Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine Issue 35 by clifford cheng

THE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF SPEARFISHING + FREEDIVING / ONE WORLD / ONE BREATH

NA WAHINE O KE KAI

www.hawaiiskindiver.com

ISSUE 35 // U.S. $6.95 // CANADA $6.95

cover + inhale KIMI WERNER cover + inhale shooter BRAD UYEHARA / www.bluefoto.com

— — KANAKOLU KUMALIMA

08 MESSAGES / 12 DAYE_Maas / 15 DOHERTY_Sipperly / 16 RIFFE_Riffe / 22 EASTER_Stockwell / 24 WERNER_Gedo 28 BEIRNE_Lanier / 30 NEILSEN_Neilsen / 32 KALAULI_Holani / 36 KAWABATA_Bettua / 38 INDO_Silveira 46 NEW PRODUCTS / 48 FREEDIVE KONA_Chambers / 56 IUSA RECORD YELLOWFIN TUNA_Allen-Ellis + Carter 58 MIDWEST_Neal + Zeaman / 62 IUSA RECORD BLACK MARLIN_Kerejeta + Carter / 64 HSD RECORDS / 66 SHOW + TAIL 67 FISH + CHIPS_Nico / 69 BLESSED_Daubenspeck / 80 SUBSCRIPTIONS + GEAR / 82 EXHALE_Werner

Dear HSD,

My wife Christina practically ordered me to go diving this weekend. Being the obedient husband that I am, I complied. Not wanting to take my nephews anyplace beyond their capabilities, we drove over to Hickam Air Force Base to do a quick dive at the flats. While exploring the deeper section near the Pearl Harbor channel, a Navy Harbor Police boat asked us politely to move further east, so as to not get run over by the recreational boat traffic or a passing submarine. I complied. Having not spent much time in this new direction, I really wasn’t expecting much but surprisingly found more and more coral and fish as we went along. The most abundant creatures seemed to be the dozen or so green sea turtles that all seemed to be looking for a parking spot along the channel edge. For a time I was content to shoot surgeon fish until I came face to face with a three and a half foot long Awa. With only a second or two to react, I took a shot and hit him in the back third of his long body. He took off like a freight train until the shooting line went tight. At that moment I let go of the gun but had a bad feeling the shaft would rip out. It did. Then it got stuck in the reef. On my dive to retrieve the shaft, a lone 10 lb Pa‘opa‘o came swimming by within easy range, as if to mock me and my completely unloaded gun.

Calmly I reset the shaft and loaded the bands, hoping against hope that the Golden Ulua had stuck around. Somehow, on my very first dive, he swam by again. It was a perfect profile shot and easily within range. This was just too good to be true! Aiming for his head, the shaft entered mid-body at an angle and exited behind his left eye. It was a stone shot and the fish began to sink into the channel. Even though he appeared lifeless, I was careful while pulling him in. With the luck I was having, I half expected him to suddenly come back to life and rip off the spear. Once I had him strung on my float I held a one man prayer meeting to thank God for sending such a great replacement fish for the one that got away. Someday, I also hope to be able to thank the Navy Harbor Police for sending us in the right direction. Aloha to all.Eirik Hauge

Ohana awaii skin diver

Hey HSD, My name is Steffany Chun and I have always enjoyed your zine. It inspired me to pursue free diving and I also developed a passion for taking underwater photos. I haven’t tried to spear any fish yet, but I love eating them. My father lived in the water; he was the greatest spearfisherman. I am currently a full time student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and am studying to become a marine biologist. Thanks a lot for your time and effort into making this wonderful zine. Sincerely.Steffany Chun

HANA PA‘A FISHING COMPANY Sterling Kaya » publisher/editor/photographer sterling@hawaiiskindiver.com

VOICE_GRAPHIC + ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN Clifford Cheng » graphic designer / multi-tasker VOICE@hawaiiskindiver.com HSD + HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY MASTERS PROGRAM Marc Inouye » advertising + marketing marc@hawaiiskindiver.com FOODLAND ADVERTISING Sithiporn Keller » critical commentary bob@lordsith.tv HONOLULU FIRE DEPARTMENT Rufus Kimura » staff editor rufus@hawaiiskindiver.com MAUI BREWING COMPANY Sean Stodelle » webmaster sean@hawaiiskindiver.com AMAGATA USA INC. John Johnson » staff photographer john@hawaiiskindiver.com www.onebreathphoto.com WAIKIKI AQUARIUM Norton Chan » biologist

Dear HSD, Wow, Let me just say your magazine rocks! I grew up on the colder side of the ocean, Seattle. I used to be in the water every chance I could growing up. The Puget sound was my front yard. l would free dive and spearfish for perch, lingcod, rock fish back then we didn’t really know about shallow water black out, just a wet suit, weight belt, mask, fins, snorkle and a good Hawaiian sling. Even then when I was 15 years old I get in the middle of a school of silver perch and I always looked and waited for the biggest fish. As you might expect, by the time they swam by me, they were all the same size.So I started hitting the ones at the back—go up for another breath and go back down for a few more. Our freezer was full most summers. I’m planning to dive off the Oregon coast this winter both scuba and some good old freediving as well and see what’s out there. Keep up the good work, you guys have a very well rounded informative magazine with great gear testing, diving tips and great stories.

BLUFOTOGRAFICA Brad Uyehara » guest photographer www.blufoto.com HSD REGIONAL + SPECIALTY EDITORS James Borja » Guam Editor Larry Carter » West Coast Editor Sheri Daye » Florida Editor Mark Laboccetta » East Coast Editor Terry Maas » Bluewater Editor Luis Antonio Pereira (Ted) » Latin America Editor Tim Theunissen » South Africa Editor NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR Warner International Periodical Distributors, Inc. HAWAII SKIN DIVER TV Kyle + Cat Nakamoto www.redseaoceanadventures.com

HSD35 BACK ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW Baja Tonga Kwazulu-Natal La Paz New Zealand Cape Town Fiji Hatteras Chile

Thanks.Bruce Davis.Oregon Mahalo to Matt Buchanan for sharing this photo for our HSD ad. Ad written by Wade Nishimura and designed by Chris Ching with constructive heckling from Jerry Blue (that’s his real name) from the agency Element 8. element08.com

breathe different.

UNITED

Send letters and comments to: HSD 1733 Dillingham Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96819 OR email: sterling@hawaiiskindiver.net

HAWAII SKIN DIVER INC. 1733 Dillingham Blvd. Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96819 > T: 808.843.8182 > F: 808.848.5539. Every attempt humanly possible is made to publish HSD 4 times a year. FO’ REAL. Printed by Lotus Printing Hong Kong.

HANA HOU!

Your magazine sweeps the publication design categories at the 2008 American Advertising Federation (Pele) Awards. A big mahalo and congratulations goes out to all of the contributors to HSD31 (VIEW MASTERS). This issue was judged magazine of the year. HSD30 (DIVE FLORIDA) won an Award of Excellence. Congratulations goes out to John Johnson. His inhale shot of the Manatee mother and calf in HSD30 helped garner the magazine spread of the year award. This shot is also on display at the Smithsonian Institution. John’s pool shot for the HSD Shootout in HSD32 (GUNS AND AMMO) won an Award of Excellence.

Hi Sterling, If you had a dad like mine, he taught you a lot in life. My dad showed me things like how to dive, ride a bike, go torching, body surf at Sandy’s without breaking my neck, clean fish and work my butt off. He was my usual dive partner and always ready to go spearing.

Aloha HSD, Thought you guys might like this picture from my last spearing trip over on the east side oahu. All my HSD gear (mask/snorkel, wetsuit, hoody, booties, gloves, knife) works well for me and was reasonably priced at J Hara’s on the big island and HanaPa‘a. One problem is that I do wear through my gloves and snorkel mouthpiece fairly quickly though. Right on for putting out the mean mag, videos and gear.

Winning Awards of Excellence were the NZ Bluefin spread in HSD30 (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE) featuring Kent Fraser’s shot and HSD31’s inhale photo collage also won an award.

