Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine Issue 69

ISSUE 69 / US $7.95 / Display until 09.15.17

_ _ KANAONO KUMA IWA HSD69

COVER PHOTO DANIEL HULME @daniel.hulme

INHALE PHOTO PERRIN JAMES FRANTA @perrinjames1

DIVER RYDER DEVOE @midhandle

DIVER MARK HEALEY @healeywaterops

QUOTE WERNER HERZOG

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HAWAIISKINDIVERMAG

2017 posts

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FOLLOWING

Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine The Global Journal of Spearfishing + Freediving Sterling Kaya, Publisher / Editor Clifford Cheng, Design Monkey Laarni Gedo, Advertising Sales

It was a cloudy, windy and rainy Sunday, I am going out with my partner Mii off LaoLao Bay. After about one hour I shoot a fish. But the fish is still alive. I re-loaded two rubbers on my cressi comanche 110.

I am looking all around and saw this monster fish right next to me wanting to eat my catch. I moved the speargun towards it and shot it in the head. I stoned the fish, one shot. But I am afraid. I must be crazy shooting that sailfish with no float. I asked my partner to take a back up shot. We finally land the fish and bring it home. What a crazy day.

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COLORADO RIVER SHOOTOUT 2017

As a Firefighter, our community has always been a tight knit one. It’s never uncommon to spend a day off work helping a fellow fireman with a move or with a home project. With the amount of time we spend together on and off the job we consider each other family. This is why I felt inclined to raise money for The 100 club. The primary mission of The 100 Club of Arizona is to provide immediate financial assistance to families of public safety officers and firefighters who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, and to provide resources to enhance their safety and welfare.

After six months of preparation and anticipation April 8th was here. The format was simple: a single day tournament in either Lake Mead or Lake Mohave, two man teams, 8 Carp and 8 Striper per team. Both of these introduced/invasive species have taken over many of the waterways throughout the Southwest. The goals of the tournament were to foster a friendly competitive environment where new divers can be just as competitive as the seasoned spearos, raise money and contribute to invasive species control.

The community stepped up! We had 36 divers compete in the tournament. Most of the teams were made up of divers from the Southwest but we also had teams from California and Connecticut. The afternoon weigh-in was generously hosted at 9th Island SUP in Boulder City, NV. As expected, every diver weighed-in their limit of carp which made this a very competitive event. A decent number of

striped bass were also weighed in. Trophy catches went to Sergio Astuti for the largest striper at 29lbs and a 29lb carp shot by Andrew Moore. Clinton Moran and Kenneth Martin got third place, Matt Suiter and Brian Arevalo got second place and Mason Decosta and Sergio Astuti took home the first place trophies created by Josh Fleming at Meric Spearfishing.

With entrance donations and raffle sales the spearfishing community raised close to $2500 for the 100 club. None of this would have been possible without donations from: Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine, Penetrator Fins, Evolve Polespears, KAP Spearguns, Hatch Spearguns, Hammerhead Spearguns, In SEA, HI Heat wetsuits, Rinse Kit, Riffe, James and Joseph, Meric spearfishing, JBL and 9th Island SUP. We are lucky to have companies like these that see the bigger picture and not only contribute to divers but also to the surrounding community.

Joe Scheurn_Nevada

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Throwback Ad_Mahalos again to Jethro Acosta for sharing his photo of Chris Chaput in 2008. Mahalo to Wade Nishimura, Chris Ching and Jerry Blue at Element8 for the kick ass award winning copy writing and design. [element08.com]

today was a good day.

H

WORDS

Joe Farlo Joe Farlo + Richard Balta

PHOTOGRAPHS

OW MANY TIMES CAN YOU SAY or post the comment ‘having the most epic day ever’... before someone actually calls you on it? “Hey, you said that last time you were out. How can you say it again?” is a fair question. In response, Richard Balta has replied “well, when every day you go out is more epic than the one yesterday, it is true! I know this seems ridiculous, but today WAS the most epic day ever!” That’s how it had been for Richie and me during the California Blue Fin Tuna run of 2016. This period of epic proportions went down as one of the most grueling experiences in my life’s career as a recreational spear fisherman. We were together; two brothers exploring a whole ‘new animal’ and a set of hunting techniques that were far different in so many ways from all the times we previously hunted yellowfin tuna.

It all started on a warm, May afternoon when Richie alerted me that Mike Morgan had just shot a cow south of the border near San Diego. We had been following the rod and reel reports and the moon phases, and were planning to go out that very weekend.

But after this single day, everything changed. This particular May day we committed our own solid, hard core obsessions to successfully shoot these cows too! After all... the two of us, along with Erik Banados and a squad of other Fathomiers, had been hunting yellowfin tuna on trips across the planet for well over a decade. We had speared countless tunas in a variety of places throughout the world including: Panama, Ascension Island, Mexico and Costa Rica. We all had the right equipment, and knew firsthand that making even the smallest of mistakes could mean forfeiting a prized fish!

We were well prepared. We maintained focused vigilance and were ready to finally land our own BIG ones! All we needed was an opportunity. But as we would later discover, finding opportunity required learning a whole different system of hunting than we previously practiced. We were chasing BFT down on purpose in boils and bird piles, but we also learned to interpret the subtle signs of various birds that followed the tuna. We dove meter marks under them, or proceeded to locations based solely on the direction that a single tern was flying. This bird watching developed into an obsessive routine. In fact, it became difficult not to notice birds constantly, even on days we weren’t hunting.

We were fixated on studying them. I’d be out with my family and prompting them to “look over there!” while enquiring, “What’s that bird doing?”. Of course, this was >>>> mostly met with quizzical looks or blank stares.

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Most would agree that hunting starts the day before, with the final preparations and assemblage of all things required ...and I’m not talking about stuff like coconut water.

Every tuna trip requires going through the gear, laying on fresh cable (and in my own case running to Mori’s shop at 10 p.m. to have shafts straightened and slip tips redone).

It can seem nonstop. Then, of course there is the nervous anticipation mounting which doesn’t allow for any sleep before the 4AM departure. Eventually, we found the best way to remedy the situation, would be to sleep on the boat or in the truck bed, as Richie and I found ourselves going out with a host of guys in the circle every third day. Towards the end, when the moon phase dictated multiday trips for us, we just basically lived in the Dana point parking lot sleeping on our boats amongst coolers of filleted BFT in the truck beds. We were getting fish every time we went out, but the big cows seemed to elude us by 5-10 miles in the opposite direction.

As the spring turned into summer, the days became longer and more and more epic.

We shared the stoke of our bountiful catches with many of our tribe. Every trip seemed to find a spearo getting a new personal best! Each occasion brought us new wonders; massive tuna vortexes and shoals of anchovies being devoured by flying cows! It was the best of times, doing what we love most in life... brothers born of the sea. Our most epic day finally came just before our nation’s 240th birthday. We were far offshore, further out than we had gone previously following our birds. It was a gloomy and overcast morning, but as the sun finally started peeking through, I saw a puddle in the distance and a vibrant flash of color on the surface. Approaching the color flash, we began to see massive Allison fins licking the surface. As I positioned the boat in front of the direction the puddle was traveling, Phil DiRocco and Richie slipped off the back as I directed them to swim hard to the port side, and catch up with the puddle. Water visibility was a cloudy 10-15feet in this area. The puddle of massive Allison fins and color suddenly turned direction and was nearly upon them. I yelled, “DIVE NOW!” and they simultaneously slipped below the surface about 20 feet from each other.

Within a few seconds both terminal setups raced down into the depths and the 100 >>>> Gannet floats disappeared.

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Both of them returning to the surface triumphantly howling ‘ TUNNAAAH!’. Within a minute, both floats returned to the surface. Phil’s float was tombstoned while Richie’s started racing off to the east with him in tow. Phil immediately asked “Doc what do I do now? “. Unbelievable as it was for him, this being his first speared tuna, Phil is a seasoned guy with all the right equipment so I told him to calm down and start trying to bring it up. By now Richie was already 100 yards away and the puddle of monster tunas was still flashing color and Allison fins on the surface between them!

I motored over to Richie and he was in heaven! He knew he had stuck the cow we had been obsessively searching these past two months for. I threw Richie a kill gun and marked his position on the chart plotter while telling him “I gotta go back and help Phil figure out what to do next.” Racing back to Phil, I could see he was still trying to gain ground on his fish but his 100ft ¾ inch Mori bungie was still stretched out to the max. “Doc what do I do?” I then rigged my Wong ONO with a static float line and a Riffe atmos float. I clipped the gun to his bungie and threw him a 22Lb Rob Allen float and told him to bring that fish up to the shooting line with the Rob Allen, then go down to put a second shot in the head and wait for me to come back. Marking his position, I went back to the waypoint where Richie was last (passing the puddle of fish again). By now, the afternoon wind had come up making it much harder to find him. Richie was already another ¼ mile out further to the east (I had played this game twice before over the summer and hated it!)

As I approached Richie, I could tell he was still unable to bring his fish up at all! I screamed, “Richie get that fish on the boat, the school is still right next to Phil!.”

Richie answered, “Joe I can’t stop it!” After staying with him for a few minutes, I told him I was going back to help Phil. As I raced back to Phil, whose position really hadn’t changed, I see the school yet again which was just killing me with anticipation. “Doc I put the second shot in it, I think its dead!” “Ok wait for me”. So I tied the bungie to the boat’s stern cleat as the wind now is starting to blow hard and is beginning to catch the boat. I got in, and sure enough the fish was dead, so I clipped the float to the slip tip and instructed Phil to get on the boat and start pulling all the lines, floats and guns back into the boat. Finally, after getting a rope through the throat we heaved that beast into the boat. A Solid COW for sure! High fives between us, and now back to get Richie. As we go wide open throttle back to my last mark, I started to get a bad, sinking feeling… I didn’t see his float. We got to the mark and pulled out the Binos scanning the horizon.. no Richie in sight, just a few big sport boats in the distance. We were easily 70 miles offshore and 30 miles from the nearest Island. Well, it didn’t take more than a few, brief minutes in these conditions, before I was on the radio calling Mayday after Mayday for my buddy. Fortunately, soon after I made contact with the coast guard and transmitted my coordinates, Phil visualized a tiny orange spec on the horizon through the Binos, in the direction I had the boat pointed. Richie had been towed 2 miles from his last location! His fist shot toggled in the head allowing the fish to swim freely, whereas Phil’s hindquarter shot kept his fish head down and sounding.

Its hard to describe the joy and gratitude I had in the moment of heaving both Richie and his Cow on board. After many hugs and high fives, now it was my turn! As we made it back to the original location, the fish were nowhere to be found. A few hours passed and the weather started to glass off again. Luck soon changed, and with the assistance of the keen eyed Captain Jeff Richardson and his Gyros, we were on the lead to another puddle. Richie put me into the gin clear water, and as I swam in the right direction he began shouting “DIVE !”. At 30feet, I found myself in the middle of the most amazing Cow BFT Vortex I’d ever imagined! Waiting a good 10-15 seconds in awe, I selected my cow and unleashed the 8 bands and 3/8 shaft of my Alexander gun. The fish sounded, then dragged me for 1-½ miles before tiring and allowing me to bring her up for a second shot through the heart. As the sun blazed to a beautiful set, we were still 50 miles offshore, but as happy as we could ever be.

