Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Words: Erin Mendelson
Photography: Sterling Kaya

I fall off the port side of the boat into the Pacific Ocean. Unorthodox to some free divers, I place a regulator between my lips and breathe in compressed air. The purge on the buoyancy control device (BCD) releases; the descent down begins.  As I reach a plateau, at about 55 feet, I check my gauges and feel an unexpected tug on my leg. Hanalei Adric, my boyfriend, has followed me down on one breath and looks me in the eyes, calmly waves and smiles. Thus begins a seven day hiatus from Pier 37 on O‘ahu to the seas around Ni‘ihau.

After 23 grueling hours on a long line fishing boat, our first dives in majestic waters near the crescent-shape island, Lehua, relieves us from sea sickness. Sterling Kaya, the bold photographer and videographer, and Hanalei take to the water before Captain Dick Hansen of the Sea Spray shuts off its engine. Soon, seven scuba divers, including me, kick towards the keyhole as well. The ledge dips down to 120 feet and offers nooks to squeeze into and potential cracks for lobsters.

Back on the boat, Hanalei returns with a 12 to13 pound yellow-spot ulua, a rainbow runner and some moana kali. A whale-shark bids us a brief visit, but a friendly monk seal decides to stick around. Playfully, the Hawaiian monk seal dives under the boat and exhales deeply at the surface to alert us of its presence. A few times another monk seal tries to check out the excitement, but is chased away by our territorial and barking friend. During some dives, the monk seals follow us and appear quizzical.  Hanalei obviously appreciates their company and urges Sterling to take pictures of him lying down on the ocean floor, next to this endemic and endangered mammal. Sterling gladly obliges and captures the two face to face.

Situated .7 miles north of Ni‘ihau, Lehua feels isolated and tranquil. During any down-time, the fishing poles are baited and busy.  The pleased fishermen, Glin Nelson, Andrew Burge, Adam Knox and Scott Oberg, bottom-fish and catch a variety of species between dives and into the night. Glin reels in an uku (6 to 7 pounder). Andrew hooks a good-size mu (3 – 4 lbs.) and many menpachi. Every one pulls up blue-stripped snappers or taape to fry later. In the evening, the most common hauls are small white and black tip sharks.

After a couple of days at Lehua, a lost anchor, and then a successful salvaged anchor, Mike Webster, a firefighter from Waianae and natural-born seaman, confirms the decision to head overnight to Kaula Rock, about 22 miles southwest of Ni‘ihau. Kaula emerges from the waters and is part of an eroded shield volcano.  The reef system at Kaula Rock is intact and magnificent; the sharks are infamous.

Mid-morning, Hanalei convinces me to dive without a tank, near the boat at the uninhabited Kaula Rock. He wants to hand me his speargun and attempt to shoot a 20 or 30 pound ulua (I have never used a spear gun before, but schools of ulua have been spotted). As we swim towards the rock and turn around, a huge white ulua faces us and turns. Hanalei keeps his spear gun and glides down to about fifteen feet and pulls the trigger. Hit, the fish circles, rushes downwards and takes the line on the reel and pulls Hanalei towards the celadon abyss. Dragged and nearly entangled, Hanalei methodically, hand over hand, pulls the fish back towards him. Now in Hanalei’s tight grip, the 80 pound ulua has seen its last fandango and is brained by a three-prong. Sterling captures Hana’s graceful journey back with the carcass. Hana shoves his hands in its rough gills and, showing no signs of fatigue from the thirty minute battle, swims a victory length to the Sea Spray.

The seabird populations are vast and varied: terns, shearwaters, boobies, petrels and frigate birds.Flocks of birds fly in interlaced patterns. Sadly, the ground nests are precariously at odds with a rat population and target practice by the U.S. Department of Navy. Kaula has been a bomb target by the Navy since 1952. We felt jeopardized too; a fighter plane buzzed us and sent Megan Oberg and I lying on the deck in fear of an attack. Although not part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the critical habitat at Kaula holds many treasures of the Northwestern Chain.

The trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the pinnacle somewhere three miles-off.  After some maneuvering to find this pinnacle, Sterling and Hana launch the skiff. We watch as Sterling and Hanalei motor up current, jump in and drift past. Next, the scuba divers load up and hang onto the anchor line to venture down. With the full moon, the current is ripping! In order to stay on the pinnacle, I have to constantly kick and hold on. My head keeps hitting my tank.

During our surface time before our second dive, the anchor slips. The Sea Spray drifts for thirty minutes until Glin realizes the mistake and notifies the captain. Hanalei and Sterling are no where in sight. I grab the radios, but only hear a faint voice and then no further signal. The worst thoughts fly threw my head. The Sea Spray in full-throttle and the crew search for the lost men. Finally, Mike spots their red float. Happily, Hanalei and Sterling recount their magnificent time while we were in a panic. Supposedly the best part of the trip in Hana and Sterling’s eyes happened when Hanalei shot a rainbow runner over the pinnacle: a 50 pound barracuda rapt it. Hana pulled the feeding frenzy closer to himself to give Sterling a close-up. Starving for some action, two six-foot grey reef sharks rush in and amongst the bubbles attack Hana. He kicks and shoves them away from between his legs. Sterling told me, “I didn’t want to film the sharks eating Hanalei, plus they were rushing me.” Sterling was convinced Hana had been bitten. Once the sharks head off, Hana looks at Sterling and then scans his fingers and legs and fins and finds no missing pieces. Back on the boat, in retrospect, Sterling says, “Aw, I wish I caught more of it on film.”

The next day the winds pick up and seal the deal. The Sea Spray begins the long journey towards O‘ahu. This was a superb trip. Thank you! We would do it all over again! PAU

View the video HERE

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