Pete Thomas Outdoors

Catch of giant marlin off Kona is nothing short of 'grand'

It's blue marlin season off Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, and the hunt for prized but elusive "granders" has intensified now that the season's first 1,000-pound specimen has been caught.

The enormous billfish was landed on May 13 by angler Garrett Handwork aboard Monkey Biz II, skippered by Chip van Mols.

It tipped the scale at 1,062 pounds and was subdued after a surprisingly short fight of about 20 minutes.

Hawaii Fishing News posted the catch on its list of granders with the comment: "After a boating his first mahimahi, a long day of trolling on the Grounds eventually produced a strike on an Aloha Lures "Smash" on the short corner by a 1062-lb Pacific blue marlin -- Garrett's first marlin and Capt. Van Mols' third Kona grander."

Hawaii's largest recorded grander is an 1,805-pound monster blue caught off Oahu in 1971. That fish was landed by multiple anglers and did not qualify for recognition as an International Game Fish Assn. record.

The IGFA's all-tackle world record for Pacific blue marlin is a 1,376-pound specimen landed off Kona by Jay de Beaublen on May 31, 1982.

For the sake of comparison, the all-tackle record for Atlantic blue marlin is a 1,402-pound, 2-ounce specimen landed off Vitoria, Brazil by Paulo Amorim on Feb. 29, 1992.

Monkey Biz II is typically booked through The Charter Desk and Sportfish Hawaii.

-- Image: Angler Garrett Handwork (with fishing rod) poses alongside 1,062-pound blue marlin caught recently off Kona aboard Monkey Biz II. Credit: The Charter Desk

Hawaii beach closures ordered after shark bites surfboard

A surfer on the Big Island of Hawaii on Wednesday experienced a dangerously close encounter with what's believed to have been a tiger shark, which bit down on the tail end of her surfboard at a spot called Lyman's.

The surfer was not inured in the incident, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Lyman's and nearby beaches were subsequently closed by the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

A similar incident occurred four days earlier, when a shark bit a paddleboard, knocking its rider into the water.

After Wednesday's incident swimmers were asked to get out of the water at Lyman's, Laaloa Beach Park and Kahaluu Beach Park. A helicopter patrol failed to spot a shark.

KHON News posted a photo, sent by a viewer, showing what appear to be teeth marks in a semi-circle around the board's fin (pictured, at right). It's unclear whether both incidents involved the same shark.

Shane Dorian scores epic paddle-in waves at Maui's Jaws

For surfers in Hawaii on Tuesday, March Madness entailed paddling or being towed into monstrous waves, thanks to the arrival of a late-season north swell.

The swell, which also will generate giant waves at Maverick's off Half Moon Bay over the next few days, has put the world's premier big-wave surfers in a scramble to post last-minute entries in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.

The contest accepts photo and video entries in various categories from thrill-seeking pros who spend each year traveling the planet in search of the biggest waves. The window closes on the 2010-11 event Sunday night.

Hawaii's Shane Dorian, who is pictured above and below at Jaws off Maui, presumably has become one of the favorites to claim the Monster Paddle award after for his paddle-in exploits at the legendary tow-in spot.

As for Maverick's, the swell will arrive but wind and rain might prevent any waves from being ridden. Thanks to Mike Neal for providing the copyrighted Shane Dorian images.

-- Pete Thomas

Tsunami exacts heavy toll on albatross chicks at Midway Atoll

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees stationed at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge fared well as tsunami surges generated by Friday's 9.0-magnitude Japan earthquake washed over part of Sand Island and most of unpopulated Eastern Island. But the events appear to have exacted a heavy toll on albatrosses and other birds that nest on both islands.

Midway, which has the world's largest population of Laysan albatross, is a low-lying North Pacific atoll located about 1,200 miles northwest of Honolulu, or about a third of the way between Honolulu and Japan. The tsunami could not have come at a worse time for albatross chicks, which are hatched in January and February and cannot fledge until mid-June or July.

Pete Leary, a USFWS employee who authors the Pete at Midway blog, has posted photos and some information. Damage assessments are still being made but Leary wrote about discovering that "tens of thousands of chicks were washed away" on Eastern Island.

Eastern Island was almost entirely "washed over" while Sand Island, which features coastal bluffs and elevated inland areas, experienced mostly coastal flooding after about a five-foot tidal surge.