HSD also won the magazine covers of the year category. Congratulations to Mark Laboccetta for the HSD30 cover shot, Riley Yogi for his gyotaku in HSD33 and Catherine Landa for her awesome shot of Kurt Chambers at the corsair for HSD31. Our friends at Element 8 also won an award for the HSD ad (GILLS) featuring Derek Levault’s corsair photograph. You guys rock! These awards were judged by a national and international jury of top talent in the fields of design and publishing. Once again, we thank all of YOU who made these awards possible. This is your magazine and these are your awards. MAHALO

DEPARTMENT OF BELATED MAHALOS > HSD 33

Dennis Haussler would like to thank BRANDI EASTER for for that great pic of his BEST side, his back, with two nice lings at the nationals. Go to page 22 in this issue for more on Brandi.

This picture was taken in 2005, several days before Thanksgiving. I woke up to clear skies so I called my Dad and he was just as eager as I was. We figured we’d chance it so my dad and I jumped in at Chinaman’s Hat. We cruized around and worked inside the reef. Then we had lunch with a good helping of laughs at the table. We only had a small catch but when my mom asked how it went, my dad answered: “it was a good day.” And you know what, it was. This was the last time I was able to dive with my dad. Two months later he was diagnosed with cancer and treatments left him too weak to spear again. My dad fought the good fight for 2 years (way longer than doctors thought he had). And in those 2 years, he only complained a handful of times in spite of his discomfort. At the end, my dad was peaceful and felt that he had done everything he had wanted to do (how awesome is that!). I think he hung on all that time to mess with the doctors’ heads and to teach me some final lessons in life: live your life with grace, fill it with good times so you have no regrets, and don’t sweat all that manini stuff unless you plan to poke ‘em and eat ‘em. I’m going to miss my dad especially in the dives to come, but hope to live up to his example. Dive hard and live well.Alan Wong

Shoots den.Rob O’Conner Hello Sterling, I am hoping you can publish my story in HSD. I would also like to give thanks to Renia for helping me type it out after I was finished with writing down everything as I remembered it. The guys in the photo are (l to r) Wayne Matamaura, Kenneth, Andrew, and me Roger Passie.

Please let me know what issue it may come out in so I can get all of my family and friends to purchase a copy. Thanks.Roger H. Passie

For Roger’s story and more photos check out www.hawaiiskindiver.com

NA WAHINE O KE KAI

OCEAN WOMEN > > >

Tanya Beirne Andrea Kawabata Kimi Werner Jennifer Kalauli Jayme-Lee Neilsen Anne Doherty Brandi Easter Sheri Daye > Julie Riffe

WORDS DR. TERRY MAAS

UPERLATIVES! That’s how Sheri’s friends describe her. Bonnie Row says, “Sheri is the most unique woman with whom I’ve had the pleasure to dive. She has an uncanny sense for finding and shooting fish. I’ve seen her hunt a fish down successfully even though it was on the run. She’s a fearless and focused diver who is truly in the moment at all times. Her early mentor and Nationals teammate, Dr. Daryl Wong says, “In the time I have known and dove with Sheri, she has made me a better person, a better diver and I have learned that she is as beautiful inside as she is outside. Our sport is lucky to have such a grand dame of diving. She has it all; the looks, ability, compassion, personality and most of all the humility that we all can learn from. I know I always have my back protected with Sheri as my dive partner.” Living legend Art Pinder told me that he thought Sheri has progressed faster than any other diver he has known. “I consider her the best woman diver in the world today–better than many men. I took her to the Bahamas where she used a sling for the first time. She missed a couple at first, but within the day she was landing fish.” Chad Palan, her most constant dive companion, says affectionately, “I kid Sheri about being a whiner. She whines when it’s cold, and she whines when we go out to 90 feet. But then I’m in deep, cold, dirty water looking around, and there she is.” Just a few years ago, mutual friends paired us for the Hatteras Blue Water meet. While scouting an offshore structure, a raging current swept us past barnacle-encrusted stanchions which caught our floats. We could barely see each other in the current that threatened to tear off our masks, and was impossible to swim against. I was wondering how I could help her, as we both twisted in the current. I made my way back, hand-overhand to free myself. Finally loose, I was amazed to see Sheri free herself at the same time, deftly untangling her line. Since that day, my admiration for her diving abilities has only grown.

Many have seen Sheri’s exploits on the Outdoor Channel’s show, Speargun Hunter (See opening spread shot - courtesy Outdoor Channel). As principal cameraman on the first 22 shows, I was able to learn about Sheri, the person. During her high school years she was passionate about ballet, which probably enhanced her natural grace and coordination. Encouraged by her father, she also took up scuba diving in high school. Vigorously independent and resourceful, Sheri put herself through college by working in the roofing trade. After graduating from college with a mechanical engineering degree, she began a long career with IBM where today she manages one of the company’s most successful units. Along the way, she traveled extensively and garnered top grades while earning her MBA. I divide people into two groups–net takers and net givers. Sheri belongs firmly in the latter group. She supports her family by sharing in the care of her disabled brother–sometimes more mother than sibling. Her Spearfishing Expos demonstrate how she leverages her abilities to help others. She gave the diving community an excellent forum for sharing knowledge and building friendships. The proceeds were donated to help a school for adults with special needs where Sheri serves as President of the Board of Directors. In addition, her technical contributions to the Freediver’s Recovery Vest project earned her the designation of “coinventor.”

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About 10 years ago, Sheri’s interest in the ocean rekindled. She took technical diving classes leading to Trimix certification. Her deepest dives were to 280 feet with over an hour of decompression. She then became fascinated by freediving and found some friends to try it with. Sheri has been freediving steadily for the last 5 years now and has accomplished some of spearfishing’s top honors: first place Nationals women’s title and first place co-ed team with Daryl Wong. She holds 13 world record fish, two larger than the men’s division, and in all cases “respectable.” The only record she actively pursued was for yellowfin tuna, and she broke that record twice. The last time was documented in the first episode of our show together. When asked about her records, she says, “Records are a fun accomplishment, but you can’t take them too seriously. I’m more proud of the fact that some young women have said that I influenced them to try spearfishing, and I’ll be proud of them the day they beat my records. I want more women to feel confident that they can succeed at anything they want to try–and they should have fun along the way. That’s the message I would like to leave after I’m long gone from this sport.” With so much time in the water and in high tension environments, it is natural to run into some serious danger. Sheri recalls, “To this day, the most memorable time I’ve had in the water was a day that Chad and I were spearing big cobias. We had to defend each others’ fish from bull sharks. Chad speared a cobia, and I went down to see if it needed a second shaft. When I started surfacing, a monster size hammerhead roared in and swallowed this 50-pound cobia whole...in one swallow. After many encounters, we still agree that was the most amazing sight we’ve ever seen, simply because of the sheer size of it. But I could also describe a hundred other amazing sights that I’ve experienced while spearfishing. Each day is an adventure.”

Another time I dove with Sheri, whales were breaching all around us in turbid water. We kept jumping in hoping for a glimpse. I knew it was madness because they could have landed on us, but when I looked at Sheri, she said, “Let’s go again!” I asked Sheri what she liked most about diving, “I feel like a little kid when I’m out playing in the ocean. The sights we see underwater are stunningly beautiful, but some parts are deadly serious – nature can vicious and cruel too, but that’s life. To me, being in that environment is the real world. It is just you and the laws of nature out there, no man-made baloney, and I like that. My best memories and my best friends are from spearfishing.” We can expect even more from Sheri this year–more Speargun Hunter shows, now in its third season, a new Spearfishing Expo with an international flavor and a possible run at the world spearfishing championships in Venezuela. Good luck Sheri! PAU

Anne doherty INTERVIEW DAVID SIPPERLY

Since then, Anne has been in numerous local competitions and Blue water meets, 6 US National Championships, 1 International Competition in Norway and a World Championships in Chile 2004.

About Anne: Anne works as a metal smith and printmaker. She supplements her income by working as a healthcare administrator / Years diving: 12 years since 1996 / Max depth: 80fsw / Max dive time: 4:49 / Average dive time: 1:20 / Titles: 2x Individual US National Champion, 3x Team US National Champion, 2nd Place Team Women’s World Championships, 2x New Hampshire Bluewater Champion, Former Striped Bass World Record Holder Do you have a favorite dive destination? Norway was absolutely beautiful but I would have to say that diving the Southeastern shore of Rhode Island and Massachusetts may be my favorite. The lore of New England with its fishes, lobsters and boulder strewn bottom of the Elizabeth Islands is awesome! I like the cold dirty water. It makes you read the water and try to predict where the fish will be.

