Baitball

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope your dreams all come through in 2009!  Check out some of the incredible "baitball" footage we got on the west side of Oahu on the next episode of Hawaii Skin Diver TV airing all month of January.  It's not very often, in fact once in a lifetime we will ever see something like this anywhere in the world and we were fortunate to capture this amazing kodak moment for a handful of local divers.  

BJ Gone Fishing

One more day before 2009 arrives and so much to do!  Like go fishing, diving, surfing...Here University of Hawaii's superstar, BJ Itoman got some time off the basketball court to land her first Ulua on one of our Red Sea Trips.  We were diving when we heard BJ yell, "Hanapa'a" and reeled in this prize Omilu.  Notice the electric blue-green colors and how vibrate it looks.  Probably one of the most tasty fishes in the trevally family.  I hope we can catch more of these this coming year!  Weather forecasting trades for the rest of this week with a bump on the north with light winds for next week so you know where we will be:) Be safe everyone!

Hawaiian Blackout

Wow how was that Hawaiian Blackout last night?  Luckily I was home safe and sound when everything went black.  No streetlights, TV, computer,  with sirens blaring in the background.  Imagine no lights in your neighborhood not just for one day, but every night?  Well here in Fiji, and many other places in this world it's normal.  No electricity, no video games, no youtube, or internet but just plain old fun under a moonlit sky.  Here our Fijian brothers showed us how to do some firewalking on burning hot stones.  Next time the lights go out, maybe we can bring out the marshmellows and have a barbeque.  Good night...zzzz

A Christmas Wish

Wow! If you are like me, you must be asking where did 2008 go?  Has it been a year already gone by?  Well it's a wonderful life we live having the health and breath to live out our dreams each day.  I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and may your homes be filled with happiness and peace, and of course may God's love and grace shine upon you this day, Christ was born.  Here my nephew Kai stoked on life with his new toys Santa brought him for Christmas.  Hey wait a minute...that looks like my toys:) Wanna trade for the new Wall-E Gamer?  MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for this year?  Family, friends, food on the table?  Imagine having to dive or surf in frigid waters below zero?  Having to wear a 7 mil wetsuit every time you wanted to catch dinner?  Yup that's not the Koolau mountain range in the background but real snow! 

You can only imagine how cold this dive was as I got ready to spear some salmon on our last trip to Alaska. We have a lot to be grateful for this year and thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life's journey.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tahitian dream

Ia Ora Na, we just returned from the secluded Tuamotu Islands of Tahiti and experienced the true Polynesian Hospitality.  Our guide/interpreter/diver in the middle of the group, Tim Nakamura hooked us up with his close friends of Manihi and our Red Sea Crew captured the moment with over 1000 photos and high definition video to come on Hawaii Skin Diver TV.  A big "Maruru" thank you to Gilles, Angela, Nakamura Ohana, and all the people of Manihi for opening our eyes to what "Aloha" really means. 

This was one of the resorts on Manihi which offered a beautiful view with bungalows overlooking the lagoon where the Tahitian Pearls are farmed and have become so popular.

Got Shells

One day most of the group decided to go pick shells on the Indonesian seashore "sounds familiar" along one of the secluded beaches (say that ten times).  The variety of shells were amazing and our collectors brought home 20 pounds of shells.  The few of us (Lena, Travis, Dean, & me) left decided to go for a surf in front of the shell pickers and..

after they saw Dean get slotted on his 9'-0" longboard the rest was history.  "Get the dingy! Bring my board" Kirby yelled!  "What the *#^@@)&^ are we doing picking shells in front of this?" Laurie shouted as she began snapping photos.