Kauai Boys

Just in from a trip to Kauai, the "Garden Isle". This is one of my favorite islands to visit as it still has lots to do and see even when the wind is blowing 100 mph. This island is so green!

I was also able to be a part of a big TV production that will air this August. It was neat to see how they do it in "Hollywood". Over 20 crew members and all the safety people, security, lifeguards and props was amazing to see. That's me baking in the wetsuit looking the wrong way.

I had a photo op with legendary Titus Kinimaka who was one of the stars of the show. Titus is "da Man" in Kauai and still spreading the Aloha. I remember surfing with the Kauai boys at Kalihiwai and seeing them take the steepest drops and pulling in the barrel, like Tahiti's Teahoupoo going right.

My good friend Tom Kilroy and his dog Moo hooked me up and it was really fun hanging out with them again. Moo is the coolest dog and followed us everywhere we went. Tom is a great musician and if you need a recording studio on Kauai to do any kind of recording he can set you up.

Tsunami Divers

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship...The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for courage of our fearless crew the minnow would be lost... the minnow would be lost! That tune was on my mind this weekend as we planned a interisland dive trip. I was watching the weather like a hawk this past week and checked on my sources for changing weather pattern. All our tickets were booked, I had a boat on standby and the game was on...Then 4:00 am. Sat. 2/27 we hear there is a tsunami warning for Hawaii! What? What should we do? Well the best place to be in a Tsunami is either up high on the mountain or in the middle of the ocean.

So we stood by our plan and went out into the deep blue of the shores of the Garden Island. Fisherman was at the pier taking their boats out of the water and here we were going diving! Trolling was slow but the seas were flat and skies were beautiful. We later heard gas stations and store shoppers were stocking up and it was crazy! Where were we at 11:19 am (the expected time of the Tsunami to hit)?

In the ocean spearing these! The fish were so tame and it felt like we were in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as our divers Travis Masutani, Jon Barretto, and Erick Itoman were having their best dive session in their life! Want to see more? Wait for the video to come on a future episode of "TSUNAMI DIVERS" on Hawaii Skin Diver TV!

Japan Abs

Good morning! Waves looking ok today on the north shore with rising swell to peak tomorrow. Got a few pictures from our friend Sumi in Japan who caught some nice abalone. Only in Japan can you find the traditional Ama-san divers "Women of the Sea" who go for these on a daily basis.

How cute is this? Isamu the artist created this beautiful painting of Red Sea divers. We had a great time visiting them and can't wait to go back again soon.

Glassy Days

The past few days have been picture perfect here in Hawaii. Spring time is here and light and variable winds have been providing us glassy days in our islands.

Needed to test out some new dive equipment so we boarded the Red Sea boat and went for a quick dive. Got a few fish for the dinner then...

Went to the south side for a dip in the ocean. The tides have been really low in the afternoon so need to be careful when coming in from the surf. I saw a surfer step on sea urchin on the way in.

The northshore was also picture perfect. Waves were going off and was too tired to take any pictures but got one from the road. See the vog? Weather will be trades for tomorrow before the winds switch back to southeast just in time for the weekend warriors. Sunday should be bad weather so plan your days accordingly.

Mu Pile

Northwinds arrived on schedule and surf was small so you know what that meant...Go Dive! Conditions were nice and since I had to test my new 5-mil wetsuit, today was the perfect day.

Kirby invited me to join him on a quick "kau kau" dive of the southside so off we went.

We were greeted by a pod of dolphins (around 40+) so we jumped in and swam with them first. I was too buoyant with the wetsuit so had to adjust my belt doubling my weights. A good rule of thumb is to be neutral at 30 ft.

Kirby got some nice goats along with this prized "Kumu" which will feed his whole family. I was busy playing with a school of Mu and after a few hours...

Got me one for the steamer. These fish are the smartest fish of all the reef species. They have these big eyes (aka big eye emperor) and can see you from a mile away. There are a few tricks to bring them in close and today I found out another method that worked perfectly.

Surfers paradise

Surf's been pumping in Hawaii with lots of surf all week. Been doing my work early and getting a few barrels on the side to keep in shape. North shore should start cleaning up and town still has a few overhead sets, so wax on surfers as you celebrate president's day holiday this weekend! Next month starts our 2010 Red Sea world tour so gotta get busy planning the next adventure! Have a good night...zzz

Calm before the Storm

Another Chilly morning in paradise. Northwinds shifting trades then variable again by the weekend. Prior to the cold front, Travis and I got in a dive while the winds were light. Heavy clouds loomed the horizon as this was the calm before the storm. Last night I watched "Perfect Storm" and could only imagine the rough seas they went through.

Rain or shine, it didn't matter cause we were underwater. Travis got a nice Mu (big eye emperor) and he was stoked. These are really hard to spear and if you know the tricks to call them in close you can get one.

We also got more kumus that should last for a few meals.