About thirteen years ago a new face appeared on the freediving scene in the North Atlantic. After visiting a local spearfishing store in Newport, Rhode Island, Anne Doherty and Phil Stevens noticed a small flyer from the Rhode Island Freediving Club advertising a tournament at Kings Beach. They decided to participate. After doing everything wrong and nearly swamping her kayak off the treacherous Brenton Reef area, she managed to survive and come back to the beach with a small catch. That day, Anne caught the passion of freediving. It is tough to find new divers willing to brave the cold North Atlantic but Anne has no problems dealing with the cold, depth, poor visibility or even the men. She constantly places at the top in local competitions.

Do you have a preferred type of gun? Yes, I prefer to have my Daryl Wong 42” ‘Northeaster’ gun. It can handle any fish that I come across. I also use a Sporasub 75cm gun for competition, mainly for blackfish, scup and black sea bass. What about a favorite fish to eat? I have to say Winter Flounder. They are easy, plentiful and taste great. How about lobster – does that count? I once caught about an eleven pounder off the Cape. I had to throw it back because of the Mass min/max law. I have also found lobsters up to 13-15 pounds but they had eggs. What has been your best experience in competitive diving? I’m not super competitive. I would rather beat the fish than another competitor. My best tournament was off Sakonnet, Rhode Island in September 2004. I was diving near the Warnocks’ (Ted and John are legendary spearfishing brothers). In just 30 minutes I shot a false albacore, 3 tautog and 2 striped bass. Did you win? No, I took second to John Warnock, but it was one of my best days of diving. My strategy was perfect. I knew where to go and everything just clicked. For me it was the best feeling because I won against the fish and mother nature. GO TO P. 75

JULIE RIFFE H

IN HER OWN WORDS

aving parents like Jay and Jackie Riffe has been amazing. I’ve always been “daddy’s girl” shadowing his every step. My parents had me in private swimming lessons at a young age and taking spearfishing trips to Catalina Island as well as La Paz, Mexico to see my uncle John Riffe (Juan Pistolas). I would kick around with a boogie board with my fins, mask and snorkel checking out fish in the kelp paddies. At times my father would swim underneath me with a decent Calico, Sheep’s Head or White Sea Bass to show me how prehistoric they looked. I could remember during lobster season being awakened by my father holding a massive lobster over my head with the legs tickling my face. By age twelve, everyone knew I was a fish out of water. The family knew I was interested in spearfishing because of my love for the ocean. I spent most of my school holidays and summers traveling with my family and attending spearfishing competitions with my father. For Christmas of 1986 I got my first very own speargun. My father said, “When you’re able to load the bands you can go spearfishing.” So that’s what I did, practiced loading my Standard #2. During a hot summer in June my father was out hunting and I jumped off the boat to see the Calicos in the kelp. I dove down 10 feet and pulled the trigger. At first I didn’t think I got anything until the gun was almost jerked from my hand. My adrenaline was racing beyond belief. What a rush!

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During my teens I worked in the garage on weekends helping my dad with his spearguns. In 1996 the Riffe family traveled to Hawai‘i for the National Spearfishing Competition where I was an alternate on the woman’s spearfishing team. Linda Gray, Linn Soles and I were teammates. Unexpectedly Linn got very sick so I was now a competitive diver. I was surprised to learn that Linda landed the one and only fish of the event for women. This fish won us first place team trophy. Unfortunately, I didn’t shoot anything due to the crazy conditions with 10ft. swells, rain and milky visibility. This competition was a big endurance challenge for all divers in the event. Some divers lost their catches others had their kayaks flipped over in the high surf. They were left swimming against the current with their catch in hand trying to arrive on the beach within the boundaries. It was a memory I will never forget. The next month, our Long Beach Neptune’s dive club had the Blue Water Meet in Encenada, Mexico. I ended up landing my first 38 lb. White Sea Bass, which was my largest catch ever. Not only was it a great experience, it reminded me to never forget a knife. My fish had wrapped itself around the kelp, which resulted in me chewing through it to free my fish. I ended up winning the 3rd place trophy out of sixty divers. My father placed 4th. In 1997 I competed in the Nationals for my second time in Malibu, California with Monica Hall and we ended up winning the first place team. I was thrilled to find out I had caught the largest fish and had placed an individual third. A year later, the Long Beach Neptune’s held a Blue Water meet at Catalina Island where I won first place over all with a 30 lb. Halibut. I could hear the cheering and excitement up and down the beach. I couldn’t believe that I had landed this fish. It was absolutely incredible. Especially considering there was a great white spotted only 50 yards from where I caught my fish the day before. As I approached the beach I was surprised to see the TV crew from CNN waiting for an interview with me and my first place Halibut. After that, I felt as though it was time to see the world. I was single and having fun – I traveled all over Baja, Panama, Costa Rica, Dubai, Fiji, Australia and the US, meeting incredible people along the way. I’ve had the opportunity to hunt with some of the best divers around the world – many of whom have become friends for life. I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to land some amazing fish, such as AJs, Cubara, Tuna, Wahoo, Grouper, Stripped Bass and White Sea Bass. In March of 2001 my father and I took a trip to the Revillagagedos Islands, which are about 380 miles off Cabo San Lucas, Baja California. My father and his buddies, including Robin Carden, Tony Smith and Jim Baldwin were all onboard this amazing journey. We planned to land record tuna.

The Osprey was our home for a week off the islands of Mexico. We made pit stops on each island landing large Wahoo, Grouper and Tuna, including my record fish. I landed a 92 lb. yellow fin tuna off Clarion Island. This extraordinary fish was a fight I’ll never forget. I nearly lost my life. Robin, our friend Juan and I were diving off a pinnacle. We were all spaced approx.100 feet away from each other so our float lines would not tangle. Suddenly I heard both Robin and Juan’s spearguns fire. They both landed nice Wahoo and swam back to the 16 ft. Avon that we had following us. I continued swimming to keep in front of the bait because the conditions were perfect, but the currents started changing. All of a sudden a wall of Tuna appeared from around the point where I was swimming. Two of them came towards me head on. My adrenaline began to rush when I realized this was my chance. I dove 30 ft. and lined my spear tip at the closest one, holding my breath for over a minute waiting for the perfect shot. They both turned their cheeks and I took a 15 ft shot. My fish went straight for the bottom and literally woke up the neighborhood. I struggled to keep my float on the surface to keep my fish from becoming shark food. While on the surface I reached for my float and realized the boat was just a few feet away. Robin and Juan were watching the show but they knew this was a world record fish for me so there was no help, just cheering from the sideline. Unfortunately my father was on the sailboat packing all his gear and missed my amazing experience – although he was definitely in store for a killer story. I was only using a 50 ft. bungee and a single Torpedo float so I knew that I was in store for the ride of my life. Robin had just yelled out, “Julie, look out! There are two huge sharks below, a 10 ft. Hammerhead and an Oceanic White Tip.” I never saw them coming. At that time the