We had just landed the greatest catch in California spearfishing history; three cows weighing in at 238lbs, 222lbs, and 218lbs... and yes, this day surely qualified as the most epic day ever! PAU

carved hammered welded

C A S E Y PA RL E T T E

R E V ISI T ED

WOOD

+ METAL

+ STONE

CASEY PARLETTE is a dive enthusiast who by day guards the lives of beach goers on behalf of the city of Laguna Beach, CA, and by night renders his fascination with sea life into sculpture.

Wood, metal and stone are carved, hammered and welded as Casey strives to capture the mystery and motion of many of the creatures we know and love.

Since his HSD profile 2013 (HSD57), the size and scope of his art has grown, from larger-scale indoor and outdoor installations to tiny wearable sculpture in the form of a natureinspired jewelry line.

Casey carving a halibut profile into a travertine flagstone, which will eventually be a bench with a kelp leaf back, set on an overlook on the coast of Laguna Beach, CA.

OPENING SPREAD

THIS PAGE

LIMITED RESOURCES > As natural resources become scarcer, the struggle to obtain them becomes more intense. Here, three steel sharks vie for one wooden fish.

SCULPIN > The bumpy growths and mottled coloration of a sculpin provide it with camouflage in its rocky home, while making it an excellent subject for blacksmithing methods of sculpture.

SIZE 7’ x 30” x 27” MATERIAL Steel, mahogany, bone, blacklip mother of pearl METHOD Hammered, welded, carved INSTALLATION Suspended

SIZE 27” x 17” x 15” MATERIAL Lace redwood burl, bronze, maple burl METHOD Hammered, forged, welded, carved INSTALLATION Free standing

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TROPHY DETAIL > This piece was commissioned as a perpetual trophy for the white seabass tournament hosted by the Tuna Club of Avalon on Catalina Island, CA – one of the state’s oldest fishing clubs. Each year the name of the winner will be inscribed on one of the plaques.

SIZE 28” x 18” x12” MATERIAL Bronze, redwood burl, sycamore wood METHOD Hammered, forged, welded, carved INSTALLATION Free standing

OLD TIMER > Giant lobsters were once common in Southern California’s coastal waters. They are estimated to be well over sixty years old at maturity. Each bronze segment was individually shaped and welded to form different segments of the lobster’s armor.

SIZE 32” x 24” x 12” MATERIAL Bronze METHOD Forged, hammered, welded INSTALLATION Free standing

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TIGER SHARK > A commissioned piece installed under a glass landing of a private residence. It would be suspended by cables to be viewed from the top down as well as at eye level. Curly redwood was selected for the body to represent the beautiful tiger-like striping natural to this species.

SIZE 8’ x 3.5’ MATERIAL Curly redwood, bronze, steel, stainless steel METHOD Carved, hammered, welded INSTALLATION Suspended

KELP FOREST > A scene spanning two walls, featuring eleven calico carved of shedua wood, negotiating their way through nearly 200 hammered bronze kelp leaves. This piece was commissioned for a private residence in Laguna Beach, CA. SIZE 30’ x 20’ MATERIAL Shedua wood, bronze METHOD Carved, forged, welded INSTALLATION Wall mounted

29 FINDERS KEEPERS > A hermit crab is always on the lookout for the next best shell. Finders Keepers features a welded bronze hermit crab in dashing acacia or walnut.

SIZE 18” x 11” x 8” MATERIAL Acacia wood, bronze METHOD Hammered, forged, welded, carved INSTALLATION Free standing

CASEYPARLETTE.COM

6IX MONTHS IN

WORDS

Michael Takach PHOTOGRAPHS

Michael Takach + Jessie Cripps

OPENING SPREAD_It’s Jess’ birthday and all the volunteers decide to celebrate by camping on remote Nuku Island. We load up our housemates sailboat with dive gear, rum and our newly adopted Tongan puppies Ikale + Popao. It’s their first real adventure out of our yard. They are swimming before we finish unloading and spend the night chasing crabs and running without boundaries. I don’t think I’ve ever seen tails wag so fast in my life. // OPPOSITE PAGE_The northern end of Eua Island is home to the spectacular Cathedral Cave that has been known to hold a school of dogtooth tuna. Truly a freediver’s paradise. // THIS PAGE_Everything shuts down on Sunday in Tonga. We decided to take the sailboat out to a deserted island and cook some big Aweoweo’s over the fire. We drank fresh coconuts right out of a tree. Life is good.

OPPOSITE PAGE_We make many trips up to the Haapai Island group. Fish life there is insane and we are rarely disappointed. On this particular trip almost everyone lands their personal best Doggies. We come across a Doggy vortex and leave a school in the hundreds at the end of an epic day. Lots of great memories made with good people. We definitely have some unfinished business here. // THIS PAGE + NEXT SPREAD_We head out to the Hunga Tonga Volcano with Rob Torelli. Two years prior the volcano erupted and joined the two once separated volcanic islands. Rob points out on the gps where he used to shoot doggies, which is now hundreds of feet in the air! Nature is amazing! Lots of volcanic ash made the visibility and fishing a bit difficult, Jess lands a small dogtooth and nice coral trout and I snag myself a good sized Uku.

THE

ASCENSION

Ryder DeVoe midhandle @ WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHS

Ryder DeVoe @daniel.hulme

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I

WAS LAYING ON MY BUNK on a boat in the Mentawais islands right after getting out of the water surfing perfect slabbing left tubes for a few hours in warm water with only a few of my buddies. It was about as dreamy as it gets, the last thing I thought I would be doing at that moment was thinking about another location but the thought of giant yellowfin tuna swimming around in the blue wouldn’t get out of my head. I have been dreaming about spearing a big tuna since I was 10 years old. I knew in a short amount of time I would be diving off an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean that’s known for holding monster fish... Ascension Island in my head was the pinnacle for spearfishing around the globe. I remember spearing my first ever fish which was triggerfish that was under 1/2 a pound in Fiji with a 3prong when I was 11. The stoke was unforgettable and ever since then, there have always been “milestone fish” for me. Growing up next to the Pacific ocean in southern California, the white seabass was always the fish I was after. The day I speared my first big white seabass after many murky freezing dives, was the day I realized I had to shoot a bigger white seabass and other larger, faster, and sought after pelagic fish because of the feeling of success I had got that morning. These “milestone fish” have ultimately turned me into a more selective diver over the years because I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of a fish I had been seeking.

I had never seen a big tuna in the water before so I was extremely excited to see if Ascension was like I have been picturing it to be. After two weeks of epic surf with no injuries in Indonesia It was time to travel around the other side of the world to Ascension Island. I was pretty nervous traveling by myself through a few of the foreign countries as a minor with a lot of luggage.

While on a layover In singapore I was sitting at my gate eating pasta 1 hour before my flight was leaving to London and my name was called over the loudspeaker. I walked over to the front desk. They told me to follow them into a room under the airport where they had my dive bag with my guns in it. After opening the gun bag they proceeded to measure the guns and shafts a few times and told me that these are illegal in their country. They started questioning me why I was 17 years old, traveling alone with these weapons. After almost being detained and having all of my dive gear taken away they miraculously let me through but told me to never travel through Singapore with weapons again. I was pretty rattled from what had just happened, but as I barely made it on the plane as the last few people were boarding, I could start to picture the light at >>>> the end of the tunnel.

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After making it to London I met up with Cameron Kirkconnell and Chad Bagwell before our flight from RAF Brize Norton to Ascension island. Towards the end of the flight there was an opening in the clouds, and in the middle was Ascension island. As we got closer I got a better look at this strange island in the middle of the Atlantic. I had never seen anything like it. There was huge dirt mountains and I felt like we were surrounded by giant man eating ant mounds. Finally the plane touched the ground and we went straight through customs. Everyone was super hungry so we grabbed some lunch but I could not wait to get in the water to see the tuna that Ascension was known for. Shortly after we drove down to the pier where I met Colin who lives on the island and we loaded the gear into the boat. It wasn’t long before we were in the zone that fish had been seen the day before and we jumped in the water. The fact that I was diving Ascension still had not completely sunken in.

Only three minutes had gone by and we already had a big wahoo and a handful of 4060 pound yellowfin tuna in the chum. I enjoyed watching the small tuna swim around for a half and hour or so but I thought I had seen a much bigger fish take a piece of chum down deep. A wave of Adrenalin rushed through my body as I waited motionless on the surface. I started thinking of multiple possible scenarios that could go down.

Suddenly there was a big yellowfin tuna swimming through the chum 40’ down. I watched it glide through the water for a few minutes until Cameron shouted at me to dive so I immediately took a deep inhale and dropped down to 35ft and sat out side of the chum. Sure enough it came back out of the blue and started swimming at me. I lined up on the fish quickly as it was swimming in and at the last second it turned towards me and I squeezed the trigger. When I saw the shaft hit the the fish right behind the gill plate and saw the tip toggle on the other side I was stoked! It charged right over me then back down into the deep.

I could see the shaft bending into a U seconds after hitting the fish. There were already a few sharks in the water before I shot the tuna but after only a few seconds there were sharks in every direction. The fish had a steady pull on the floats for about four to five minutes but quickly started to tire out. I began clipping and pulling as fast as I could to keep the tuna away from the hungry sharks. As I pulled the fish closer to the surface I started to see deep color flashes. I wasn’t sure if the fish had been bitten yet. At this point the sharks were getting a lot more aggressive as the tuna neared the surface.

Cameron handed me a second gun to put a kill shot in the brain of the fish. I dropped down through the sharks to the level of the fish and shot it right through the top of its head. It was a huge relief when I was able to put the second shaft in to secure it. > > > >

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As I pulled my first yellowfin tuna to the surface I could finally see how big the fish really was. I slid my hands into the gills and quickly put my knife in its head. As the beast was quivering I watched its eyes and I could see the life slipping away.

I could hardly believe what had just happened. My friend Daniel Hulme just happened to be on a boat near by and he hopped in to take pictures of the yellowfin I had just shot. I had no idea how heavy the tuna were under water and I could barely stay on the surface trying to hold it. After Dan got some amazing photos we hauled the fish into the boat before it was demolished by the sharks. I could not stop touching my fish the entire way back to land. Pulling up to the pier in Ascencion that day was pretty sketchy with all of the swell that was in the water so timing it was tough.

To get the tuna onto the pier we had to tie a rope through the mouth and gills so we could put the fish in the water and swim it over. I climbed up on the pier and waited until the surge came in and it lifted the tuna on to the platform but it started to slide off when the water dropped near 10 feet under normal and I did not let go of the rope.