On the boat trip to Eastern Island, Leary wrote, "We passed thousands of albatross adults and petrels that had been washed into the water and lost their ability to stay dry. Their feathers were messed up by being tumbled over the island and through the vegetation.

"We pulled some into the boat, but needed to get to Eastern Island, so we had to hope that most of them would paddle to shore."

On the bright side, a short-tailed albatross chick that hatched in January on Eastern Island apparently is OK. That's a huge relief for scientists and bird enthusiasts because it was the the first known short-tailed albatross hatchling outside of the islands surrounding Japan in recorded history. (The short-tailed albatross is an endangered species.)

Wrote Leary: "The short-tailed albatross chick must really be wondering what kind of place it lives in because it was washed away from the nest for the second time this year already. This time, it was about 40 yards away from the original nest. It was easy to spot because all the other chicks were washed away in a previous storm.

"I didn't want to pick the chick up, because it was already stressed and upset, but the parents may not have found it that far from the nest."

Leary unfurled a sheet of plastic and when the chick stepped onto it, he wrote, "I gave it a sled ride the 40 yards back to its nest."

Sadly, Leary and another biologist spent the days after the tsunami digging out hundreds of dead birds and even fish that had been swept ashore by the tsunami. Two sea turtles that had been swept inland were carried to the water and released. The atoll's Hawaiian monk seals, also endangered, apparently were unscathed.

Leary concluded, "Although we lost a lot of wildlife, all of the people who are here because of the wildlife are safe."

-- Pete Thomas

Images showing a beleaguered Laysan albatross chick and waterlogged albatrosses are courtesy of Pete Leary

Seized fins from protected sharks were bound for New York

California has pending legislation designed to outlaw the importation, sale and possession of shark fins.

Perhaps New York lawmakers should consider launching a similar process to help save sharks from the barbaric and unsustainable practice offinning.

A Fox News story out of Panama today involves the discovery of nearly a half ton of shark fins that had once belonged to protected hammerhead sharks. The packaged fins were found at the Central American nation's international airport and labeled as dried fish.

The container originated in Ecuador. Destination: New York City.

Though finning is illegal in U.S. waters, importation, sale and possession is not. Some states are taking upon themselves to enact bans that might result in the killing of fewer sharks for their fins, which are used to make shark-fin soup.

As many as 70 million sharks are killed annually for their fins,  and a good number are tossed back alive after their capture, to die a slow death. Many experts believe this rate of slaughter is unsustainable and that some species of sharks, which play a vital role in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem, are threatened with extinction.

Most fins end up in China or in Asian communities, where shark-fin soup is considered a delicacy. Hawaii has already passed legislation, so you will not find the soup openly advertised there. California, which is a major hub for fins entering the U.S., probably will be next. It is hoped by environmental groups that other states -- why not New York? -- will follow suit.

-- Pete Thomas

Surfer Laird Hamilton puts 'Jaws' house on Maui up for sale

Legendary big-wave surfer/waterman Laird Hamilton, who pioneered tow-surfing at Jaws off Maui, apparently has put his home at the notorious surf break up for sale. 

Laird's agent confirmed that the surfer wants to build a new base on Kauai. Here's the listing on his Facebook page:

Laird's Jaws/Maui House for SALE
10 Acres - 3 Bdrm 4 Bath
Gym & Play Area
A Back Apartment -1 Bdrm
3 Vehicle/Truck Storage
1 Million G Fish Pond
Zoned Ag
A Golf Cart Ride Away from Jaws
The House Laird Built to Surf Jaws - Featured on MTV Cribs
20 Min from Kahalui Airport - In Remote Haiku
Built in 2004 - Only been occupied for 1/2 the time

Serious Inquiries only contact - info@lairdhamilton.com

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Laird Hamilton riding a standup paddleboard off Maui (not Jaws) courtesy of ©Darrell Wong

 

Maverick's big-wave surfing contest looks to be a wash

Barring a drastic and sudden change in the weather, there will not be a Maverick's surf contest this year.

The competition window for the annual big-wave competition at the famous break off Half Moon Bay, Calif., closes next Monday (Feb. 28), and a swell large enough to warrant a green light is not expected to materialize.

"Looks like we're skunked," event forecaster Mark Sponsler told the Associated Press. "Everyone kind of knew this wasn't going to be a great year because it's a La Nina year, which is not favorable for producing consistent big waves."

It has been a poor winter for big waves throughout the North Pacific. It looks as though the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave event at Waimea Bay on Oahu also will be a no-go. Its competition window closes Monday, too.