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boat was less then 5 ft. from me and I was gaining on the fish with my hand on the shaft. I asked Juan to hold on to the shaft. The plan was that Juan would get into the boat to help me pull my fish in – but it didn’t go as planned. My tuna was still in the water when the 10 ft Hammerhead decided to give everyone a wake up call. The shark bolted at high speed directly at Robin hitting him in the chest and knocking his gun out of his hand. I was pulling myself up and looked back as the shark tail hit me in the face, breaking the seal on my mask. This was when I realized my tuna wasn’t finished yet. I fell back in the water landing on top of a mess of float lines. The float lines were tangled up on my knife strapped to my leg. Everything happened so quickly. Sure enough, I was yanked under water and within a blink of an eye I was below Robin who is 6 ft 9 in. I grabbed his fin and he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to the surface. Robin had his hand on the boat to gain leverage, thank god! I owe him my life. After this experience I no longer wear my Riffe knife on my leg. My tuna was in the boat. He slapped me with his tail a few times until I finally finished him off. I was so excited at this point and that my fish was a possible world record. We weighed it on the beach to make sure I followed the rules, but it ended up that we didn’t have the correct permit so I never got the official record. This bad boy weighed a whopping 92lbs. not too bad for my first tuna. My dad was proud and I’m glad I’m safe and alive to tell this amazing story. In 2001 I lived in Florida for 6 months and did a lot of diving while visiting most of our dealers on the East Coast. Our new factory was being built at the time so my family needed me back at work. In January 2002 I packed my stuff to drive cross-country and made a pit stop in Venice, Louisiana. There I met up with Mark Labochetta and his gang to shoot some nice Wahoo & Tuna. I dove there a few years prior so I knew what was in store. We stayed at a local hotel in Venice and geared up for the dive. The next morning we headed out early and jumped on Troy Wetzel’s boat with Al Walker as our main guide. He is the man for a guide down there when you want to do it right. We pulled an over nighter on the lump. It was amazing. We hooked up on Red snapper while drinking Louisiana’s finest, Bud Light and telling unforgettable stories of hunting big fish. After a few hours of sleep we suited up and by sunrise everyone was landing big Wahoo. The smallest was 50 lbs. and the largest was 105 lbs. Due to the ripping current, everyone had to hold on to a 100 ft. trail line tied to the back of the boat. We looked like a squid lure cruising in the current. Everyone dove down around the same time and saw decent size fish. There were shots fired all around. It sounded like a war zone

under water. We all came up screaming. By the time we popped our heads out of the water we were at the end of the 100 ft. rope, which had a big round buoy with net around it to grab. We were going in every direction. Luckily I popped up right next to the buoy. As I fought the current and my Wahoo I thought I was done. My legs were burning and sweat was filling my mask. In any case I was determined to land this massive fish. I got my fingers on the buoy and inched myself up the rope. I landed my biggest Wahoo yet, 82 lbs. It was a record fish for sure, but unfortunately with all the boats out there on the lump there was too much chum. I got black balled once again. My sister Jill flew in to meet me for the remainder of my drive home. We ended up on Bourbon Street with everyone for a celebration of our successful and safe dive trip. To add to the excitement we found out that there was a 600 lb Mako spotted cruising the lump earlier that day. We all couldn’t believe it. In 2003 I met my fiancé Will Laribee. He came into Riffe one day with questions about his new Riffe speargun. We went on a couple dives together and from that time on we were inseparable.

GO TO P. 71

Brandi easter

etting to the Point with Brandi Easter. It was a warm Spring day. The ocean was flat, there was no wind and the fish were biting. My gang of kayak fisherman and I jigged for lingcod and rock fish a mile from the beach near Cape Mendocino in Northern California. We don’t tout ourselves as macho men – but it definitely took some moxie to paddle offshore in remote territory that is known for Great White Sharks. The guys and I had been fishing for around two hours, hanging about 100-300 yards outside of the exposed reef. While there were no signs of any large predators around, we knew that there was one very impressive animal in the water beneath us... Courage for paddling out onto Big Blue for rod and reel fishing is completely overshadowed when you witness an individual like Brandi Easter, rejoicing in her element, free-diving solo with her spear and abalone iron up to a quarter mile from the rest of us. Her shopping list for the day, as she likes to refer to it, turned out to be a limit of 10” abs, and she brought home the bacon! Having grown up myself in a family of men who fish, dive, hunt, and generally wear their manhood on their sleeves, I was subject to a unique and wonderful re-education when I got to know the ways of the animal, a nick-name I gave Brandi years ago for her diving prowess and eagerness to experience new adventures. Watching someone thrive in the water, knowledgeable of terrain, species, and conditions is nothing new to me. Watching another’s expertise in finding, collecting and securing game is also something I’ve seen a lot of. Brandi is at a level that makes it clear that the aforementioned traits are only basics, like making toast would be to a chef! The qualities that make Brandi a top diver are closely tied to the ones that make her a model citizen, great neighbor, admired business person and valued community member.

INTERVIEW ERIC STOCKWELL

Her shopping list is a good place to start explaining what makes Brandi special. In my experience, most people, while targeting a species or two, generally settle for what they can find when embarking on an activity as challenging as spearfishing. Brandi long ago acquired the skills needed to bring home meat; what’s notable is that she moved right past that to what many of us would agree is a higher place. She sets her mind on a goal for her dive, and she tends to leave empty-handed by choice if the shopping list isn’t fulfilled. Whether she fills the list or not, there are two aspects of her character that never cease to amaze me as I watch her labor in the love of diving – she is always upbeat, and, I didn’t want to bring gender into this article… her combination of confidence and humility are beyond what I’ve ever seen any man display. Rather than feeling like she needs to prove something as a woman who is better than most men at her sport, Brandi is content with her actions. A question and answer session with Brandi is always a pleasure. As humble and selfless as she is, her history and stats could never be elicited without some coaxing – remember that as you enjoy a peek into the life of this woman who embodies not only what a spearo should be, but what a good person should be as well. Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Orange, CA. I lived in the SoCal area until I moved to Northern California in 1993. How did you get into diving? An ocean outing in my teens got me introduced to the idea of diving. However, it wasn’t until 1987 that I was SCUBA certified. Visiting the North Coast in 1992 diving for abalone is probably when I really began freediving. I entered my first CenCal tournament in 1997 which introduced me to spearfishing. Regardless if I harvest a fish or an abalone, I thoroughly enjoy freediving into the beautiful and mysterious underwater world. Like most of us, you have a “real job” – how’d you get into photography and how long have you been at it? My photography began in Mr. Ferris’ 8th grade photography class and I haven’t put the camera down since. I started out wanting to be a ‘starving artist’ photographer, dabbled in underwater photography for awhile yet my journeys ultimately lead me to commercial advertising photography. I officially began my business in 1989. www.brandieaster.com GO TO P. 74

kimi werner

WORDS LAARNI GEDO

imi Werner is a sleepy-eyed 28-year old daughter of Makawao who always wears a 5-year old’s Kool-Aid smile. She also happens to be spearfishing’s best-kept secret. Don’t be fooled by her charming and delicate femininity. Underneath the laid-back girl with the flirty-short hair is a voracious, record-breaking hunter in camo-green neoprene. She’s not just ‘good for a girl.’ She’s just good. “When I’m diving I am completely in the moment. My mind is not worrying about the normal stuff I think about when I’m on land. I feel free.” Kimi’s words flow like thick syrup, slow and laced with sweetness – as if she is professing her love for the man of her dreams. Amazingly, it only has been three years since Kimi began to take the sport seriously. Kimi’s sister, Christy Werner, remembered their introduction to diving by their dad as three and four-year olds. “He would tow us on a kick board while he dove and we’d hold on and float at the top with our mask and fins,” Christy said. “We’d watch him and clap whenever he speared a fish or grabbed a lobster or tako.” She said that it wasn’t until they were about six and seven that they started diving down. “Kimi and I would challenge each other to see who could grab sand off of the bottom. At the time I was better – she was a little runt up until she turned ten.” Christy said that it wasn’t until Kimi moved to O‘ahu for college that she started spearing fish. Even at that point, diving was only a hobby – secondary to cooking, painting, or paddling. “I was never really a diver, I just had the love for diving,” Kimi said. “I would always tag-along with my dad so I always had the appreciation for it.” However, a shoulder injury that sidelined her from paddling caused her to focus her attention on diving. “I used to watch tv and see Kalei Fernandez and Wayde Hayashi dive together and feel completely stoked and in awe of their skills. Nothing could pull me away from the television when they were on,” Kimi paddled with Kalei’s brother and repeatedly introduced herself to Kalei hoping for an invitation to dive. She said that every time she saw Kalei anywhere she would reintroduce herself so he wouldn’t forget her. “He always told me that one day he’d take me so I just kept diving on my own and tried to get better and better – hoping that I would really be able to dive with him.” Kalei said that despite talking with Kimi and sharing tips with her in passing, he was hesitant. “I was unsure of bringing her out,” he said. “I’ve taught guys before, but I wasn’t used to taking a girl out. I didn’t know how much of a responsibility she’d be.” Though disappointed that she didn’t get an invite immediately, Kimi understood. “A lot of people just won’t take you. It’s a liability issue and I don’t blame them at all. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have the right equipment. It would have been more babysitting than diving.”