The fish went flying off with me attached to the other end and I landed on the tuna shoulder first and then was slammed into the tires that surrounded the pier. The next surge that came in flung me back up on the platform into the handrail and I flew off again. The people watching from up top would not stop laughing. The tuna went 165 pounds on the scale. After we took a few last photos we filleted the fish. It was an amazing first day on the island. The sashimi was unreal for the next few days.

On Ascension island there was a special place called Green Mountain. It was unlike anything on the island. It went up past 2,800 feet and was like a tropical rainforest.

There were big land crabs up by the top that would hide in the exposed roots of the plants. Every time we went up to the top of green mountain in the morning before a dive we would see giant tuna in the evenings.

About two weeks into the trip we headed out one overcast afternoon and I started chunking sardines. A school of wahoo came in and out of the chum but all I could think about was a giant Yellowfin over 250 pounds. Only moments after the wahoo left the chum two massive tuna swam up from the depths into the chum line. The sickles were almost touching the tail. I got nervous and started over thinking it. This was one of my last days on the island and I still had not shot a fish over 200 pounds. Minutes went by before I was calm enough to get a proper breathe up. >>>>

My friend Matthew started chumming for me as I began to breathe up. The yellowfin started to come up to the surface and was eating chum 10 feet down and had to be around 260-280 pounds. I really needed a solid holding shot on a fish like this so I was going to wait for a perfect broadside angle. After we released a handful of sardines I dove down and stopped kicking at about 30 ft, I glided down until I hit about 40’ and then leveled off. As the fish swam in range, I had the float line in between my legs so I calmly undid the line as I watched the huge fish swim over my shoulder. I silently waited a few more seconds and the fish looked at me and started to come in. I slowly lined up where I had a feeling the fish would swim and It did just as I thought it would.

As the tuna turned broad side about 10 feet off the tip I pulled the trigger. The gun kicked so hard my GoPro swung down and hit me in the forehead. I watched the shaft fly straight into the top of the pec fin and bend like a pretzel immediately. I started my ascent to the surface as I watched the fish surge off into the deep with unbelievable strength. The slack of the bungee quickly disappeared and pulled the first 3atmo float straight down. I was about ten feet from the surface when the second 3atmo float flew past me into the depths and was out of sight.

Before I could get a breath of air I had a feeling I would never see that fish again along with all of my gear. We quickly swam to the boat, and I grabbed my SaltLife hat and glasses and I climbed the tuna tower as fast as I could. Divan was up top driving the boat and everyone was looking and waiting for the two orange floats to surface. We continued to scan the horizon for over an hour but the sun was starting to go down along with my hopes so we decided to head in. I never saw the fish or the orange floats again. Losing all my gear to the biggest fish of my life haunts me everyday haha and it will for a very long time. The fact that my shot held perfectly and I still lost the fish is what bothers me the most. Ascension Island has proved to me that there are still giant fish in the ocean. It was strange watching myself passing on fish like 50 pound wahoo and 100 pound tuna waiting for a much larger target. When I get a chance at another fish like that i’m going to do my best to make it count. This trip to Ascension island has changed the way I look at spearfishing because It was like going back in time to witness a place that has not been completely fished out by commercial fishing and I hope it stays like that for a long time. I wouldn’t have made it to Ascension without the help from Salt Life, Progenex, and Riffe. PAU

56

at

1°C

63

I MET ARTHUR GUERIN IN A SWIMMING POOL. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ON THE WAY TO TRY TO BREAK A RECORD, FREEDIVING UNDER ICE. I DIDN’T KNOW HOW I WAS GOING TO DO IT, BUT I KNEW I HAD TO DOCUMENT IT.

B

WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHS

Alex Voyer @alexvoyer_fisheye

REAKING A RECORD LIKE THIS requires a whole lot of preparation. Arthur is able to swim 300 meters under water with only one breath of air, so no worries on the freediving cababilities. On the other hand, it will be necessary for him to seriously adapt to the cold quickly! I am one of the few stupid Parisians who swim in cold water in the canal de l’Ourcq all winter. I take Arthur to my favorite pool several times and I can see that he is not at all acclimatized to the cold. But he has a mind of steel.

It will be very hard for Arthur, but he is driven (this will be the leitmotiv of this record).

DAY ZERO

The drama begins upon landing in Finland. Missing luggage containing Arthur’s two mono fins, his googles, and his wetsuit…well shit! It is as if we were going to participate in a car race with the car and the driver but without the wheels or the engine. This is going to be more complicated than expected! We then decide to forget our misfortune with smoked salmon in the sauna of our beautiful house!

DAY 1 We dig the holes in the ice and take a first swim through with Arthur under the ice wearing small scuba diving fins. He’s badly weighted, tired and stressed…it was not a pretty sight. Once again, smoked salmon, potatoes and a sauna to recover.

DAY 2 No fins. We add 2kg in addition to his 10kg of weight already planned. Arthur is still very awkward in the water but he’s starting to look like a freediver who can dive 50 meters without breathing, without fins, under the ice.

Still no news of the lost luggage, but all the of Freedivers from all around europe are spreading the the word. some mono fins should arrive soon (we hope). Yet again, smoked salmon, pasta and a sauna to recover. >>>>

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DAY 3 A CMAS judge arrives from Russia with 4 mono fins, one of which adapts to Arthur’s almost princess like feet. Deliverance! The record will be attempted tomorrow. It will be necessary to try to make more than 50 meters in training! Our champion goes 2 X 75 meters but the desire to breathe arrives well before 50 meters. It will be extremely difficult to swim 175meters for sure! Smoked salmon, banana, and a sauna to recover.

DAY 4 Arthur breaks the record! The apnea is long, very long. Very cold water creates an intense diving reflex which leads to things that complicated the performance. First of all, his desire to breathe arrives very quickly. Arthur wanted to breathe before 50 meters, but he had to make 175 meters and manage this pain. This diving reflex involves a large vasoconstriction which causes the blood to leave the limbs very quickly to concentrate on the vital organs and therefore no more blood in the legs after 100 meters.

Then there was still 75 meters to go after that. Arthur had strong mental challenges and completed the challenge, but not without difficulty, The Russian CMAS judge validates the protocol output, perfectly done. It is superb! Arthur is a world champion.

For my part, the day is perfect for the photos. Great sunshine makes for magnificent shots. But there’s a small problem. We must wait for Arthur to pee in a cup for antidoping control. He’s not able to return to the water before getting the o.k..

We make him swallow liters of water. Nothing to do after more than two hours waiting. The sun goes down. I wait patiently with my friends Johanna Nordblad and Elina Manninen who came from Helsinki to attend the event. It just so happens that Johanna has her swimsuit. There’s a hole in the ice and we improvise a photo shoot with Johanna in her swimsuit, in ice water. Two hours later we can get back into the water with Arthur and we take the “official” photos of him under the ice. The light is low but still superb.

Finally, you guessed it, smoked salmon, pasta, sauna, red wine, white wine, champagne and other spirits I don’t recall very well.

If you’re wondering how the photos were taken, it’s very simple. Like everyone else, I’m always wearing a lanyard that connects me to a cable or directly to the hole on the surface. That’s my life insurance. If anything should happen to me, I find my exit instantly. There is obviously the potential risk of black out in freediving, but the worst thing that could happen would probably be that my mask breaks. There will be nothing to see because it is impossible to open your eyes in the frozen water.

Diving (or snorkeling) under ice is an exceptional and surreal activity that I recommend to everyone. No need to be super freediver or diver to try the experience. BUT it is absolutely essential to have perfect logistical planning and to be surrounded by highly trained professionals. PAU

68 TOKYO_JAPAN

PHOTOGRAPHS

voice

TSUKIJI FISH MARKET’S PATHS LESS TRAVELED

WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHS

Woody Brown @woody_brown

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JON BARRETTO AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS TRIP FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. WE FINALLY BOOKED IT. OUR BUDDY KYLE KAILI ALSO JOINED US ON OUR DOG TOOTH ADVENTURE. After 9 hours of travel, we check-in and plan our dives. They have our first dive departing at 8 am. No way! We were so exhausted from the trip. We had to cancel day one. We get ourselves together on day two. We jump in for a swim and to our surprise the water temperature was very hot. Our 3mm wetsuits were way too hot for us. Luckily I brought a rash guard I could use for backup in case I overheated.

The first day of diving was amazing. Our boat was docked in front of our hotel ready to go. Going through mangroves and narrow reef channels to get to the outside reef was breathtaking. We finally get to our spot and within seconds a wall of onos show up. I shoot the first one forgetting to take my tip protector off and I lose it. The boys scramble to load the guns but the onos already passed through so they didn’t get a shot.

We get to the edge of the reef and it’s a straight drop off. It’s pretty cool because it goes from surf breaking on the ledge to a quick slope out to the abyss within 50 yards. The dog tooth hunt is on. A couple hours go by and all we see is 30-40 lbers rolling through. We pass up on the smaller ones hoping for bigger ones to come in, but nothing. We take a break for lunch and get ourselves ready for the next session. We jump in and again immediately onos roll through. Jon shoots the first one that comes in and kyle shoots one but lose it. We’re on the board. We get back to the drop off and continue our search for the dog tooth tunas. A couple hours go by and no doggies. Lots of onos, ukus, but no doggies.

The water starts to get murky and it’s starting to get late. Right before we decide to leave a massive doggie swims up to Jon’s flashers. He takes a drop but it was too late. I’m looking around day dreaming. To my surprise I see this massive doggie on my flashers so I immediately drop, but again too late. The water was too dirty so we couldn’t see it coming till it was too late. We both had to agree it was between 100-150 lbs.

The next couple days roll around and we are stoked to get in. Again almost every drift we are greeted by onos. It’s amazing how much onos are here. Walls and walls everywhere we’ve gone. But that’s not what we came for, we wanted the dogtooth tuna. We hunted for hours on the ledge but only smaller doggies.

Kyle has an opportunity on a 40lber but misses. We decide to do a quick reef dive to take a break and take our minds off the frustration. As I’m on the drop off I see a nice school of these massive hump head uhus. They were amazing! They are like our uhus with a massive forehead.

The average hump head we saw were about 30lbs. So I take a drop, as I’m going down I take a peak and I see a

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I SLOWLY GLIDE TOWARDS IT AND HE GAVE ME A SHOT. WHAM! RIGHT IN THE PECK FIN. I HELD ON TO MY REEL GUN AS HE WENT ON A RAMPAGE. I’VE NEVER FELT THAT POWER BEFORE. I SEE HIM GET TANGLED AT ABOUT 120’. I START TO BREATH UP AND PREPARE MY DROP TO RETRIEVE MY FISH THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HE COMES OFF. MY HEART DROPS. doggie in my face. I slowly glide towards it and he gave me a shot. WHAM! Right in the peck fin. I held on to my reel gun as he went on a rampage. I’ve never felt that power before. I see him get tangled at about 120’. I start to breath up and prepare my drop to retrieve my fish then all of a sudden he comes off. My heart drops. After all that fighting I lose my first ever doggie. Our dive guide estimated it to be 70-80lbs. I told myself “Of course when I don’t have the right setup he decides to come in”.

