Spear Fishing

As our trip got closer and closer, we were searching TripAdvisor for activities to try out during our next visit. Spearfish Maui was one of the more highly rated activities we found, and seemed like it would be very interesting. My brother and I both really enjoy fishing, swimming, and snorkeling. So it seemed like an obvious choice to try an activity that combined them all.

Photo of my brother with his spear-gun:

So I filled out the ‘Book’ information on the website. I got a phone call that same night, unfortunately I was not home. That proved to be the start of a lengthy game of telephone tag. I missed him, or he missed me for the next week or two. It didn’t help I was using a calling card, so he was not able to call me back. We finally managed to get through over the phone the week before the trip, and booked a date.

When the day finally came, we started the drive from our condo in Kihei up to the dive shop at Kahana – a 45 minute drive. We got some gear, and headed back towards Lahaina to the warehouse where the dry/learning portion of the day takes place. Jeremy and his other guide for the day – Peter – talked us through everything we would need to know to get started in the sport of spearfishing. It was a great learning experience, with a lot of great information. Definitely worth the price on its own if you are interested in learning the sport of spearfishing

Once the classroom lesson was completed we headed south to Olawalu, which is back towards Kihei. We got suited up and headed out into the water. My brother and I headed out with Peter, while the other couple headed out with Jeremy. It was a good thing we are both strong swimmers, as it was a good five or ten minute swim before we stopped. I would imagine he would have stopped sooner if we had not been keeping up so well, as the other group didn’t come out as far as we did. We actually didn’t see them again until we got back closer to shore at the end of the day.

We then practiced some of the diving techniques we had learned earlier in the day. This is where a boat would have been very handy, as I was pretty tired by the time we got to the fishing area.  I had to take a minute or two in order to catch my breath.

(Jeremy did say he was getting a boat in the near future, and would likely be offering trips to Lanai which will be a tremendous improvement of an already amazing experience).

Here is a photo I took while snorkeling along. I didn’t have either band loaded, as I didn’t want to be fishing while I had my camera. My camera spent a lot of time attached to the marker buoy, as I wanted both hands available (you definitely need both hands to load the bands)

Once Peter saw that we were all good with the diving, it was time to load up the spear-guns. From there it was swimming about the reef in search of a suitable target. Peter swam in the middle, with my brother and I on either side of him. When he spotted a fish we could try for, he would signal whichever one of us was on the appropriate side. We would then take a dive and try a shot. It was a lot of fun, but certainly a challenge.

I was following a nice goatfish along, and took my time to line it up for a shot. When I pressed the trigger I was sure I had it – Peter thought I did as well. But I must have shot a bit high and just missed it. This process repeated a number of times throughout the two and a half hours we spent in the water. I took a number of shots, but wasn’t able to connect. It certainly wasn’t due to a lack of opportunity, as there were suitable fish throughout the reef. I don’t know if fish talk to each other, but they all seemed to know what the point of the spear-gun was. Most of them took off pretty quickly as soon as it was pointed in their direction.

Spear-fishing really is an art-form that must be practiced and learned over time. But we definitely gained a lot of valuable knowledge and techniques that we can use in the future. I was not expecting to come home with an armload of monster fish anyways, so I was happy with the overall experience. It was an excellent introduction to the sport of spearfishing.

We also saw quite a few turtles out in the water. The first few I saw I was disappointed that my camera was attached to the buoy still. But we were there to fish, not to take photos. But it was pretty hard to resist, as I bought a new underwater camera just before the trip so I could get all the water photos I wanted. Once in a while, when I wanted to have a rest, I would go over to the buoy and grab my camera. Which worked out great during one break, as a turtle swam almost directly underneath me:

Peter did catch a few fish, as did the other group with Jeremy. They were staying at a hotel, and did not have any cooking supplies, so we got to take the fish back to our condo for dinner. Jeremy gave us some suggestions on how to cook them up, and they were very tasty.

Overall, I did find there was a lot to take in. It was difficult to put it all together on my first trip… working on the new breathing technique, stalking the fish, diving, taking aim, and shooting…  all at the same time. It might have helped if I was a hunter as well, and was more used to lining up a target and shooting. Shooting while swimming is definitely a different experience. It certainly helps if you can lay on the bottom to help steady your gun, which seemed to take more practice than I was able to offer on this day. (Peter was a master, and it was fun to watch him in action). We even spent so much time in the water that I got sea-sick, from all the floating and bobbing in the waves. It certainly sucked at the time, but I very much enjoyed the day overall.

Spear-fishing is definitely a sport that takes a lot of time in the water. Like any other sport you have to keep working and get lots of practice. I would definitely say that SpearFish Maui provides you with a great foundation to build upon. It was an amazing experience, and I would certainly recommend it for those looking for a great adventure and amazing experience.

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