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Meeting Kalei ultimately changed Kimi’s life. “He dives on a whole different level from anything that I’ve ever seen before as far as what kind of fish he shoots or how deep goes,” she said. Through Kalei, Kimi was introduced to a whole new world and community of great divers that included Wayde Hayashi and Gavin Sato. “They were an elite group of divers,” Kimi said. “Once I met them and became friends with them, it was only natural to want to be like them.” Kalei said that prior to Kimi’s first dive with him she was only able to dive 15 to 20 feet. “I was really impressed with her on our first dive,” he said. “I gave her some tips, and on her third try she was down 35 feet. She learned quicker than any of the other guys I took out.” She continued to tag-along and Kalei said that within three to four months, Kimi was diving 30 to 60 feet. “One spot was 70-foot deep, and she could reach the bottom.” Within a few months, Kimi entered her first tournament and experienced her first real introduction to the dive scene. She didn’t place, but did good enough to draw attention. “She would put most guys to shame,” Kalei added. “Not many women would even have a chance. She’s definitely in a league of her own.” Her newly earned nickname is the Mahi Magnet. In October 2007, Kimi shot a 34 lb. mahimahi off Kona. “I always seem to get lucky with that fish,” she said. Being a fortunate diver might be an understatement for the self-proclaimed “lucky” girl. It takes more than luck to break the women’s state record for whiptail uhu twice in the same day – which Kimi did in May of last year. She also holds the women’s state records for the illusive mu and the delicious munu – which she shot at the North Shore Spearfisherman’s Classic Tournament in the summer of 2007. Kimi’s encounter with the elite divers, who eventually became her best friends was definitely instrumental in kicking her diving into the level where she wanted it and where it is today. “They were always so positive and encouraging,” she said. “I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to get to learn my passion from my idols.” As much as she knows what she wants, Kimi also has a firm understanding of what she doesn’t want. This strong sense of identity has helped her make difficult life changing decisions. Kimi left Maui to attend Kapiolani Community College where she earned a degree in Culinary Arts. Once Kimi experienced a taste of the restaurant business, she quickly realized that what she loved about cooking didn’t exist in that environment. Cooking, from then on, was something she happily performed on her own terms and in her own kitchen–usually with the fish that she shot. When Kimi dives, she usually emerges with a fish to eat for dinner that evening. “Kalei would probably say that I don’t shoot enough,” she said. “But I only shoot what I want to eat.”

“She’s big on not wasting,” Christy added. “And if she catches a fish, even one that she doesn’t really care for, she’ll figure out a way to cook it so that she or other people like it and it won’t go to waste.” It is Kimi’s thoughtfulness when it comes to shooting fish that impresses her closest dive buddies (that and her panko-crusted stuffed ulua). “Kimi has always been selective about the fish she shoots,” Wayde said. “This is usually something divers learn later on in their lives.” It is her precision and patience that complement her focus and drive for freediving. “She has tunnel vision when it comes to fish,” Wayde said. “She just goes crazy until she gets it. That really shows her drive.” This drive earned her a chance at making one of her dreams a reality when she represents Hawai‘i at the 2008 Freedivng Spearfishing National Championships at King’s Beach, in Newport, Rhode Island. Kimi was pleased that Andy Tamasese of Kona, agreed to be her partner. Not only is Andy a great diver, he is also a good friend. In 2006 Andy placed in the top ten at the World Spearfishing Championships in Portugal. Their mutual respect for one another shows. “Kimi’s a really good diver and usually beats half of the guys in the tournaments,” Andy said. “I think that we have a really good chance of winning first place at Nationals.” Kimi has been training for the tournament, which will be held in early August. Her workouts include pool exercises, running and paddling. The focus is there, but for Kimi, she giggles at the foreign idea that she is a world-class athlete. But she is committed – she’s even giving up beer for the time being. With Nationals just around the corner, Kimi’s dives switched to competition mode. “I feel more determined and more focused on a goal,” she said. “I always remind myself that the main thing is to have fun, but when you’re trying to win, you’re trying to win.” You can help send Kimi to Nationals. Visit her fundraising website at kimiwerner.chipin.com. “I’m trying my hardest to raise $4000 to help with the costs of airfare, lodging, escort boats, entry fees, equipment, and kayak rentals that will be necessary for scouting and competition day,” she said. You can check out her paintings at kimiwernerart.com. PAU

Kimi recently led her team to victory at the 2008 Inter-Pacific Spearfishing Championship in Kona. Partnering with Tanya Beirne (p.28), the pair shot a total of 9 fish. Kimi’s first shot, a 9.5-lb uhu, out weighed the other team’s combined catch.

WORDS ALBERT LANIER

anya Beirne is a woman who enjoys a challenge. She is a spearo who has competed in several nationals as well as a number of local tournaments. Tanya has demonstrated that fear is not a factor for her in terms of competitive diving or in the real world. She made the move from chef and lunch wagon owner to business owner of two speargun shops on the Big Island. Tanya’s affinity for the ocean began when she was a young child. Born and raised on Oahu, she grew up in Kalihi but took trips out on the weekends with her parents to the family’s beach house in Punalu‘u. “We would swim all day and fish,” she recalled. It was in Punalu‘u where Beirne first started diving as an eight year old girl. Tanya spent a lot of time in the water as a youngster and swam competitively from the age of 8 up to her college years. She saw both swimming and diving as complementary activities. “The swimming background and the diving background went hand in hand” she observed. While a student at Punahou, Tanya swam competitively and set a few state records as a scholastic swimmer. She also got the chance to attend the Junior Olympics. It was the experience of swimming competitively in high school that developed and sharpened a competitive instinct in her. After graduating from Punahou, she got a swimming scholarship to attend Indian River Community College in West Palm Beach, Florida. After matriculating there a year, Tanya wearied of collegiate swimming and opted to come back home. She then attended school for a couple of years in the islands before deciding to go to the Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon to train as a chef. Upon completing her course work, Beirne headed back to Hawai‘i to work as a chef and caterer for the next thirteen years.

Her culinary career saw her work for a number of different companies and corporations including stints at United Airlines, Hilton and at Gordon Biersch restaurant at Aloha Tower Marketplace as a pastry chef. Tanya’s last job in the food industry came when she purchased a lunch wagon and parked it near a Young Brothers’ depot on Oahu serving plate lunches to truckers and stevedores. “It was fun,” she observed “there were a lot of customers.” As a diver, Tanya said she is comfortable in any type of condition. “I’ve dove in extreme conditions before and because I’m used to that semi-roughness, it doesn’t really bother me.” As a young girl she started out diving with a bikini and a three prong. Her uncle also taught her how to use a hinge gun as a youngster. Tanya’s shooting and stalking skills led to local tournament victories. She also began qualifying and competing in several national tournaments as well. In fact, the Honolulu Advertiser wrote a profile about her in April of 2005 before she was slated to compete in the Freedive Spearfishing National held in Missouri.

GO TO P. 73

taring into the horizon I can see the sun beginning to rise. It casts a shiny glare over the ocean. There is nowhere I’d rather be. I grab my gun and with a smile on my face, jump into the water. My passion for spearfishing started with watching my Dad bring home coolers full of beautiful fish – many bigger than me. Whenever it was my turn for show and tell at school, I would always take shells he had found or spearfishing medals that he had won. I would tell all the other kids that one day I would have more than him. I grew up embracing every chance I got to jump into the water with my snorkeling gear – even if it was just in the bath. I also grew up dealing with the stench of fish guts that leaked in the boot of my Dad’s car and lingered for months at a time. In 2001 Adrenaline Spearfishing Supplies opened and ever since then, it’s been my home away from home. I begged my dad to take me to the shop when I was younger so I could write on the white board and make stickers using the labeler. These days, at the age of sixteen, if I’m not begging Dad to let me work in the shop, I’m begging him to take me in so I can check out the gear, say hi to the boys, suss out the mags and yes, they did end up hiding the labeler from me – but I always manage to find it so that I can make spearo stickers. Even though I was raised immersed in spearfishing and was as keen as ever to start killing fish, my dad held me back from becoming a spearo at an early age because he wanted me to be aware of the dangers. He didn’t want me to get put off spearing early, because of a bad experience,

preferring instead that I develop a lifetime passion for the sport. At the age of 12, I was one of the first students to complete my open water scuba course at DEEP Scuba Centre. Although scuba diving is an awesome sport, I knew there was something missing – namely the adrenal rush I would get from shooting a fish almost the size of me and having to land it. I continued to ask Dad to teach me, but it wasn’t until grade 10 that my Dad gave me the old .7 Rabitech hunter sitting in the garage. Before I knew it, I was nailing Luderick and Butter Fish (one over 2 kilo but I was too embarrassed to claim the record) under the Boyd’s Bay Bridge. I was finally a spearo. It seemed I had waited a lifetime for that day to come. A few months went by and I could soon dive to 10m (33 feet), load the gun, shoot fish and process them all by myself. Last October, my Dad agreed to take me on a four day reef trip to the Coral Sea. To this day, those four days have been the best four of my life. The visibility was breathtaking for me because I was used to the 4m Tweed River vis. I met some keen spearos, landed some fish and saw a heap of sharks – it was like Jurassic park out there. GO TO P. 79

IN HER OWN WORDS

JENnIFer KALAULI

INTERVIEW Kalena Holani

When did you start diving? Back in the days before you were born… in 1985.