The next two days roll around and it gets worse for the doggies. Not one doggie all day. During one of our drifts Jon and I are along the ledge and he shoots an opelu and a marlin comes rushing in. I take a drop and it just slowly looks at me but wouldn’t give me a shot.

Exciting! After the Marlin we decide to get our reef dives in. These reefs are so healthy and packed with life. We shoot a variety of fish such as mid nite snappers, bump head uhus, hump nose unicornfish, long nose emperors, coral trout, and

more. We donated them to the villages in return we get permission to dive their reefs.

We woke up and headed to go to a pinnacle 22 miles out. The name alone got us all hyped up and excited to go. As we’re heading out it starts to get rough.

We decide to charge it! Swell after swell with winds 15-20 knots in a small boat.

Weather is nothing like the forecast predicted. We finally make it out and give it a try. Immediately we are greeted by onos. Jon and Kyle both shoot a nice one each. I drop down and shoot a nice Uku. Now we’re stoked. Next drift Jon and kyle jump in. I get tangled so they get a head start. I finally jump in and immediately greeted by two massive sail fish. I threw my flasher and he came charging in. I dipped and aimed for the

stone shot. The second I pulled my trigger the sailfish darts forward and I hit it center mass near the tail. It takes off and I start yelling to the boys then all of a sudden I felt the bungee go limp. It came off. I’m screaming to the world pissed.

Damn now I’m starting to get frustrated because I keep losing the important fish.

The day goes on and all we have are onos and ukus in this crazy choppy sea. So we decide to call it a day.

After taking a day break we decide to give it a shot at the spot where the marlin greeted us the prior day. Before leaving the dock the guides father tells me “today you’re gonna bring home that sail fish. I prayed for you yesterday” I said “thank you I’ll do my best”. We get to the spot and the waves are firing! Heck we even thought about going back and renting boards for the day but our guides said “Give it one drift then we can go surf if it’s junk” So we did. We drift and drift.

Swim and swim. Zero! No luck. We hop on the boat eat lunch and say let’s go surf. Our guide said “let’s try for a couple onos maybe we get lucky then we go in”.

So we did as he said. I stayed on the boat because I was over it. >>>>

But of course like every other time, Jon and Kyle were greeted by onos. They both shoot a couple onos each. Meanwhile our guide Charles ask “hey can I try your gun?” So I handed him my gun, bungee and floats. He goes in to help out the boys on some onos. So I’m talking stories with the boat man and I hear a lot of yelling and screaming from kyle and Jon. Jon just lost an Ahi. I decide ah what the heck. I can use my 120cm reel gun to shoot onos I’ll give it a try. He drops me off a little further than usual from Jon and kyle so I had to swim towards them about 70 yards. I throw my flasher and jump in. I load my gun and start thinking to myself “of course a Marlin would come to me when I have my reel gun and single flopper shaft”. Sure enough I swear not even a minute later I see two sail fish (which I thought were marlins at first) swimming towards me. I quickly look away like I didn’t see them and toss my spoon to where I wanted them to go.

I side eye them making sure my head wasn’t pointed in their direction. At that moment they decided to change course and dart towards the spoon. Once they got to the spoon I dipped and aim for the stone shot. WHAM!!! About two inches

behind the eye and strung it. I quickly shout “I shot a Marlin!!!!” As I’m yelling my reel is peeling out line faster than the speed of light. I’m swimming as fast as I can towards the fish and I see my reel getting near the very end so I lock my drag tight. That made no difference and it still went to the knot at the end of my reel. The moment it got to the end of my spool I felt a huge pull. I held on for dear life. I was getting pulled so fast I couldn’t breath. My snorkel kept filling up with water, my mask kept coming off.

It was like I was water skiing for a few minutes. I turn to my back to get some air and yell to the boat man. Give me my float. I planned on clipping the float to my bands so I could let go but there was no way of doing it while getting towed around so I just held on for the ride.

While I was getting towed I just told myself please don’t snap my mono line!

Because the dogtooth I shot the other day put a nice nick in my line but I forgot to change it. All of a sudden I feel a complete slack. Instantly I said “dammit my mono snapped” I pulled in my reel line

and it was like nothing was on it. I was so mad. I screamed and screamed pissed off at the world. As I was pulling in my line I see the fish jump out of the water.

Still didn’t feel anything on the line so I quickly check see if my shaft is still there. Maybe the fish thinks he’s still on and I can take another shot. So I pull and pull then all of a sudden I felt tension. I pull and pull and I see the marlin about 60’ down barely moving. So I pulled him up and about 30’ from the surface he flipped over and the sail came falling out.

That’s when I realized it was a sail fish.

I grabbed its bill, put the fish between my legs and disbatched it. I called for the boat and loaded it aboard. I was so stoked I yelled my lungs. The feeling was so amazing. After losing the first sailfish the day before and getting a second chance made it that much sweeter.

On top of that the fight I went through was unforgettable. Finally my luck has changed. We got back to the dock and it was like we were being greeted by the hotel staff, their friends and family. We had an amazing catch. We had a couple onos and a sailfish in just a short amount of time. The Sailfish ended up weighing in at 71lbs.

So now it’s looking better for us. We felt confident for the next couple days to come. In the last three days diving we’ve seen 5 bill fish. Full moons tomorrow so we predicted the fish will be all out. We check the forecast tomorrow and it was looking great. So back to the pinnacle it was.

We wake up early head to breakfast and head out. We get there faster than the first time. Water is decent and winds about 8-10 knots. We get there and I let Jon and Kyle do the first drift since I got lucky the last couple dives. They jump in and once again Onos. This time they couldn’t get a shot. About 10 minutes later I hear yelling. SAIL FISH!! I saw Jon throw his flasher and he dips under the surface. I’m waiting anxiously on the boat waiting to see his float take off.

After a while I see him pop up and nothing. He couldn’t get a shot. We complete the drift and reset. Now I’m ready to jump in as well. We jump in and again Jon and Kyle both shoot an Ono each.

This time Kyles Ono rips off. I drop down to shoot a nice size uku and I hear Onos! Again the wall comes through but this time no one gets any. We con-

tinue our drift and right next to Jon a sail fish launches itself out of the water!

Jon immediately tries to get a shot on it but it swims away chasing the Kamanu (Rainbow runners). Now Jon’s heart is pumping. He just had two chances on sail fish in less than an hour. That made a total of 7 bill fish now we’ve seen. We finally get to the drop off and a massive dog tooth heads toward my flashers. I drop down but it decides to stay deep.

He stayed about 120’ below. He passes and about 5 minute later another rolls through slightly smaller but still around a 100lbs. As I drop down he quickly darts to the bottom. He then heads towards Jon and I see Jon drop down. He closes the gap then the doggie darts to the bottom. Damn! We both start talking. How the hell do we get them to stay up? Every chance we get they head down away from us. Not like our previous adventures

to other countries where they would always stick around. These ones here act different. So we decide to stay on that spot since it was looking very productive. A school of Ahi between 20-40lbs and Kawakawa 10-20lbs come rolling through the chum. I drop down to go for an Ahi. I’m just about to pull the trigger and it flinches drifting out of range. So I head back to the flashers. I see kyle and Jon chasing some Ahis of their own. As I’m swimming back I see a doggie swimming around my flashers playing with it asking to be shot. Roughly 80-100lbs or so. I’m thinking to myself “what the hell! The moment I swim away the most curious doggie hangs around my flashers asking to be shot!” Once I get there he slowly heads to the bottom. I drop down and as I’m going down a big Uku decides to come up so I shoot him instead. I figure I’ll create commotion so the doggie comes back and maybe Jon or kyle can get a chance. Sure enough the doggie comes back but stays too deep for Jon to get a chance. As the day comes to an end we talk about how great that day was even though we didn’t get to land the fish we really wanted. Another successful day in the books. >>>>

So now our last day is here. We decided instead of spending the day hunting for doggies we want to give back to the village by giving them a farewell gift. Today we will go out and shoot fish for each family on the island. They all get together and tell us what they want and we head out with what seems to be a grocery list.

The boys use their guns and I decide to use my 3-prong. We are all having a blast shooting fish. Meanwhile I come across a school of emperors with my 3-prong so I gave it a shot. Diving 70’s I hide myself and a long nose emperor comes in. I dust and dust till it couldn’t see me. In fact I dusted so much I couldn’t see him either lol. The dust settles and he’s right in front of me. I shoot my 3-prong and just misses by a hair! Dammit that was close.

Jon laughs on the surface and said wow you had it. He drops down and shoots a massive one. Biggest we’ve both seen. I grab the gun and take a drop and also pull another big one out of the group.

Meanwhile kyle and Charles (Guide) are on the inside and also pick up a few emperors of their own. Kyle also picks up another big Hump head uhu and is stoked. I decided I’ll try again with my 3-prong. I lay on the bottom 72’. I dust

and do exactly what I did the last time.

The sand settles and again a yellow lip emperor is in my face. He stops and stares directly at me. I’m waiting for it to turn broad side. Once he turns I shot but missed. Again, within range. I come up hearing Jon laughing again. All in all I was stoked. Even to miss twice but to even get a chance with a three prong I was stoked. These fish are really hard.

In my opinion they are slightly harder than our Mu back home. After that Jon decides he’s going to try for doggies again. I head to the inside where kyle and Charles are. As I’m swimming towards them I see a bunch of uluas. I call them over and they swim over. I drop down over the ledge and the biggest one pops his head out. With my 3- prong I aim for the stone shot and hit it right on the mark. Stoned him. Charles shot the other and landed his as well. Kyle followed me with his GoPro and captured the whole thing on film. We continue our drift picking up pieces here and there. I see a nice

Coronation trout. These fish are elusive.

I’ve tried for a couple of them with my gun this trip but I couldn’t pull one off.

Jon got lucky with two earlier on our trip. He was the only person to get one.

So I followed the fish and hunted him down. He tried to run and while he was swimming away I quickly lunged at him and let my 3-prong fly. A perfect shot right in his head. Stoned him right on the spot. I couldn’t believe I got it! I quickly swim over to the boys and they were tripping I got it with the 3-prong. Our guide couldn’t believe I got it. Jon refused to believe. He eventually inspected my fish to see only the three holes and congratulated me. I was stoked. I’ve been having such an amazing trip and now to end off with the 3-prong and shooting great fish made my trip worth while. So we hop on the boat and eat lunch. The day was still early and we tell the guys we’re done.

The boat man asked if we can go fishing so we did. We quickly came across a humongous bird pile. Ahi’s jumping! Jon and Kyle jump in. I was forced to stay on the boat because I lost my snorkel on my very last drop on the reef. We do circles through the pile and hook up Ahis like

I BORROW A SNORKEL AND DECIDE TO JUMP IN. INSTANTLY I SEE MONSTER AHIS DEEP AND THE SHIBIS ON THE SURFACE. SHARKS, KAWAKAWA, AKU, KAMANU, AND OPELU THE SIZE OF SMALL RAINBOW RUNNERS ALL SWARMING IN THE SCHOOL EATING NEHU (SMALL BAITFISH). there’s no tomorrow. Between 20-40 lbs.

