Pete Thomas Outdoors

Kona catch of 958-pound blue marlin could be a world record

Alexandra Nuttall's first-ever catch of a Pacific blue marlin probably will earn the Australian angler a world record.

She landed the 958-pound behemoth off Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where she was vacationing recently with her boyfriend, Nick Durham.

They were on their third and final day of fishing aboard the 38-foot Monkey Biz II, captained by Chip van Mols. It was getting late and the boat was headed to port, and Nuttall had become seasick.

But that's when the monstrous marlin struck a trolling lure on the short outrigger.

Nuttall grabbed the rod, climbed into the fighting chair and waged a 90-minute battle with a marlin that was  eight pounds heavier than the current women's record in the 130-pound-test line category.

(The International Game Fish Association 950-pound blue marlin caught off Mauritius in 1994 as the record.)

"It was without a doubt one of the most exhilarating things that I have ever done," Nuttall said of her catch. "I fish a lot back home in Australia. Although I have caught many sharks, ono, and ahi here at home, I have spent the last few years chasing my elusive first marlin."

Van Mols was hired specifically to find a blue marlin for Nuttall, and he knew that the fish weighed at least 900 pounds when it jumped soon after striking the lure. "She was kind of in shock," he said of the angler's response to such an impressive sight.

"We usually let our marlin go but we were prepared to take a fish if we knew it had a shot at a record. So we got our flying gaffs out."

The marlin was subdued with flying gaffs and hauled aboard by crewman J.D. Hudson, Durham and Van Mols.

"It was a task dragging a huge marlin like that through the [vessel's] back door with only four people, but we managed," Nuttall said. "The feeling that we may have gotten the world record only sunk in on our way back to the harbor. I don't remember ever feeling the sort of happiness that I was feeling at that point."

An IGFA representative questioned Nuttall at the marina and her catch has been submitted for world record consideration.

She won't know for at least a few weeks whether she'll be credited with the record, but Van Mols said IGFA rules were adhered to during the fight.

Of Nuttall he added: "She did an outstanding job. She's a strong girl with good strong legs."

The captain said the marlin did not go to waste. "The front half of the fish was molded by a local taxidermist to make a head mount for Alex, and the back half was sold for marlin jerky," he said.

The Kona coast is famous for its big blue marlin and several weighing 500 pounds or more have been caught during the spring. The action usually picks up during the summer, Van Mols said, but the larger fish become harder to find.

--Photos showing Alex Nuttall, boyfriend Nick Durham and the Monkey Biz II crew are courtesy of The Charter Desk

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Humpback whale hits canoe during breach off Maui (video)

A group of outrigger canoe paddlers received the surprise of a lifetime off Maui when a humpback whale launched out of the water and clipped the front of their vessel.

 

They were not paddling at the time, and Laurent Lebihan happened to be videotaping as he and three other paddlers kept an eye out for whales. Then, suddenly, the humpback breached, striking the canoe with one of its pectoral fins.

"This whale blindsided us," said Lebihan, of the incident off Kehei. "We had never seen him surface or anything. We were literally looking around try to find some whales to film. We had been paddling out to an area where we thought we could see some, obviously from a good distance, because we had seen them from the shore. "While we were taking a break, and looking at our surroundings, this happened."

Federal guidelines suggest that boaters and paddlers give whales plenty of space, and it's wise for paddlers to make noise in the vicinity of whales. Every year about 10,000 humpback whales visit Hawaiian waters to breed and nurse their young.

Hawaii officials log three vessel-whale collisions in 24 hours

With as many as 10,000 humpback whales in Hawaiian waters during the winter breeding season, collisions between whales and boats occur sporadically. But three collisions within 24 hours--two off Maui and one off Kona on the Big Island--is an alarming number.

Hawaii News Now reports that a calf was struck off the Maui port of Lahaina on Tuesday evening. NOAA was alerted after blood was spotted in the water.

On Wednesay morning a boat struck a larger humpback, leaving it with three gash wounds. It's not clear whether either if these incidents involved a commercial tour boat, or a private vessel.

The Kona incident was unique in that a whale surfaced and revealed its fluke, flipping a 20-foot single-outrigger kayak. The man in the kayak, who was not seriously injured, was rescued by the crew of a nearby tour boat.