How did you learn? My first boyfriend took me down to Keaukaha, on the Big Islands and let me pull his stringer around. I wasn’t given a three prong, and that lasted about a year before I got to actually hit my first fish, but that’s only because I went ahead and bought my own three prong. He was always afraid I’d get in his way or lose his equipment. What was your first fish? A Hinalea. H-I-N….Mom I know how to spell Hinalea! Oh that’s right you can speak fluent Hawaiian—maika‘i loa. But that was the last time I’ve ever poked another Hinalea, just because I didn’t want to scale it, it’s so slimy. Why do you dive? It’s one of my gifts that God gave me…it’s a passion for me…I feel so grateful to be able to feed people, and teach them how to feed themselves, especially young people. What is your most memorable diving experience? It had to be the Ulua cave or the Kumu? Just going into an Ulua cave and hitting it with my three prong. It was probably 60 plus and he swam right up to me. His eyes were as big as a Koele, and he turned like a Menpachi would. I aimed right for his brain, my three prong went all the way through and he barely moved. I had to come up for air and when I came back he drifted into the dark, dark part of the cave…it made me feel like I left a part of me there…including my three prong. In addition my most memorable moments are when I’m diving by myself because I am completely relying on God to keep me safe. It is so empowering to know he created all this for us to sustain ourselves; it’s such a humbling way to live. What is the most valuable thing people need to know before you dive? I believe you need to ask this question, why are you diving? I believe it’s important to have good intentions every time you go into the water. Also, dive with someone you trust who is familiar with that area. God didn’t create the ocean ecosystem for us to live in fear of it but for us to respect it by being good care takers and leaving a healthy sustainable ecosystem for our future generations.

If you could pass down any piece of knowledge to the up and coming divers what would that be? To be patient, only take what you need and don’t forget to feed your kupuna.

Why do you prefer the three prong instead of the spear gun? Whenever I use a spear gun, I always get tangled up with the line and I have a hard time pulling back the rubbers. I only catch myself with the gun. But with the 3 prong it challenges me to be quiet, because you need to get closer to the fish, so I have to be as stealth like as possible…and I love to anticipate where the fish is going to be swimming to especially the smarter fish like Mu. Why a boogie board instead of a floater? Because I hit myself in the head with the lifeguard buoy all the time. I literally have 3 lumps on my head from hitting myself with the lifeguard buoy…but I love my boogie board cuz I can attach my kui line onto it, and that way I can keep my fish on top of the boogie board for less drag on the water. The board also provides me rest, when I’m tired. Most of all it’s a great escape to the shoreline, when the water conditions change quickly. I only wish I could teach my dogs how to carry my diving equipment up the mountain when I am pau.” GO TO P. 72

WORDS ANGELA BETTUA

“Look at the goats.” Huh? I hang my head over the boat’s gunwale looking into the deep blue waters of South Point, the bottom barely visible at such depths–how can she see them from the surface? Only days before she had e-mailed me a photo of her latest catch, a 4.12 lb moana ukali taken while shore diving. I look back at Andrea Kawabata quizzically. She smiles, shakes her head and points up. A herd of goats is trekking across the cliff making their way to new ground. They are camouflaged into the cliff’s background, and I have to squint and really focus to see them. All the divers on board are, for a few moments, fixated on the herd, amazed at their surefootedness. e finish gearing up, and jump in. I decide to follow her, and within seconds she is pointing her speargun towards a kawakawa that has quickly become wary of her and darts back into the depths at lightning speed. She ascends with an infectious grin, and it was then I realized that Andrea has a keen eye for any type of game, whether in the water or out. It was my first dive trip with Andrea, or “Anj” as she is affectionately called by her family and friends. I have to admit, I was very curious to see what she was all about… Born and raised in Hilo, Andrea spent a lot of her youth near or in the ocean, often fishing with her father. She fondly recalls weekend camping trips and how she would walk back to camp, proud of her collection of fish and crabs from the tide pools. It was her love for fish and the ocean that led her into the water, and without much prodding, launched her into the world of diving and spearfishing. Of Japanese descent, her Great Aunt in Japan was an excellent Ama pearl diver, which might explain Andrea’s natural ability as a diver. As a young child, she was exposed to spearfishing by her uncles who dove for kole. She watched in admiration as they displayed their kole dangling from stringers that reached the ground and back up again. Although

diving seems to run in the family, she muses that it must have skipped her father’s generation as he prefers to stay on solid ground. In their backyard pool, her father taught her to defog goggles with grass, clear a snorkel and swim with fins. Amongst friends, breath-hold competitions ensued. At age 12, she speared her first fish—a kupipi. At 17, Andrea began diving more seriously in the ocean with her 3-prong. At the time, she preferred diving on the Kona side of the island where there were easy entry points and warm, calm water. As a beginner, she would often dive by herself at Kawaihae after her Friday morning college class and on weekends during the summer. Extremely concerned, her parents suggested that she join the East Hawaii YMCA Freedive Club to establish a network and gain some dive partners. It was there that she met Gabe Sasaki and Chris Ragasa, who eventually proved to be major influences in her diving knowledge and experience. Hanging up her 3-prong and opting for a speargun for the first time, Andrea entered the Sonny Tanabe Invitational Freedive Tournament in 2002. Despite this being her first real competition against fellow female divers, she did exceptionally well placing first for largest fish and second in team for total aggregate weight. In 2003 her team came in 3rd for total aggregate weight and in 2004 she helped her partner win largest tako. It was at that last “Sonny” that she recalls a tako tale that has literally stuck with her. “I anchored my float, swam down and persuaded the tako out of its hole. On the surface, I strung it up and gathered myself to continue diving. I started to swim for my anchor and was immediately pulled back to the surface. The tako managed to crawl onto my back and wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t swim anywhere because my anchor was secured to the ocean floor and I couldn’t reach the tako to take it off—I was stuck to my float! I yelled to my partner Nadia for help. She eventually swam over and tried to pull the tako off but to no avail. With her final attempt, Nadia put

