Hawaii Shore Dive Ass Whipping

Having done a few warm up dives along the coast I’ve been hoping the seas would drop enough for us to get out in the deeper water where I know there are some good fish.
Yesterday Peahi, known better to the outside world as JAWS which is a world famous surf Break was going off so the weather report of 15-18ft seas and 30 knot winds should have us deterred from going in the water.
Enter Lauren Bartlett/Spalding. I think she is the most stoked person I’ve met in my life and with the energy that she has it amazes me she can relax enough to dive. And dive she can. Wow! In 50 ft of water despite the huge seas and crazy conditions she was knocking out 1:30 dives and fish absolutely love this girl! Chillin on the reef was not possible with the amount of surge but she was locked in on the bottom becoming a part of the reef that all the fish wanted to come visit.

Our first afternoon dive the walk to check out the jump off rock reminded me how spoiled we are to boat dive. The breakers were well over head and as I’m looking at the sets trying to time them I see Lauren put her mask on, wave and jump straight into the maelstrom!
Wow!
I’ll do a full people who dive on Lauren later on as she is one of the coolest girls and an absolute badass waterwoman. Today she is on Oahu paddling a 30+ mile race in an outrigger canoe designed and built by her husband and fellow paddler Kai. The two of them have paddled farther this week than you and I will our entire lives and are ravenous about the ocean.
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I can say I’ve been humbled by shore diving and having someone that knows where to go is key. You have to time the swells, know your entrance and if you can scope your exit point. Judge the current from shore and when you get the chance, go for it.
Ok, so you jump off and you are in the wash at the edge of a rock cliff and there are sets stacking up as you scramble underwater to get your fins on and keep your gun from stabbing you as you get thrashed around and duck under the sets.
You get out side and the water gets clearer and you settle a bit and enjoy the rise and fall of the swell. Below the fish are riding the surge and sinking to the bottom in 40 feet I enter a cave that looks like it has a big swim through that opens out to a sandy patch where there should be Mu.
I’m dropping down towards it trying to look as relaxed and cool as possible…
5 feet from the mouth of the hole the surge changes and like a chubby kid slurping in a wet noodle I get sucked uncontrollably into this black cave banging against the rocks as I cover 25 feet in the blink of an eye. Ohhhhhhh shiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!
So now I’m pinballing 40′ down and in this tight black hole clawing my way to the light at the far end. I swear when I was finally spat out the school of fish in the sandy spot had smirks on their faces knowing I had just gotten my ass whipped.
Great way to start the day. More to come…