-- Pete Thomas

Maverick's photo by Pete Thomas

Chuck Patterson surfs giant Jaws off Maui ... on skis

Chuck Patterson had skied his share of dangerous big-mountain terrain; he had also surfed plenty of large, thunderous waves.

But never, until recently, had he or anyone else donned skis and used them to surf the gargantuan swells at a notoriously treacherous spot called Jaws, off the Hawaiian island of Maui (see video).

 

Patterson, a trained ski racer from Lake Tahoe, who spends part of each winter in Hawaii, traveled to Jaws recently to greet an arriving swell. Dozens of tow surfers -- those who are pulled onto fast-moving swells behind personal watercraft -- were on hand. Patterson was the only one wearing two planks, boots, bindings ... and carrying ski poles.

Patterson clearly proved that with specialized skiing equipment the towering, heaving waves at Jaws can be ridden with style and poise, just like mountains of snow.

"I had a good idea that it was possible, but it really made a big difference having a solid background in skiing and big-wave tow-in surfing to really push it in big waves," Patterson told the Ski Channel. "There's a lot that goes into making it all happen safely even before you hit the water, and after that is when the fun begins."

Like the tow-surfers, Patterson also was towed onto the swells, whereupon he began his descent like an Alpine specialist trying to maintain a perfect fall line.

"Gliding into a 40-foot clean, open-faced wave has a lot of the same characteristics that you find when dropping off a cornice into a steep chute with fresh snow," he said. "Aside from the surface being water, it's almost the same feeling. Once you let go of the rope and glide down the face making turns to stay in the pocket, it's totally addicting."

The session comes 15 months after a Starr Surf Skis testing mission conducted elsewhere on Maui, and in smaller waves, by freeskiers Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend. That expedition was part of a Solomon Freeski TV web series last year. Patterson's Jaws footage will be part of a follow-up episode.

He expects surf-skiing to catch on, and it just might. Tow-surfing, with its specialized equipment, was once just an idea. So was surfing behind large kites, and aboard over-sized standup-paddleboards.

Patterson's next goal? To tuck, like a downhill racer, inside a monstrous Jaws barrel.

-- Pete Thomas

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Editor's note: A version of this post also appears on the GrindTV.com surf blog

Mark Visser survives night surfing session at Jaws

Australian big-wave surfer and extreme adventure junkie Mark Visser made history early Thursday by surfing Jaws off Maui in the dark.

It sounds like a suicide mission but Visser, 28, used specially engineered LED lighting built into his buoyancy vest and board for a surreal session in that began at about 2 a.m.  Wave face heights were about 30 feet.

Visser also had a jetski crew -- he was towed onto the waves he rode -- and helicopter crew watching over him. But as you can see in the video, he was surfing in almost total darkness.

 

"It wasn't until I saw the pictures [that] I realized how big it was," Visser said. "This was the scariest, but most exciting thing I have ever done. Riding in complete darkness meant I had to go off feeling. I had to zone out from how you normally ride and be part of the wave."

The "Night Rider" feat is the first of a series of extreme, first-time adventures that will be made into a documentary called "9 Lives," to be distributed at the end of the year -- that is, if he completes them all safely.

-- Pete Thomas

Video courtesy of GrindTv.com

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Pro surfer Kai Barger paddles to aid of shark-bite victim

Pro surfer Kai Barger (pictured at right) was one of two people who paddled to the rescue of a shark-bite victim Sunday afternoon at a popular Maui surf spot.

A shark estimated to measure six feet had bitten a 16-year-old bodyboarder on the lower leg at "Ledges" outside Kahului Harbor.

Barger and a few others were 20 yards away when they  heard the boy's screams. The victim and his friend, also a bodyboarder, were slightly farther offshore.

Barger and Tanner Hendrickson helped both of them ashore after inspecting the boy's wounds. "He lifted his leg and his fin was gone and all of the skin on his shin was off. It was really gnarly," Barger told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "We just told him that he was O.K., that he still had a foot, and that he was going to survive this."

When they reached the shore Barger, 21, a past junior world champion, and Hendrickson used their board leashes as tourniquets to stem bleeding until an emergency medical crew arrived. "It's just the code of the water that you help when someone is in trouble," Barger said.

The Kihei boy sustained lacerations to his lower left foot, ankle, and leg -- injuries consistent with those caused by a shark bite. A mile-long stretch of beach was temporarily closed following the incident.

-- Pete Thomas