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both fins on my back, braced herself and ripped the tentacles free. I’d managed to demolish the tako in hide and seek but it kicked my a** with its 8 to 2 advantage.” She laughs and then proceeds to tell me about one of her scariest diving moments that happened outside of the Four Seasons Resort. “Gabe and I are diving one afternoon and we already have an omilu and uhu. Shortly after we anchor our floats, Gabe approaches and asks where his float is and if I’d seen it. I shrug and we look around only to find his float making its way out to sea. He needs his float because the car keys and his speargun are on it. I stay put and Gabe swims to retrieve his gear. Not long after, he comes back and tells me that a tiger shark is circling his float so he’ll have to get it another way. We swim in. Already a bit panicked, I barely notice that fish are swimming toward and under us instead of away. My concern is that I’m exhausted and still dragging my uhu. As we get out, I’m practically in tears from standing alone in the surf and having my goggles knocked off while Gabe is looking for a way out. In the back of my mind, I’m waiting for that sharp tug that says my fish is gone. On shore, Gabe is taken out by boat to collect his belongings. After looking at his gear, we suspect that as the shark ate his omilu, it bit through the tag line and broke the float free from the anchor. As we clean up, tourists on the second floor balcony stop us and ask if we were being chased by sharks. We tell them no, but that we did have an encounter. One of the ladies shakes her head and tells us that they could see 2 fins sticking out of the waves behind us, probably the tail and dorsal fins of the same shark. Needless to say, the tiger shark had followed us all the way in. Thinking about it later, that’s probably why the fish were swimming in the wrong direction.” Wide-eyed at her story, most would be bloody void of intestinal fortitude to try diving again! Today at 26 years of age, Andrea handles the very terrain she was skeptical of in her youth with much certainty and confidence, and is now able to guide other divers in and out of the water. She holds female spearfishing records for largest moana ukali, tako and opelu kala and has been a strong competitor at dive tournaments on Oahu and the Big Island. She is a member of Oahu’s Ali‘i Holo Kai freedive club in addition to the Hilo freedive club. She also donates her time and custom-made speargun covers to help Brian Yoshikawa with the Daniel Perreira Memorial (Children’s) Spearfishing Tournament on Maui. Outside of diving, Andrea

holds a master’s degree in tropical horticulture and is employed as an agricultural inspector at the Hawai‘i State Department of Agriculture. These days her biggest challenge is finding gear that suits her. At only 4’10”, with a petite frame and tiny feet, she is constantly searching for a wetsuit and fins that fit. Currently, unable to wear longblades, she uses a pair of Cressi fins that are smaller and softer, usually referring to them as her “little fins or shortblades”. But to my amazement, I watched as she descended to 74 feet with those very fins. Andrea’s main drive for spearfishing is to share her catch with family and friends. Usually passing up omilus and uhus, she targets tako, nenue for poke and more flavorful species like goats, pananu and nabeta. She is a conservationist and an ethical diver who does not believe in selling her catch but rather giving it away to someone who appreciates it. Ever selective when she dives, she waits for holding shots instead of taking desperation ones and would rather exit empty-handed with a great fish story to tell. Primarily a reef hunter, Andrea has begun her newest chapter into the blue water realm, and has aspirations of one day landing large ulua, uku, ahi and other pelagic gamefish. Always on a quest to challenge herself and improve, she has begun apnea training which she intends on applying to her hunting skills. One of her goals is to break the 100 foot mark. Once an admirer of her uncles’ talents, Andrea has now become the skilled hunter with unlimited potential. She is a positive role-model for future generations of divers and a living example of determination. A true pioneer in the field of women spearos, this little lady has accomplished much. But don’t let her size fool you—you can expect giant things from one of Hawai‘i’s best! PAU

Dogs of Indo WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHS DAN SILVEIRA

he Dogtooth tuna is an illusive and prehistoric fish by nature, Tunasauarus Rex. The mighty force of its tail drives this fish to some of the most ferocious currents known to Indonesia. Their thriving nature brings them to seek waters that could take the lives of those who hunt in search of this creature. Obedient to instinct, the tuna hunts vigilantly attacking prey at the neck, splitting their throat, or sinking their lethal teeth in a cracking fashion, into their brain. Fear is not a matter of concern when it comes to the impulse of this fish. Within their intuition, thrives survival of the fittest. These tuna have been known to lurk in the deep green waters where light is only a memory of the past; they swim with sharks, and eat their own kind. Like the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the sea, this fish requires a hunter willing to rise above fear. Stories of these brave hunters have imprinted vivid captures in my mind, One that I never forgot was of a diver who went to uncharted ripples of the sea where local fisherman never dared enter due to the large sharks that roamed the

water column. The diver speared a dogtooth tuna that sunk his buoys and broke the five hundred pound monofilament hundreds of feet below. Twenty-four hours away from where I live, United States California, in the heart of Indonesia, the rocky cliffs of the lush forests plummet to the sea below. This is where the raging waters throw standing waves coupled by swirling down currents from merging masses of water, and miraculously this is where I found my dream come true. Upon my arrival in Bali I decided to call my local friend. I was ready to spearfish. I asked him for the report and it did not sound good to go out to the islands where the tuna are, so I asked him if he knew of another spot that could have some nice fish. He told me of a place that could produce something, but that it was probably not the right time of year to see much there. At this point I was ready to dive anywhere, I had been waiting for this trip for a long time so I told him that I would like to give it a try. The next morning, I jumped out of bed at five am, ate breakfast and organized my gear. I was going to use my 55-inch reef gun with a breakaway system. I used a 50-foot hard line followed by a 25-foot bungee that was connected to a solid foam buoy. I figured that this would be the most effective system to hunt a variety of fish. If I were to shoot a giant travelli, the hard line would be the most durable against the coral and if I were to shoot a Spanish mackeral or tuna, the bungee would help keep the fish from tearing off. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t before long that we were on the boat heading out to the spot. The water was very choppy and green and I pondered the thought of sleeping in. As the boat came to a stop, I rolled back off the side of the boat energized and ready

The life of the sea is like a pumping heart surging the tides and currents through its veins. This incredible miracle that gifts us with the riches of the sea is what created our planet earth. From the emptiness of the deepest depths of the ocean to the ceremonial like dances of fish at the reef tops, beauty can always be found in the ocean giving light a new meaning. —Dan Silveira

to spear some fish. The current at this location was strong, so I swam at a perpendicular angle away from the shore until I could see the drop off. There were hundreds of surgeonfish, so I continued to hunt the edge of the bait. I made many drops into this murky water and never saw anything worth shooting, however, I did see a large manta ray and a few blacktip reef sharks. After 6 hours of fruitless efforts, I was beginning to get sick from the constant smell of two-stroke exhaust from the boat. It was fun to be holding a speargun in anticipation of seeing a large fish, but that day would prove to be discouraging. Once I was back on shore, I told my friend that there must be a better spot to dive on the island where the wind would not be so strong. I was not about to spend my trip hunting at the same spot that I had just gotten skunked. I needed to find some clear water with strong currents. He thought about what I had said, and after a long pause, he said “ I take you to secret spot… you see tuna… I promise”. Now this was music to my ears!!! He must have felt bad that I did not see any fish the first day, so he offered to take me to a location that few people know about. I woke up the next day at the same time, but we left earlier. The location we were headed to was one hour away by car and another hour away by boat. When we finally arrived at the beach I was frustrated to realize that I only had my reef gun with me. I was going to have to get extremely close to the tuna if I was going to land one. We filled the boat with our gear and started the sea voyage. During our ride out to the spot, I was stunned at the beauty of this side of the island. The sun was lighting up the mountains where the lush

tropical forest grew right up to the water’s edge. I asked my friend about the islands we were passing, as they looked like great places to spearfish, and he said that only a few of them produce abundant amounts of pelagic fish like the place we were about to go to. As we approached the secret spot, I watched my friend as he was focused on the water. He was checking the current. After a moment of concern, he turned to me and said, “today you see tuna”. The current he had been watching was moving in the correct direction in order to produce tuna. We suited up, dropped the buoys behind the boat and entered the water. I swam out to the where the reef dropped sharply, creating a wall of current where brightly colored soft corals were filtering the marine plankton. I was stunned, found myself speechless, and unable to describe the abundant sea life. The visibility was 75 feet, clear like Gin compared to the murky waters I had been diving the day before. This was a good sign that something was hunting and I was soon greeted by a pod of bottle nosed dolphins. Wow, this was the first time that I had been swimming that close to wild dolphins. They swam right up to me and continued to swim around me. It was like they wanted to play so I stayed down with them for as long as I could but after a while, it was time to say goodbye and head for the surface. By the time I had surfaced from playing with the dolphins, I was approaching the spot where the tuna congregate, due to the fast current. So, I took a few deep breaths and dropped back down. I wanted to be 20 feet off the bottom at the thermo cline, which was at 45 feet. I hung there suspended in the water calm and motionless, allowing the cur-