Jon and kyle are screaming. Jon shoots and loses his first one. Kyle shoots and fights his. We see his float take off then seconds later goes limp. His rips off as well. After hooking a dozen shibis on the hand line I borrow a snorkel and decide to jump in. Instantly I see monster Ahis deep and the shibis on the surface.

Sharks, kawakawa, aku, kamanu, and opelu the size of small rainbow runners all swarming in the school eating Nehu (small baitfish). While Kyle’s off on the out skirts, I head to the middle. I see Jon looking at what I’m looking at. We see a school of 100+ lb Ahi breaking the surface. We get close and the sharks were all in a ball. Look like they were all biting each other and locked mouth to mouth. It was intense. It was definitely some National Geographic stuff. While all the sharks and Ahis were all piling up in a ball, Jon and I try to sneak in and shoot the big ahis in between the sharks.

Oh boy! did those sharks not like that.

It was the first time in my life I ever felt scared of sharks. They were in there feeding frenzy! They started turning towards Jon and me, rushing us one by one. We are whacking the sharks with the butts of our guns. Back to back shark after shark they came towards us. We yell to the boat man to get us out. I swear Jon jumped on that boat like a dolphin and I get in just as fast. We decide to jump in again but a little further away. Before we jump in we try to figure out how we can get to the big ones without getting near the sharks but it was nearly impossible. We both agreed we didn’t want to go back in there. Kyle on the out skirt is having the time of his life. He shot a nice Kawakawa but lost it to the sharks. Jon and I chase the ahi’s but couldn’t get a shot. I see Jon drop on a nice school of about 50lbers.

He closes the gap and fires! Waiting to see his float take off but nothing happens. I look good and Jon’s shooting line got tangle in his bands. Damn! Jon comes up all fired up. A nice fish slips away from him that was for sure in the bag.

We hop back in the boat as the night was near. We do a couple more passes with the lines. Our hand lines takes off and snaps! We get a triple. Two lines snap

and the other comes off. Damn we lost two big ones. We circle with our last line out and again. Hanapaa! But it comes off. We pull in the line to see the hooks straight. Three in a row. We then decide maybe it’s time to head in and call it a day. We had an amazing last day.

We get to the dock to clean up and head to dinner with our host’s family. We all laugh and talk stories and reflect on our amazing trip in Micronesia. It was awesome and a trip to remember. I’m so glad we planned this trip and actually made it happen. The people here are amazing.

They greet you with open arms and have an amazing heart. The culture here is pure, kinda like how I would imagine Hawaii in the early 1900’s but in our modern day life style. I respect the culture and the people of Micronesia. Until next time. Ahuihou! PAU

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RIFFE www.speargun.com

The Riffe Holdfast cut resistant warm water gloves are perfect for handling your spearfishing weapon of choice. They also keep your hands safe from cuts and scrapes by lobster, fish gills and spines. Level 5 rated cut resistance and Level 3 puncture resistance, ensures a day on and under the water unscathed. Palm and fingers are reinforced with crinkled latex for a holdfast non slip grip. Available Sizes: S, M, L, XL. MSRP $24

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newproducts HAMMERHEAD www.hammerheadspearguns.com

With rubber sourced from Ohio, the Rubber Capital of the World, expect this all-American Hammerhead Small ID Rubber Band to be of the best quality! The small inner hole means more rubber goes into the band itself, providing more modulus without expanding the outer diameter. You’re basically experiencing the power of a 5/8” band with a 9/16” outer diameter. The increased wall thickness adds elasticity that can only add to the strength and power during release.

MSRP $4.99 (foot)

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SALVIMAR www.maverick-america.net

The Salvimar One Freedive Watch, easy read display giving you straightforward simple data Depth Gauge, surface time, Diving Time, water temperature, a back light, and large easy numbers to read in low vis environment. This is the perfect companion to your freedive practice without breaking the bank. Simple user replaceable battery and 5 alarm settings just to name a few features makes the One Freedive watch perfectly simple performance monitor.

MSRP $199

SALVIMAR www.maverick-america.net

Salvimar Daylight Torch boasting a bright 860 lumens, 4mm toughened glass, premium anodizing makes this light extremely rugged. Compact and light weight Daylight when you need it.

MSRP $139

RIFFE www.speargun.com

The RIFFE Descender Plastic Fin offers an affordable choice for your daily dives.Developed to withstand the rigors of spearfishing in rough conditions and beyond. Polypropylene long blade design stores more energy to produce a strong thrust with minimal effort.Paired with RIFFE’s Veloc Foot Pocket featuring a streamlined fit, made of Thermoplastic Rubber and a 20 degree angle for the optimum power stroke. Lightweight and comfortable. Available Sizes: 38/39 (4-5), 40/41 (6-7), 42/43 (8-9), 44/45 (10-11), 46/47 (12-13).

MSRP $150

SALVIMAR www.maverick-america.net

How to handle an invasive species with an insatiable appetite, no natural predators and wreaking havoc on the Atlantic’s ecosystem since the early 2000’s? The Intruder Lionfish by Salvimar is now the natural predator. Sleek 41cm long gun, constructed from 28cm aluminum barrel, comfortable ergonomic handle, with a screwed band that is simple to load, 3 Prong trident tip to easily capture these little monsters of the reef.

MSRP $106

HAMMERHEAD www.hammerheadspearguns.com

Light up the depths of the sea when you go diving with the new Hammerhead MV3 LED Attachment. Compact, lightweight, and waterproof, snap it on to your MV3 Action dive mask for a handsfree lighting experience underwater. Small in size, big in glow. The MV3 LED is 300 lumens bright and has a 90-minute burn time. And you can even power it up on the go with the rechargeable battery pack and USB charging port. Now that’s what we call a bright idea!

HAMMERHEAD www.hammerheadspearguns.com

Dive into murky waters with no reservations with the new Hammerhead MV3 Action Amber! The ultra-clear, optical-grade lens is now coated with an amber tint, which increases the contrast in your vision. Lightweight and extremely comfortable, it also comes fitted with our specially crafted GoPro™ mounts. So whether it’s diving in lake bottoms or diving at night, you can be sure to shoot everything in sight with the MV3 Action Amber!

MSRP $94.99

MSRP $89.99

NICO’S www.nicospier38.com

When it comes to poke, fresh is always the best. That’s why we make and hand toss our poke using fish, straight from the neighboring Honolulu Fish Auction. Start your Nico’s Poke Bowl with one of our tasty pokes (or two or three) if you like. Then customize it with the extras you love.

MSRP $9.95 + tax

RATIO www.maverickamerica.net

Simply specializing in freediving, The iDive Sport incorporates new IPTM Algorithm for Taravana prevention, Hemoptysis prevention, Free Dive, Air Nitrox 50%, Gauge, 3D Compass, composite case, mineral glass, silicone watch strap, USB charger and PC or Mac Interface included.

MSRP $599 CRESSI www.cressi.com

The Anticorodal brown camouflaged frame of the Cherokee Open is improved with an integrated spear guide and lower anti-bending reinforcement. The handle has sternal support with a soft interchangeable high-low position.

Release box made entirely of stainless steel with lateral guideline release having automatic return and buckling tooth stroke damper. Tilting lateral safety catch. Reinforced reel buckle with steel through pin. Head for double elastic with magnetic spear lock: as soon as the spear is put in place, it is held by two magnets mounted in a watertight chamber. This characteristic guarantees maximum speed of reset without the disadvantages of conventional mechanical restraint systems. Supplied assembled and ready for use, multifilament braided nylon and 6.5 mm spear with small 17-4 ph steel fins.

MSRP $329.95

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A

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HSD 21ST CENTURY STATE SPEARFISHING RECORDS B

C

PELAGIC Ahi (Yellowfin) Aku (Skipjack) Bigeye Tuna Blue Stripe Chub Hamachi (Yellowtail Amberjack) Kamanu (Rainbow Runner) Mahimahi Mahimahi (Pompano) Ono Kawakawa (Wavy Back Tuna) Marlin, (Black) Marlin, (Pacific Blue) Sailfish Spear Fish, Short Bill Tombo (Albacore) NEARSHORE Aha (Needlefish) Aholehole Awa (Milkfish) Awaawa (Ladyfish) Aweoweo (Hawaiian Bigeye) Ballyhoo Barracuda, Great Broomtail File Fish Crab - 7-11 Flounder Goatfish, Bandtail Goatfish Goatfish, Blue (Moana Ukali) Goatfish, Manybar (Moano) Goatfish, Double-barred (Munu) Goatfish, White Saddle (Kumu) Grouper, Panther Hapu‘upu‘u (Grouper) Hilu Hinalea Humphead Snapper Kahala (Amberjack) Kala Kawale‘a (Heller’s Barracuda) Kole Kole (King Kole) Lai (Leatherback) Lehi Lizard Fish Lobster (Green Spiney) Lobster (Purple Spiney) Lobster (Slipper) Malu Manini Menpachi Moi Mu (Porgy) Mullet, Striped Nabeta (Peacock Razorfish) Nenue (Rudderfish) Nohu (Scorpionfish) Oio (Bonefish) Opelu Opelu Kala Parrotfish, Redlip (Whiptail Uhu) Parrotfish, Spectacled (Fantail Uhu) Parrotfish, Star Eyed (Pananu) Pualu (Yellow Surgeonfish) Roi (Peacock Grouper) Squid Squirrelfish, Sabre (Ala‘ihi) Squirrelfish (Menpachi) Spotted Knife Jaw Ta‘ape Table Boss (Black Spot Wrasse) Tako (Octopus) To‘au (Blacktail Snapper) Tohei (Eel) Uku (Gray Snapper) Ulua, Island Jack (Yellowspot) Ulua, Barred Jack Ulua, Big Eye Trevally Ulua, Black Ulua, Dobe Ulua, Butaguchi Ulua, Bluefin Trevally (Omilu) Ulua, Golden Trevally (Pa‘opa‘o) Ulua, Giant Trevally (White) Ulua, Mirror Trevally (Kagami) Wahanui Weke (Nono) Weke (Yellowstripe Goat Fish) Weke (Ula) White Margin Unicorn White Mouth Jack (Dobe)