Boaters throughout island waters are asked to exercise extreme caution during the whale season, and to call 888-256-9840 if they spot marine mammals in distress.

--Image posted above is generic. Video posted below shows interaction between a humpback whale and tour boat off Kona in mid-July

 

Amazing humpback whale footage off Maui, but that music?

 

There have been several incredible humpback whale encounters recently off Maui, but few that were shared with a corny sea ditty as accompaniment.

Viewers are likely to find this choice of music either amusing or, more likely, distracting.

But check out the footage, showing a juvenile humpback whale hanging out beneath a Trilogy Excursions boat for an extended period.

"This is what's known as a classic 'mugging,' where we can't move the boat until the whale decides to move on elsewhere," Trilogy stated Sunday on its Facebook page. "Sometimes, however, they just don't want to let you go..."

A crew member named Katie captured the underwater footage. Not sure who came up with the music.

Surfer Dane Reynolds turning heads at Reef Hawaiian Pro

It remains to be seen how far Dane Reynolds will advance in the Reef Hawaiian Pro, the first jewel in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing on Oahu's North Shore, but surfers are still talking about his slashing inverted layback turn on a right-hander in pumping surf on Friday (see video posted below).

Mostly, they're puzzled as to how Reynolds was able to stay on his board after bashing the lip and slashing a savage turn as the wave was closing out, and as he became engulfed in whitewater, to help him win his heat in the Round of 96.

Reynolds, of Ventura, said afterward: "It was just kind of frustration 'cause my first couple waves were closeouts, then I got one and my board felt way too long and I just couldn't get any release out of the tail, so I was just going on a close out and just kinda doing what you can."

Reynolds has since advanced to Round of 32, which will be completed when the surf comes back up. Here's footage of what's being referred to merely as "the turn":

 

--Top Image showing Dane Reynolds' incredible turn is courtesy of ASP/Kirstin

Epic early swell greets big-wave surfers at Jaws off Maui

 

The first giant swell of the fall/winter season hit Hawaii's north-facing beaches on Tuesday, and Shane Dorian took full advantage by getting barreled on two massive waves at Jaws, or Peahi, off Maui. (See videos above and below.)

Surfline billed it as "Opening Day" and reported that Dorian, Greg Long, Mark Healey and other top big-wave stars were on hand.

Most of the guys were paddling in, rather than towing in, because glassy conditions allowed for the more challenging method of catching the enormous, swift-moving swells at the notorious break.

Long told me via text message: "We've always wondered how good Peahi would be if there was no wind. Yesterday our question was answered and dreams became reality. Without question one of the best days of big-wave surfing I have ever witnessed or ben a part of."

Hard to argue, after watching footage of Dorian's two rides, which place him in a prominent position for the Ride of the Year category in the year-long Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards competition, which begins and ends each spring.

Said XXL contest director Bill Sharp: "In the modern era of big-wave surfing and the 13 years of the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards there has never been such big waves ridden in the North Pacific this early in the season. The images coming in from Jaws are totally mind-blowing and the performance level is like a freak show."

--Pete Thomas

--For more please visit the XXL Facebook pag

 

Whales lift dolphins from water in rare playful display (video)

Interaction between marine mammal species is not uncommon. Sea lions will mingle with pods of feeding dolphins and sea lions and dolphins occasionally swim alongside whales.

But the type of playful behavior exhibited in the accompanying video -- bottlenose dolphins receiving rides atop humpback whales in Hawaiian waters -- is exceptionally rare.

As mentioned in a recent post for GrindTv, the photographs used to produce the video are the first recorded examples of these incredible events. One occurred off Maui and the other off Kauai.

The video was posted recently to the American Museum of Natural History website as part of its Science Bulletins program.

"The two species seemed to cooperate in the activity, and neither displayed signs of aggression or distress," the website explained. "Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species."

The Kauai encounter featured one documented event. During the Maui encounter, scientists watched a humpback whale and bottlenose dolphin performing this ride-and-slide episode six times, with the dolphin gliding gently off the whale each time.

It remains unclear whether this is pure play or which species gets the most enjoyment from the interaction, but for marine mammal enthusiasts it's sure fun to watch.

-- Pete Thomas

Surfers expect large swell for start of Billabong Pipe Masters

The season-ending Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons looks as though it will begin Thursday, the first possible day of competition, because of a large swell that already has arrived on Oahu's North Shore.