rent to carry me directly into the approaching school of small 20 pound dogtooth tuna. My heart started to speed up with the thought of spearing a tuna with my smaller gun. Finally the fish looked close enough. I took aim and pulled the trigger. Bang!!! I fired the gun and to my astonishment, I missed the fish. Wow, the fish must have been bigger then I had calculated. The visibility was close to 75 feet and I figured that the tuna must have been closer to 50 pounds. I jumped in the boat and got ready for a second drift but by the time we got to my friend, he was fighting a tuna. He had speared a 25-pound tuna. He did not see the large school that I had seen, but 5 tuna rushed him 50 yards behind me. It was my turn to shoot a nice fish. We continued our day diving without seeing any more tuna, when all of a sudden the current changed. We regrouped and moved the boat to another spot known for big giant travelli. Slowly the boat motored full throttle as we punched through 4-foot standing waves. The current at this spot

was raging like a class 4 rapid. Once the boat finally made it through the rough waters, we pulled in to a small lagoon where we would enter the water. My friend went in first since I was a bit concerned about the conditions. As I looked up through the crashing waves created by the current, I could see the speed in which we were moving. The current was at 5 knots and I could see the whirling down currents like a tornado under water. My friend dropped down to take a look and lined up on something. I quickly swam over to his buoys and grabbed on as I heard the gun go off. For the next five minutes, I was towed around desperately trying to keep the fish from sinking the buoy. My friend had been sucked away from his buoy when the fish headed up current. That is why I was holding onto his catch. The boat picked him up and dropped him back in the water so he could land his prized catch. The fish was now close and we could see it materializing. He had shot a 90-pound giant travelli. I told him to hold onto the buoy

as I could see the slip tip ready to fall out. I took a breath and dropped down for the kill shot. I lined up on the head and let the steel penetrate his brain. We enjoyed working together and it proved to be successful. We did another drift when suddenly I felt a strong pull on my float line. I quickly looked back to see what was happening and realized that my two buoys were gone. I looked down and could see that they were underwater. The whirlpool down currents had sucked my buoys under. I yelled for the boat and quickly got in. I pulled hard and finally they surfaced. I had never seen anything like that before and decided that it was too dangerous to dive that spot that day. I was now two fish behind and I really wanted to spear something, but it was time to head home. It was the end of day two and I had not managed to spear a tuna yet. I knew that day three would be my lucky day. I had learned how to manage myself in the currents. The last Day. We returned to the same secret spot the next day and I was well equipped with a 64-inch tuna gun. I eagerly enter the water first this time and immediately saw frantic baitfish being chased by large rainbow runners. I took a breath and dropped vertically towards the bottom. Dropping down to 40 feet 6 large shadows grow closer with curiosity. The bottlenose dolphins had returned to greet me. They stayed within 10 feet of me for the next 3 dives. It was a beautiful experience. Once I was just outside the drop off I made a dive to 60 feet. I kept my kicks to a minimum and closed my eyes. I was envisioning the tuna in my mind, and as I opened my eyes I could see the white coins of dogtooth tuna creating a wall in front of me. Knowing that these fish GO TO P. 70

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T 50

ranspiring quietly under most divers’ radar, a small freediving competition was held in Kona earlier this year. The competition included all of the main disciplines of freedive competition, including constant weight in the open water. Kona has played host to several freediving competitions in the past, including the national championship in 2006, and the international fielddrawing Pacific Cup in 2002. The competitive freediving scene is drawn to the Kona Coast for the same reason Hawai‘i’s divers are—consistently perfect diving conditions and deep water literally a stone’s throw from shore. Hawai‘i undoubtedly possesses one of the highest proportions of breath-hold diving enthusiasts among its population, but few of these divers practice competitive or “pure” freediving, instead training their underwater breath-hold ability for only the practical application of spearfishing. Yet, in Kona, there is a small crew of dedicated freedivers that have been gathering on weekends for some time now to practice their obsession together. Their meeting place every Sunday is the bay at Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau, which is a magical place offering exceptionally perfect diving conditions practically every day of the year. I am providing an account of the competition from the point-ofview of a competitor, as well as a spearfisherman. It is my hope that more of Hawai‘i’s fishing-focused divers will take interest in this sport, which is all too appropriate for us considering our favorable setting. You gather a deeper appreciation for freediving when you learn to descend deep enough that an extended freefall or “sink phase” is involved. It’s a transcendental experience when you are deep enough that light becomes limited and your heart is thumping only once every three seconds, all to the tune of your fellow aquatic mammals singing with eerie moans that reverberate within your chest—and you don’t yet feel the urge to return to the surface to breathe. For further inspiration, get your hands on a copy of the freediving cult classic “The Big Blue”.

My dive partner, Derek Levault, who is also an avid spearfisherman, participated in the competition as well. We met in 2006, and since the beginning we have shared a keen interest in diving deeper. Over time we have worked from being comfortable below only 100ft to plunging to respectable depths beyond 200ft. Integral in our progress was meeting and training with the Kona freedivers. When our friends in Kona tossed around the idea of hosting a small freediving competition, we jumped at the opportunity to test our mettle in this little-known sport. We did not attend the competition completely naïve and unprepared. We actually spent several months training at Palolo pool and in the ocean, whenever we could find the patience to put our spearguns and cameras down. We also exploited the airfare discount wars to afford multiple trips to Kona to train with the crew there.

Day 1 The competition opened with the discipline of static apnea. Great performances were expected considering the abilities of some of the competitors in this discipline. The mother and daughter duo of Annabel Edwards and Jessica Wilson (opposite top) have exchanged the American record for static between each other (and Annabel even held the world record at one time). Then there was 70-years young Bill Graham (opposite bottom left), former American record holder for static, who has a recent personal best in the neighborhood of an unbelievable 8 minutes. Derek Levault was the dark horse, rumored to possess incredible static apnea ability, but which no one had ever witnessed (except me). The current American record for static was 7:28 by Deron Verbeck, another Kona native (2007). There was some excited anticipation that some static records might fall. NAME

NOTES

P TS

Bill Graham

7:00

7:10

Good

Jessica Wilson

5:31

6:30

Good

Kurt Chambers

5:00

6:18

Good

75.5

Annabel Edwards

0:30

6:05

Good

Andy Norlander

4:00

5:26

Good

Leo Muraoka

4:30

5:00

Good

Megumi Matsumoto

4:00

4:24

Good

52.5

Derek Levault

5:59

6:28

DQ (SP)

Kevin Busscher

5:00

5:52

DQ (SP)

Jessica Wilson did succeed in breaking the American record (6:27_6:30), which was already her own! And she did so without showing any instability during her recovery, indicating that she had more in the tank. Bill performed a very respectable 7+ minute static, while Derek (left) unfortunately succumbed to a disqualifying samba.

Even though both Bill and Derek possess the ability to perform beyond the American record mark, the competition atmosphere tends to reduce performance, some times significantly. Competitors in the know may expect up to a 15% reduction in performance, and they make their performance announcements accordingly. A typical strategy for a record attempt is to assure that, in training, one reaches performances exceeding the record, preferably several times. This provides a buffer in case stress from the competition inhibits performance, in addition to providing valuable confidence—the greatest aid a diver can bring to a competition. Deron Verbeck pulled off a 7:28 in a competition. Who knows how far beyond this mark his real personal best is...

Day 2 The second day of competition was devoted to the most anticipated segment of the competition—depth. Competitors could choose to perform constant weight either with or without fins, which are recognized as distinct disciplines. The arena was Honaunau, and the conditions, as usual, were ideal. However, the addition of support boats, rebreather-equipped safety divers, judges, and a strict timeline provided for a very different atmosphere than the relaxed one we normally experience there. The most notable performance was Andy Norlander’s 80m/262ft CWT dive, making him only the fourth American known to ever reach 80m. This was only 2m/6.5ft shy of the American record (82m/269ft, Theo Ivanovic, 2007). Andy is one of the Kona-based freedivers, and a product of the Performance Freediving course taught there. In only 4 years he has progressed from being a beginner, sub-100ft diver, to being capable of world-class performance in constant weight. 80m was the maximum depth allowed in this competition, so Andy did not have the opportunity to challenge the American record. But his PB is several meters deeper, and he may get that chance soon. Another notable performance was Megumi Matsumoto’s (far right) CNF dive of 32m/105ft. Megumi travelled all the way from Japan to participate in the competition, and she made sure to make it worthwhile by claiming a new Japanese national record with that dive. Leo Muraoka (right) also competed CNF, and performed a respectable 44m/144ft. NAME

TIME

NOTES

PTS

Andy Norlander

80m