LBS. DIVER DATE LOCATION SPEARGUN FROM 197.0 Moku Colon 01.16.12 Kona, Hawaii Aimrite Super Venom 140 Shore 20.0 Rob White 06.18.07 Kona, Hawaii Riffe Comp 4X Boat 135.0 Courtney Esprecion 02.26.16 Kona, Hawaii Garrett’s 120 gun Boat 2.78 Noah Drazkowski 07.12.10 North East, Maui Hammerhead Evo 110 Boat 4.36 Arnel Data Jr. (D) 03.06.17 East Oahu Bleu Tec 110 Kayak 25.6 Zachary Kiyan 07.01.16 South Point, Hawaii Pathos 130 Open Carbon Shore 56.5 Keoni Erger 09.09.09 Big Island, Hawaii Riffe Mid-Handle Boat 4.75 Michael Mahin 09.07.11 Maui Aimrite 90 Carbon Boat 87.3 Chris Paglinawan 02.25.11 West Oahu Rob Allen 130 Kayak 21.5 Bruce Ayau 09.10.16 South Kona, Hawaii Hatch 65” Doggie Boat 312.0 Brad Kepo‘o 04.17.12 Big Island, Hawaii Aimrite 150 King Venom Shore 506.0 Wendell Ko 11.20.13 Big Island, Hawaii Wendell Ko Custom Boat 105.0 Lance Moe (A) 03.04.17 Puna, Big Island Aimrite King Venom 140 Boat 24.0 Jordan Kilkenny 08.28.10 Big Island, Hawaii Riffe Comp 4x Boat 63.0 Bruce Ayau 07.11.07 Kona, Hawaii Riffe Boat LBS. DIVER DATE LOCATION SPEARGUN FROM 12.1 Christian Schaber 04.07.12 Oahu Hatch Custom Shore .93 Landon Tomita 04.15.12 East Oahu Riffe Euro 120 Shore 44.0 David Hudcovic 07.13.03 Niihau, Hawaii Sporasub 130 Boat 9.26 Andy Ikari 07.31.04 Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Omer 100 cm Shore 2.4 Chris Adair 07.07.13 Upper Westside, Maui Cressi Geronimo Elite 115 Shore .5 Austin Kilkenny 10.30.10 South Kona Riffe 4 x Shore 72.3 Charles Barenaba 12.01.01 Reef Runway, Oahu Alexander Ono Hunter Boat 7.33 Larry Griffith 04.14.14 Oahu 55” Wong Gun Boat 2.89 Jasen Kaya 04.18.08 Waikiki, Oahu Right Hand Shore 4.43 Nolan Tanaka 08.04.13 West Side, Oahu Riffe Euro 110 Shore 1.22 Justin Taketa 04.19.14 Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Home made gun Shore 6.0 Kainoa DelaCruz-Aquino 01.02.14 South Oahu 55” Daryl Wong Shore 1.475 Kyle Mauri 05.30.13 Paia, Maui 60” Mauri Reef Gun Shore 3.48 Richard Bettua 08.23.05 Molokai Daryl Wong Hybrid Boat 6.30 Mackey Hironaka 11.12.11 South Shore, Oahu Riffe Shore 3.45 Tyson Arakaki 12.17.11 Kakaako, Oahu OMER 115 ET Shore 132 Bruce Ayau 01.03.00 South Kona, Hawaii Riffe Shore 4.36 Jason Iseri 07.21.12 North Shore, Oahu Riffe Competition Shore 3.60 Jace Silva 01.16.15 Eastside Aimrite Shore 7.75 Tyler Allen 06.15.15 Hawaii Kai, Oahu Hatch 60” Amero Shore 77.0 Nick Ramos 02.20.11 Country, Maui OMER T-20 100 Shore 10.42 Robert Umiamaka 01.07.12 Kualoa, Oahu Aimrite Boat 8.5 Eric Uehana Jr. 12.19.11 South Point, Hawaii Aimrite 140 King Venom Shore 1.2 Hartwell Pueo Apo 12.08.08 Poipu Beach, Kauai 50” Daryl Wong Hybrid Shore 1.93 Casey Frias 01.30.11 Keanae, Maui Beuchat Marlin 105 Shore 2.32 Tyler Roberts 07.16.13 North Shore Oahu Beuchat Arka 90 cm Shore 10.37 Evan Hansen 06.18.16 Hana, Maui Aimrite Vengence 110 Shore 1.1 Wilder Taylot Stubbs 07.23.13 Makena, Maui Mares Viper Pro 90 cm Shore 6.895 Christian Schaber (B) 02.03.17 Off shore Kauai Right Hand Boat 4.5 Stephen Kilkenny 02.21.15 Kau Coast, Hawaii Bare Hand Shore 3.53 Jason Millan Felix 12.20.12 Koolina, Oahu Hand Shore 1.73 Jace Silva 03.03.11 East Side, Molokai Beuchat 115 Shore 1.29 Matt Ramsey 02.26.10 Kihei, Maui Rob Allen 120 Boat 1.34 Jaren Chun 09.08.16 Aweoweo Beach Park Aimrite Comp 130 Shore 5.86 Corey Manley 12.22.03 Hawaii Kai, Oahu Picasso Shore 10.6 Peter Colombo 05.29.13 West Maui 120 cm Romey Custom Boat 4.23 Jasen D. Kaya 11.29.07 Diamond Head, Oahu Beuchat Marlin 95 cm Shore 1.66 Kevin Tamashiro 09.29.12 Makapu‘u, Oahu Aimrite 110 Kayak 12.10 Jimmy Maganis 01.02.16 South Shore, Oahu Rob Allen 50cm Shore 7.41 Eric Lane 07.23.13 East Oahu Rob Allen Shore 15.46 Joe Cruz 03.25.13 North shore, Maui 64” Wong Hybrid Shore 2.8 Jordan Kilkenny 11.10.13 Kau, Big Island Riffe 4x Shore 10.06 Trent Kyono 07.15.12 Makena, Maui Aimrite King Venom 140 Boat 18.1 William Mahin 03.18.01 Uaoa Bay, Maui Riffe Island Boat 13.07 Frank Chun 08.18.12 East Oahu Furukawa 53” Boat 7.27 Edison Yagin 05.17.08 East Oahu 48” Yokooji Shore 11.41 Andre Cherry 10.14.14 South Side Beuchat 110 Shore 8.0 Keola Medeiros (C) 03.17.17 Kau, Hawaii 9ft Kawabanga 3 prong Shore 1.3 Jordan Kilkenny 05.05.12 Honokahau, Hawaii Riffe 4x Kayak 6.9 Allen Ting 04.14.12 Country, Maui Riffe C3 Shore 1.37 Nathan Ramos 10.05.06 Sand Island, Oahu 3 Prong Shore 18.5 Tramaine Baquiring 08.17.16 Lapahoehoe, Big Island One Two Six 3 Prong Shore 1.60 Michael Horii 04.21.12 West Side, Oahu Omer Cayman 100 Shore 6.05 Philip Heileson 08.23.08 Rabbit Island, Oahu 55” Wong Hybrid Kayak 14.8 Isaac Kaulili 09.15.12 Kaneohe, Oahu 3 prong Shore 3.25 Calvin Lai Jr. 04.10.10 Kona, Hawaii OMER Kanaloa 100 Boat 23.6 Brandon Shim 11.23.08 Ulupalakua, Maui Home-made 3 prong Shore 34.0 Shaun Tavares 03.01.15 Maui Hatch Custom Uku Gun Shore 17.5 Jasen Nakahashi 01.02.17 South Maui KAP 115cm gun Shore 6.63 Chase Akasaki 11.02.12 East Oahu Riffe Euro 110 Shore 13.4 Grant Wilson 04.26.08 Pohoiki, Big Island 55” Wong Shore 19.53 Isaiah Saragosa 12.11.16 East Oahu KAP 120cm gun Boat 4.5 Manuel Lopez 08.12.13 Westside, Oahu Aimrite 120 Super Venon Shore 29.04 James Coles 04.13.12 Olowalu, Maui Riffe C3 Shore 26.7 Jeremy Selg 04.17.15 South Kona, Hawaii Aimrite 90cm Shore 17.12 Tyler Nishioka 06.22.00 Kaneohe, Oahu 36” Home-made pipe Boat 164.1 Travis Lee 03.07.15 Westside, Oahu Beuchat Marlin Pacific 115cm Boat 45.19 Austin Taylen 08.01.10 Poipu, Kauai Hammerhead Evolution Shore 4.0 Spencer Haskins 07.12.14 Kona, Big Island Euro 110 Shore 6.8 Brent Kuroiwa 01.02.15 Niu Valley, Oahu Aimrite 90 cm Shore 1.65 Curtis Yoshikane 07.03.08 West Oahu Hatch Art Customs Shore 2.0 Gary Soma Jr. 07.01.13 Kaneohe Bay, Oahu OMER Cayman 110 Boat 14.0 Stephen Kilkenny 07.03.13 North Kona RIFFE 4X Shore 3.5 Jordan Kilkenny 02.24.11 North Kona, Hawaii Riffe 4X Shore

D RULES > Record fish must be captured within the “spirit” of spearfishing guidelines. The wild, unrestricted, uninjured fish must be speared with a muscle-powered device while breathhold diving during daylight hours. The spearfisherman should be reasonably unassisted. Fish must be speared within the main Hawaiian Islands. Eligible fishes include any “generally accepted” game fish. Records will be awarded only to fish which meet documentation requirements and can be independently verified. We are NO LONGER accepting retroactive applications. Frozen fish are NOT eligible.

YOU

E F

THREE PRONG RECORDS Aha Aholehole Aku Awa Aweoweo (Hawaiian Bigeye) Blue Stripe Chub Flounder Goatfish, White Saddle (Kumu) Goatfish, Bandtail Goatfish Goatfish, Blue (Moana Ukali) Goatfish, Double-barred (Munu) Kahala (Amberjack) Kala Kole (King Kole) Lizard Fish Mahi Mahi Manini Menpachi Moi Mu (Porgy) Mullet Nabeta Nenue (Rudderfish) Nohu (Scorpionfish) Oio (Bonefish) Opelu Kala Palani Parrotfish, Spectacled (Fantail Uhu) Parrotfish, Star Eyed (Pananu) Parrotfish, Redlip (Whiptail Uhu) Pualu (Yellow Surgeonfish)

Roi (Peacock Grouper)

LBS. 10.5 .76 3.63 16.0 2.22 2.25 3.59 4.40 1.06 4.65 2.47 37.9 4.56 1.84 1.04 4.23 1.0 1.37 5.0 8.8 1.89 1.08 7.10 6.88 9.73 6.5 13.0 11.71 5.79 16.15 10.24

DIVER Barron Kepo‘o Riley Yogi Manuel Gomez Keith L. “Kito” Graciidis Chad Quedding Leilani Bagoyo Vernon Takata Chris Alcantara Brennan Hozaki Travis Lee John Garo Kula Gaughen Tyler Roberts Leilani Bagoyo Ron Cayaban Tyler Roberts Ben Forsyth Nathan Ramos Braden Galas Gary Godoy (F) Travis Kashiwa Nolan Tanaka Rocky Domingo Nelson Schoening Lee Ka‘anaana III Cody Bergfalk Nathan Hillen Andy Mau Kellen Paik Vic Miyahira Chris Paglinawan

DATE 04.22.14 05.20.14 05.24.09 05.11.16 06.25.06 05.20.13 02.11.08 12.27.09 03.27.09 01.15.10 09.09.13 02.13.09 05.24.14 06.16.12 09.12.07 09.04.16 10.25.07 10.05.06 01.07.17 02.25.17 11.06.09 06.10.06 05.05.10 07.27.14 02.24.12 02.09.10 11.22.11 07.24.06 07.19.10 05.16.15 12.08.09

