Despite my best efforts we missed our connection in Honolulu and in turn didn’t make our flight to Maui and missed our morning departure with Whitney and Keoni on Whitney’s 30 ft Boston Whaler.
The guys got out early in the morning and as soon as they hopped in the water there were a few Ono (Wahoo) hanging out looking at the propellors and flashers but they weren’t able to get loaded and on to them fast enough. Bummer
Jenn and I rocked up to the dock to meet them straight from the plane and by 230 we were in the water in the same area. Lots of bait, clear water, and a good looking reef in 100-120 feet of the water provided the venue for the next few hours and while there were plenty of small fish I saw only one big ulua around 75 lbs that made an appearance just after I’d returned to the surface after a long dive so wasn’t able to get down to get a shot on him.
The most amazing thing about diving was the constant almost deafening sound of Humpbacks singing and talking story to each other. On the ride out alone we saw half a dozen and coming from Florida where Whales mean Great White Sharks are also around I was excited to get in the water and see one for myself.
As it turns out we didn’t have to look, the Whales found us and I quickly grabbed the camera as two massive females and a calf came cruising past. Only a few minutes earlier one of them had been jumping clear out of the water which even when you see it with your own eyes seems an impossible feat of physics as it all happens in slow motion and the splash that follows is nothing short of epic.
As they came past I know Jenn was worried they’d jump on me and with the 12′ fins slapping the surface it would have only taken a single slap to turn me into chum for the fishes.
End of the day we hit a spot in 65′ of water and while the Jenn and Whitney had a few beers I sank to the bottom with the 8 ft pole spear with a 3 prong. Every dive in and out of the reef were small snappers, Menpachi, Roi(peacock Groupers), Small Jobfish (Uku), and hundreds of Goatfish to hunt.
Without the burden of a 130 Euro and knowing the chances of seeing anything big was minimal I just relaxed and enjoyed the clear water and the fish responded to my nonchalance coming closer every dive and allowing me to shoot one (or two, three prong is so fast!) every dive and get a good mess of little fish for dinner.
It isn’t 100lb Wahoo or giant snappers but being in the water and enjoying wherever you are is key.
Today we are off to Hana and with 18 ft seas any shore diving is going to be an adventure so I’ll keep you updated.
Cameron
AS Ritchie Zacker (the Great One) put it, this looks like a bunch of bait. Hawaiians waste nothing, gilled, gutted, scaled and them eaten whole its not a bad meal so don't hate
2 Responses to “Hawaii Diving: Maui warm up”
Wow. That is an impressive haul of reef fish. The squirrel fish stringer sports some particularly impressive specimens. I remember a similar pole spear haul 25 or so years ago with our dads. I guess the squabs eluded you again this day.
Hey Cameron,
I went to Oahu visiting my very good friend, Paul. We went out on his two-seat waverunner. The waves were rough! Paul and I never had a upset stomach before until that day (March 16th). The water was so clear but outside the water, it was pretty brutal. Paul and I were on Hawaii news for a brief (like five seconds) where we were preparing to get on his waverunner to get back to the shore. Then I went to Maui. I joined Whitney’s crew using his boat on March 21st. We saw some good sized grey snapper and I saw few onos (35 – 45 lbers) swam by. Again, on that spearfishing day with Whitney, boy, I had to dive 100+ ft to recover 11 lb weight belt my partner dropped.
For your information, I am deaf, I never ‘heard’ the whale sings until I dove 50ft or deeper, I felt the vibration against my whole body. I puzzled and asked Paul about that. He mentioned that the whale is nearby. I looked around and could not find them. But, when I was with Whitney, we happened to be less than 50 yards from two female and one baby humpback whales. Sweet moments!
Enjoy reading your journals!
TT