Waves were 8-10 feet on Tuesday and the Surfline forecast calls for sets in the double- to triple-overhead range on Thursday, with face heights exceeding 15 feet, and brisk offshore trade winds.

The swell will fade only slightly Friday, and slightly more Saturday, but overall conditions should be outstanding for the first three days.

Though Kelly Slater has already clinched the ASP World Tour title, there's plenty at stake for surfers hoping to improve their position in the standings, and for those in the running for the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title.

The top five in the World Tour rankings are Slater, Joel Parkinson, Owen Wright, Adriano de Souza and Taj Burrow.

Leading the Triple Crown race is Hawaii's John John Florence, 18; Adam Melling and Michel Bourez.

The competition window for the event, which is being held in honor of the late surfing icon Andy Irons, closes Dec. 20.

-- Image of Pipeline as seen from the beach Tuesday is courtesy of ASP

Top surfers hail Hawaii's plan to add sport in high schools

News item: Hawaii announces it will become the first state in the nation to make surfing a sanctioned high-school sport, available to students in public schools throughout the islands, placing wave riding on par with mainstream sports such as football, baseball and basketball.

Reaction: Had the high school I went to offered surfing during the 70s, when I spent many days of each semester choosing surfing in favor of school, I might have attended more classes, knowing I'd be surfing anyway.

Hawaii is to be commended. It's the birthplace of modern surfing and the legendary Duke Kahanamoku is the one of the sport's founding fathers. Most kids growing up on the islands are passionate about surfing and as any serious surfer knows, if there's a new swell on the way, attending school becomes secondary.

Maybe this will keep more kids in school.

Kauai's Bethany Hamilton, whose inspirational life story was portrayed in the recent hit movie "Soul Surfer," said via email:

"I believe bringing surfing into the school system will encourage the kids in their academics and keep them in school; and I think it will be a fun healthy addition to their daily life, which a lot of kids need these days."

Hamilton, who lost an arm to a shark in 2003 but continues to surf at a high level, is a courageous and determined young woman, idolized by kids and admired by adults.

Another inspirational figure in Hawaii is Oahu's Carissa Moore, who during the summer clinched the 2011 women's world surfing title. She agreed that surfing, like other sports, can help a person overcome adversity.

"You fall down over and over again, but you keep picking yourself back up until you ride one all the way to the beach," she said. "I know that's kind of cheesy, but I think surfing is definitely a really good outlet for a lot of teens and young kids. It's a way to channel a lot of energy into something positive."

Surfing will be included in curriculums, for boys and girls, as early as 2013. The Duke would be proud.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo shows the late Andy Irons, a three-time world champion from Kauai, surfing at Pipeline. Credit: Vince Cavataio

Shane Dorian invents inflatable wetsuit in hope of saving lives

Surfing giant waves might become much safer thanks to the development of a revolutionary new wetsuit that contains an inflatable air-bladder that promises to drastically reduce the risk of drowning.

Renowned big-wave surfer Shane Dorian, who in 2010 experienced a near-death situation after a major wipeout, has teamed with Billabong to invent the first-of-its-kind survival wetsuit, whose bladder is activated with the tug of a cord.

"The wipeout was terrible," he said of the incident, which occurred at notorious Maverick's near Half Moon Bay, Calif. "I got held under for two waves and almost drowned. After that I had an idea to incorporate an air bladder, something like the airplane vests where you pull the tab and it inflates immediately with a CO2 cartridge."

A news release announcing the development of the Billabong V1 wetsuit -- which is not yet available to the public -- comes just months after Sion Milosky drowned after a wipeout at Maverick's.

The project, spearheaded by Billabong product manager Hub Hubbard, also involved Barbara Mau at Express Wetsuit repair and, of course, Dorian. The key component is a Mustang Survival Corporation bladder that is installed into a compact zipper pocket in the back of the wetsuit, but still allows the surfer to be face-up after surfacing.

"A pull cord runs over the shoulder to a handle on the upper chest," Hubbard explained. "You pull it like a parachute and up you go."

Several prototypes were tested by Dorian, in all kinds of surf. The ultimate test was in huge surf at the Cortes Bank seamount 100 miles off Southern California.