LOCATION OTEC Big Island Oahu West Side, Oahu Kailua Kona, Hawaii Ulupalakua, Maui Kahakuloa, Maui Sand Island, Oahu Pali, Maui Sprecklesville, Maui South Shore, Oahu Poipu, Kauai Kaneohe Bay, Oahu North Shore, Oahu Kipahulu, Maui Koloa Landing, Kauai North Shore, Oahu Ewa Beach, Oahu Sand Island, Oahu South Shore, Kauai

3 PRONG 7 ft. Kawabanga 3 prong 7 ft. Lance Ohara Ralph Ladera 3 Prong Home-made 3 prong 8’ Sea Horse Graphite Yokooji Hybrid 3 prong 8’ Lance Ohara 3 prong 6 ft. Graphite 7’ Yokooji 3 prong 7 ft. Graphite Kmart Special 3 prong HSD 3 prong 8 ft. Graphite Sea Horse 3 Prong Maverick, Bermudian 3 Prong 3 Prong 6’ Graphite 3 prong Kohala Coast, Big Island Evolve CT 9ft 3 prong Kaneohe Bay, Oahu 7’ Lance Ohara 3 prong Yokohama, Oahu 7’ HSD 3 prong Kaneohe Bay 6’ Graphite 3-prong Oahu 7’ Aluminum 3 Prong Oahu Graphite 3-prong Kailua Kona, Hawaii 6’ Graphite 3 prong Kanaha Beach, Maui 3 Prong Kaneohe, Oahu 3 Prong Kaneohe, Oahu 3 prong Kailua, Oahu 3 prong Ewa Beach Lance Ohara 3 Prong

FROM Shore Shore Shore Shore Shore Jet Ski Shore Shore Shore Shore Shore Boat Kayak Shore Shore Boat Shore Shore Shore Shore Kayak Shore Shore Shore Shore Shore Boat Boat Shore Shore Kayak

Squirrelfish, Sabre (Ala‘ihi) Spotted Knife Jaw Ta‘ape Table Boss (A‘awa) Tako (Octopus) Toau Uku (Gray Snapper) Ulua, Island Jack (Yellowspot) Ulua, Bluefin Trevally (Omilu) Ulua, Golden Trevally (Pa‘opa‘o) Ulua, Mirror Trevally (Kagami) Ulua, Giant Trevally (White) Wahanui Weke Weke (Yellow) Weke Nono White Mouth Jack (Dobe)

4.95 18.5 1.18 5.22 14.8 3.1 7.93 8.66 19.0 14.94 14.0 49.5 1.60 1.76 1.13 2.44 2.48

8.0

Keola Medeiros

Grant Nakamura Tramaine Baquiring Vernon Takata Jarrod Fujinaga Isaac Kaulili Nathan Ka‘awa Desmond Thain (E) Chris Paglinawan Mark Barville Mikey Cote Charles Ah Nee Chris Paglinawan Tyler Roberts Alan Tagama Troy Maeda Gary Godoy Kekahi Arakaki

03.17.17

06.07.10 08.17.16 09.10.10 11.17.14 09.15.12 01.20.15 02.18.17 12.01.09 05.28.12 01.23.11 05.16.09 11.06.10 03.01.15 08.06.09 09.12.10 10.01.16 08.02.09

Kau, Hawaii

West Side, Maui Lapahoehoe, Big Island Kaneohe, Oahu Eastside, Oahu Kaneohe, Oahu Kipahulu, Maui Kahala, Oahu Ewa Beach OTEC, Big Island Oahu Waialua, Oahu South Oahu Kahala, Oahu Ala Moana, Oahu Mokuleia, Oahu Kohala Coast, BI Westside, Oahu

9ft Kawabanga 3 prong Shore

6 ft. Graphite 3 prong One Two Six 3 Prong 3 prong 7 ft. Graphite 3 prong 7 ft. Kawabanga Evolve CT8 Lance Ohara 3 Prong 3 prong 3 prong 8’ Sea Horse Graphite 8 ft. Ohara 3 Prong HSD 3 prong 3 prong 8 ft. Ohara 3 prong 8 ft. OneTwoSix Custom 7.5 ft. Ohara

WOMEN’S RECORDS Ahi (Yellowfin) Aholehole Aku Awa (Milkfish) Aweoweo (Hawaiian Bigeye) Barracuda, Great Flounder Goatfish, Blue (Moana Ukali) Goatfish, White Saddle (Kumu) Goatfish, Double-barred (Munu) Kahala (Amberjack) Kamanu (Rainbow Runner) Kawakawa Kawale‘a (Heller’s Barracuda) Lobster (Green Spiney) Lai Mahimahi Menpachi Mu (Porgy) Nenue (Rudderfish) Nohu (Scorpionfish) Oio Ono Opelu Kala Parrotfish, Redlip (Whiptail Uhu) Parrotfish, Spectacled (Fantail Uhu) Parrotfish, Star Eyed (Pananu) Roi (Peacock Grouper) Squirrelfish, Sabre (Ala‘ihi) Spotted Knife Jaw Ta‘ape Table Boss (Black Spot Wrasse) Tako (Octopus) To‘au (Blacktail Snapper) Uku Ulua Ulua, Bluefin Trevally (Omilu) Ulua, Golden Trevally (Pa‘opa‘o) Ulua, Island Jack (Yellowspot) Ulua, Mirror Trevally (Kagami) Ulua, Giant Trevally (White) Weke (Nono) Weke (Yellowstripe Goat Fish)

LBS. 40.5 .57 14.6 26.6 1.02 34.5 2.57 5.4 4.0 2.6 44.1 15.6 14.8 5.8 3.2 1.80 41.5 1.36 9.6 8.8 6.06 9.0 58.1 6.13 11.6 10.4 5.3 6.8 3.5 15.0 0.87 5.0 12.0 3.2 20.3 58.8 20.0 11.07 15.8 15.8 92.2 3.16 .95

DIVER Andrea Kawabata Ashley Hagmoc Julie Klaz Wanda Yonamine Jackie Nagano Kiley Umeda Magali Cote Kiley Umeda Kiley Umeda Kiley Umeda Jasmine Lum Kiley Umeda Andrea Kawabata Andrea Kawabata Michele Longley Shantelle Ordonio Sierra Mahin Bonnie Row Kiley Umeda Andrea Kawabata Leilani Bagoyo Madeleine Greczyn Andrea Kawabata Andrea Kawabata Kimi Werner Angela Bettua Leilani Bagoyo Angela Bettua Kimi Werner Kiley Umeda Ashley Hagmoc Brandi Easter Heather Masunaga Tanya-Lee Beirne Marina Elena Daian Kiley Umeda Sheri Daye Lori Nishimura Kiley Umeda Kiley Umeda Kiley Umeda Kimi Werner Yunnis Rubrico

DATE 11.17.13 05.28.12 06.30.07 12.12.04 01.13.09 09.17.13 04.27.16 10.07.14 01.25.14 03.25.13 12.23.03 11.16.14 07.11.15 11.29.10 01.18.09 04.04.15 02.11.06 07.21.04 03.21.13 09.12.09 08.30.13 12.06.13 12.16.13 08.17.07 05.20.07 03.04.07 07.17.10 04.25.09 11.20.09 02.22.15 06.10.12 12.29.04 02.11.12 01.18.09 09.15.14 08.10.12 12.26.06 08.23.16 05.29.13 08.21.12 01.18.14 12.10.08 09.14.14

LOCATION Big Island North Shore Oahu Kona, Hawaii Kihei, Maui Kona, Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii Puako, Big Island Hamakua, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii Kaneohe Poppers South Point, Hawaii South Point, Hawaii South Point, Hawaii Po‘ohiki, Big Island West Oahu Kona, Hawaii Wailua Beach, Oahu Big Island, Hawaii South Point, Hawaii Hana, Maui Poipu, Kauai Big Island Honomalino, Hawaii North Shore, Oahu Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Makuleia Bay, Maui South Kona, Hawaii Maui Kauai North Shore, Oahu Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Kona, Hawaii Po‘ohiki, Big Island Maui Hilo, Big Island Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Hilo, Hawaii South Point, Hawaii Kauai Lanai Eastside

SPEARGUN FROM Aimrite Railgun 135cm Shore Ohara 7ft 3 prong Shore Riffe Comp 3x Boat Beuchat 90 Shore 6’ graphite 3 prong Shore Aimrite Super 125cm Shore 9 ft. one-two-six Stix Shore Vengence 105cm Kayak Aimrite 125 King Venom Shore Aimrite 110 Super Shore OMER Aluminum 110 Boat Aimrite 145cm Da Hara Shore Aimrite 135 Railgun Shore Aimrite 135 Shore Hand Shore Rob Allen Boat Wong Magnum Hybrid Boat Omer 90 Kayak Aimrite 110 Super Boat Aimrite Venom 105 Boat 8’ Seahorse Graphite Shore Hammerhead Evo 115 Shore Aimrite Railgun 135cm Boat 8’ Kawabanga 3 prong Shore OMER 100 Boat 55” Wong Hybrid Boat 8 ft. graphite 3 prong Shore Aimrite Super Venom Kayak Beuchat Mundial 90 Boat Aimrite 130cm Fury Boat Picasso Basik 100 cm Shore 50 Wong Hybrid Boat 8 ft. Kawabanga Shore 100cm Blade Shore Riffe Euro 110 Boat Aimrite 110 Shore 55 Wong Magnum Hybrid Boat Pathos 90cm Single Band Kayak Aimrite 147 Super X Shore Aimrite 110 Shore Aimrite Super 110 Boat Aimrite 95 cm Boat OMER 60 Shore

Shore Shore Boat Shore Shore Shore Shore Kayak Shore SUP Shore Kayak Boat Shore Shore Shore Shore

ANTICIPATING A DIVE TRIP TO A NEW COUNTRY IS LIKE WAITING TO OPEN YOUR PRESENTS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. FUN AND EXCITEMENT WAITS FOR YOU, YET YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT COULD HAPPEN. THE CLOSER IT GETS TO YOUR DEPARTURE DATE, THE MORE ANXIOUS YOU BECOME. FOR A SMALL GROUP OF SPEARFISHERMAN, CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY.

O

UR RED SEA OCEAN ADVENTURE destination was Ha‘apai, Tonga and our group of divers included Kitt Hinhumpetch, Kris, Tyler, Jonathan Muratsuka, David Ching, Kyle Nakamoto and myself. We were all looking forward to a great trip, some site seeing and five days of diving.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our world-renowned spearfishing guide, Rob Torelli. I haven’t seen Rob since the Coral Sea in 2012, and I was looking forward to seeing him again.

We also got to meet a very young, experienced spearfishing guide named Vaeamuni (Vae‘a) Kama, along with the rest of the Spearfishing Tonga crew who made this dive trip very memorable. From the moment we arrived in Tonga, we were immersed in the culture and kindness of its people. Everyone there lives a simple life and takes nothing for granted. They have everything they need and are truly happy. From the lush greenery to the wild pigs just cruising throughout the neighborhood, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Hawaii was like a hundred years ago. We flew into a very small airport; there were no large buildings, no freeways and best of all no traffic. Paradise!

