy but it was really hot and sunny. Upon arriving at the spot we walked towards the peak of the cliffs and could hear the wind howling and see fierce whitecaps as far as the eye could see.

However upon further inspection we saw that our in and out area was protected by the point and that it would be ok for us to jump in. We jumped in around 4pm and swam left. I took a few warm up dives to get acclimated to the depth and pressure. We swim further and see a few uhus here and there but they are all really wary. The water is on the murkier side with decent current.

I spot a good size Mu lurking in the distance and take a drop. Upon hitting the bottom, I trying calling to it but he refuses to come in. I start dusting sand and I see a good size Joe out of the corner of my eye. Hes also on the alert and swims away.

After drifting for about an hour, Ammon reports that he sees a nice kumu near a sand patch. He takes two drops and on the 2nd one is able to get a shot off. While hes stringing up his prize, I see a school of kawakawas fly by on the inside in about 15ft of water!

We decide to head back in due to the sun setting. I finally see an approachable red whiptail and take a drop. Upon seeing me dive the uhu swims up from the reef towards me! I squeeze off a good holding shot and the uhu takes off while stripping line from my reel. At the same time Ammon and I spot a huge moana kali in the distance. I decide to help Ammon with the stalk while keeping an extra eye on the gianormous Kali. Not having an interest in us the Kali swims away.

I return to my gun floating mid water and take a drop. I hit the bottom to find that the uhu has pulled my shaft all the way in the back of the little cave. Luckily I see that the small hole opens up on the other side. I return to the surface and reposition myself along side the opposite end and take another drop. I see both the uhu and my shaft and brain the uhu first. Since the line is pulled through the hole, I needed to unclip my shooting line from my gun in order to bring the uhu to the surface. I return to the surface yet again rethinking my strategy to untangle this fish. I finally go down again and see a moray eel trying to steal the uhu. I grab my shaft with my hand and start poking it till it finally swims off. I'm finally able to unclip the line from my gun and swim the fish up. So much work for an uhu!

We end up swimming back with 2 uhus and a kumu. We see two people fishing who cannot believe we are diving due to the wind and water. After sharing some laughs and stories we head up to the truck. Not a bad day of diving.