Get Outta Town

Chris particularly wanted to get out of town this weekend, so we packed up our dirt bikes and headed to Mana Road. Our last three trips to this spot have been thwarted by rain, wind and mist as we rode through the clouds. Yesterday was picture perfect. We started in Waimea and rode through rolling pastureland with views of Mauna Kea. As we progressed and began to climb the mountain we gained elevation and saw plenty of tall and twisted Koa trees and a forest of Redwoods and Douglas Firs. The Hamakua side provided summit to sea views with white caps visible on the ocean and towering cinder cones above us. A fresh, cool breeze blew and the trees gave off the fragrance of Christmas. We were definitely out of town. Fifty-five miles later we were refreshed though a bit tired and just a little chilly. We dusted off our pants and hit up the Chinese restaurant in Waimea for some hot soup and stir-fry.

The One That Didn't Get Away

I lost a good fish last week, but that's not today's story. God blessed us with a great catch this morning, it is the biggest fish Chris has ever shot.

First, I shot a tiny Tiape (bluefin snapper) and that seemed to catch the interest of two sharks who came in to check out the sounds and fish blood in the water. Chris swam close to me to protect me from the sharks while they investigated. Then, a giant Ulua swam by; we think the Ulua was hunting with the two sharks because we don't usually see Ulua free swimming and not timid of divers. Chris got within range of the Ulua and shot it, causing the sharks to bolt.

The whole time I was fumbling just trying to reload my gun so I could A. put a second shot into the Ulua if required or B. Defend against the sharks in case they came back for a bite of Ulua. Neither was necessary as Chris wrestled that giant fish like a pro and strung him up on the kui. His spear shaft was bent and I wasn't prepared to risk losing this prized catch to the sharks, so we swam to shore and celebrated the catch of a fish that looked even bigger out of the water. 42.6 pounds, which became 24 meal sized packages now in the freezer!