Most dive trips are either blue water or reef, you have to choose between the two. However, in Tonga you can pretty much do both at the same time. The Dogtooth Tuna hunt the edge of the reef, so you get to see some big game and reef fish at the same time. The only problem is choosing which speargun to

use. As soon as you jump in with your reef gun, a dogtooth tuna will swim by. And usually when you jump in with your blue water gun, there are tons of reef fish swimming around you. It can get pretty frustrating, but once again anticipation of the unknown keeps you going. Also, on the trip we got to meet and dive with a spearfisherman from France by the name of Sebastian. I didn’t have the opportunity to dive with him personally, but from what I heard from the other guys, he is a skilled and experienced diver. He was a good addition to our group of divers, and he fit right in.

Our first day in the water was a short one due to our late arrival, but we made the most of it. At least the water was warm, clean and the reef was full of life. It was also a good day to dial in our dive equipment. We were fortunate that Spearfishing Tonga provided us with floats, taglines, weights and bungees. I was just excited to be in a different country, diving different waters. There were two boats available for us along with different spearfishing guides and captains. > > > >

Keaka Ching PHOTOGRAPHS Kyle Nakamoto WORDS

87

While on land we got to do some sightseeing, and one of my favorite things was seeing the fresh fish market at the harbor.

It was literally on the dock where the boats were tied off. The fish were freshly caught from the night before. There were so many varieties of reef fish for sale, along with some nice sized spiny lobsters. As soon as the fish and lobsters were sold out, the market closed up as quickly as it opened. Such a simple set up but very proficient. We also noticed there were lots of pigs on Ha‘apai. Every yard and road was littered with pigs of all sizes.

Just cruising around without a care in the world. The weather was pretty good, and for the most part, it was pretty hot and humid. One of the guys in our group was struggling with the heat at night. He took notes from his dog back home, and at night would lie on the bare floor to cool off.

The next three days of diving were kind of a blur. It was loaded with epic dives each day and at night the fishing stories would be shared amongst the divers. We dove hard each day looking for those, elusive Dogtooth Tuna aka “doggy”. I think only one or two were landed during those days and we lost a few to the sharks. The first person in our group to land one was Kitt, and I couldn’t have been happier for him. It was his first dogtooth and he was excited. The sharks weren’t as bad as I had expected them to be. They would come around looking for a snack and eat a few of our fish, but not really much more than eight to ten at a time. Just enough to keep it interesting. We also had opportunities to shoot some really nice reef fish. Among them were Coral Trout, Big Eye Emperor, Jobfish, Coronation Trout,

and many different types of Snapper. I always enjoy shooting fish that we don’t have back home. At one point, Jonathan shot a Giant Trevally and a shark bent his 3/8” shaft, while trying to grab the Trevally.

There was a bit of excitement on a couple of those days when Sebastian unknowingly sabotaged the boat. He was unaware that it was bad luck to bring bananas on the boat, and it wasn’t allowed. We all thought it was an unwritten rule that all fisherman followed around the world. He didn’t “get the memo” and needless to say, Rob gave him a hard time about it afterwards. We all had a few good laughs about it though and brought him up to speed. Even with the banana issue, we all got to shoot some nice fish throughout those first four days.

However, we were all waiting to shoot some nice doggies. The anticipation was mounting and the monkey was definitely on our backs the whole time. With the exception of shooting one doggy and having it rip off, I didn’t really have a chance to shoot and land one yet. With the weather not cooperating and changing for the worse, our final day of diving would have to be our best.

For The first four days, we had gone north during which time one of our boat captains had been telling us to go south. He is a very experienced fisherman and knows these waters very well. This was also a spot that neither Rob nor any of his other captains have been to before. We were all excited to dive somewhere new on our last day. >>>>

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It was a beautiful day as usual, with light winds and clear skies. We left the harbor and started on our journey south. In the distance, we could see the volcano and I couldn’t help but think that someday I’d like to dive there. We finally arrived at our destination and it was in the middle of nowhere. We suited up as quickly as possible and slid into the blue water. Our plan was to make drifts from the deep over the high spot that came up to about 70 feet in depth. As soon as we hit the ledge, we saw tons of bait fish, rainbow runners and some sharks. This could very well be the spot we’ve been dreaming about. Jonathan, and I were in the water with our spearfishing guide Vae’a. We noticed a few doggies on our first drift through, and now we were pumped. So, we went back up current and repeated the pass, and again all the tell-tale signs of fish. I noticed a dogtooth swimming towards us and proceeded to make a drop. He then turned and started swimming deeper and away from me, so I took the shot. Lo and behold I missed and I couldn’t believe it.

As soon as that happened another doggy came in and Jonathan dropped down in pursuit. He took the shot and WHAM! the fish was on! Dogtooth Tuna are pound for pound one of the hardest fighting fish in the ocean. They usually head sraight for the reef and wreck your gear. This is when most people lose their fish. Then I heard the magic word, “Doggy” and saw another one swimming towards Jonathan’s fish. I was trying to swim, load my gun, and breathe up at the same time. My heart was racing and I was trying to stay calm. I finally got all my

gear situated and made a drop. He gave me a nice broadside shot and then took off straight down to the reef. This was super exciting and we now had two doggies on. This was the most action that I had seen all trip. We subdued the two fish and got some nice pics in the water with Vae‘a. I think they were twins, both around 30lbs. That was the adrenaline rush that I had been waiting for. We quickly landed the fish and got it in the boat. It made all the anticipation and anxiety of landing one well worth it. It was a good lesson in patience and perseverance even though we were coming down to our final hours of diving in Tonga. And to top the day off, we got to do some really good reef diving at one of Vae‘a’s spots. We landed some nice Mu, Snappers, and Sweet Lips. The other boat with Kris, David and Kitt also managed to catch two doggies while fishing. It was a perfect ending to a trip, everyone got Dogtooth’s.

I would like to personally thank Rob, Vae‘a, Spearfishing Tonga and Red Sea Ocean Adventures for making this trip a memorable one for all of us. And of course, thank you to Kitt, Kris, Jonathan, David and Kyle for a great trip with a great group of guys. I would definitely recommend Tonga to anyone wanting to catch some nice fish, visit a beautiful Island nation and meet some amazing people. PAU

For more info visit_www.redseaoceanadventures.com

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HERECUTCARLYCUTDANELLECUTTAYLORCUTIRIECUTMICHELLECUTDAVIDCUTBADTZCUTGHANDICUTKELSIECUTTABBICUTGABBICUTJESSICACUTDYLANCUTJAZLYNCUTDEREKCUTMICHAELCUTCOURTNEYCUTCARTERCUTKELSEACUTTASHACUTPAIGECUTELISECUTTRISTANCUTTRENTCUTARIANACUTASHLYNCUTHE

< BACK ISSUES >* Spr 03 Sum 03 Fall 03 Win 04 Spr 04 Sum 04 Win 05 HSD 25 HSD 26 HSD 27 HSD 28 HSD 29 HSD 30 HSD 31 HSD 32 HSD 33 HSD 34

$6.75 $6.25 $7.00 $7.00 $6.00 $5.75 $6.00 $7.00 $6.25 $6.50 $7.75 $7.75 $7.75 $7.75 $7.75 $7.50 $7.50

Hawaii Skin Diver Gear and Apparel available at: Hana Pa‘a Hawaii_Kalihi_Oahu > 808.845.1865 Hana Pa‘a Hawaii_Pearlridge_Oahu > 808.486.5775 J. Hara Store_Kurtistown_Hawaii > 808.966.5462 New Maui Fishing Supply_Kahului_Maui > 808.244.3449 S. Tokunaga_Hilo_Hawaii > 808.935.5161

HSD 35 HSD 36 HSD 37 HSD 38 HSD 39 HSD 40 HSD 41 HSD 42 HSD 43 HSD 44 HSD 45 HSD 46 HSD 47 HSD 48 HSD 51 HSD 52 HSD 53 HSD 55 HSD 56

$7.50 $7.50 $7.50 $7.25 $7.25 $8.00 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.00 $7.00 $7.00 $7.00 $7.00 $7.00 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95

A

HSD 57 HSD 59 HSD 60 HSD 61 HSD 62 HSD 63 HSD 64 HSD 65 HSD 66 HSD 67 HSD 68 HSD 69 HSD 70 HSD 71 HSD 72 HSD 73

TOTAL (A) $

$7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95 $7.95

only $39.00 2 year magazine subscription

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HSD 71

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HSD 70

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HSD 69

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1 year subscription, HSD T-Shirt & Stickers

only $48.00

SUBSCRIBE + SAVE! Subscribe Now and with every subscription and renewal become eligible to win an AQA Mantis Mask and Snorkel.

Congratulations to NEW MAGAZINE subscriber

Loys Allbrett Santa Barbara_CA

the winner of this quarter’s AQA Mask & Snorkel.

B

with KS 3003 snorkel

YES, Start my 4 issue subscription of Hawaii Skin Diver for $26. AND enter my name in the drawing for an AQA Mantis Mask & Snorkel.

2 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION for only $48.

TOTAL / BACK ISSUES (A)

BIG DEAL! Please send my HSD shirt and 1 year (4 mag) subscription for just $39 - postage included. Logo Style > Square Long T-shirt Tank L XL 2XL (add $1.50) 3XL (add $1.50) FOREIGN, 1 year for $50 (air mail) TOTAL /SUBSCRIPTIONS(B) All payments must be in U.S. Funds. $ Drawing is offered to U.S. subscribers only.

Shipping USA (Surface) Add $5.00 Shipping Foreign (Air) Add $12.00

Delivery Address. Please print clearly.

Name Address

SHOP FOR PRODUCTS ONLINE @ www.hawaiiskindiver.com

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HSD 68

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HSD 67

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$7.95 HSD 66

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$7.95

HSD 65

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$7.95 HSD 64

$7.95

HSD 63

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HSD 61

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$7.95 HSD 62

$7.95

HSD 59

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$7.95 HSD 60

HSD 57

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$7.95

BIG DEAL

John Jr._HSD Back Issues

$7.95

HSD 56

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$7.95 HSD 55

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$7.95

HSD 53

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$7.95 HSD 52

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$7.00

HSD 51

HSD 47

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$7.00 HSD 48

$7.00

$

Please send check or money order to:

Hawaii Skin Diver

1733 Dillingham Blvd. Honolulu, Hawaii 96819

< visit www.hawaiiskindiver.com to order selected items online >

e-mail address Apt.

City, State, Zip or postal code and Country Phone number, including area code and (or) country code

order form

* Prices for the back issues are based on availability, once they are gone, they are gone. If the issue(s) of your choice is sold out, you will be notified one way or another, with our apologies.

QUESTIONS? CALL TOLL FREE: 1.800.274.0482

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Alex Voyer I @alexvoyer_fisheye