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Writer's pictureDarren Coffey

Granted by Mother Nature

Updated: Aug 2, 2021

So over the last few weekends I have spent a good amount of time in the water, spearfishing, swimming with dolphins, misplacing a whole boat, and awaiting the arrival of the humpbacks! So let’s get to some of the things I would love to share with you.


Let me start by saying I don’t have a fancy big boat or anything of the sort, but she will take me anywhere I can reasonably get to, possibly some fuel limitations, in one piece, but when I decided to take a trip to Rabbit Island from Hawaii Kai, I didn't know what I was in for! I started out around 7 a.m. and a beautiful Saturday morning, and things were looking fantastic. We got in the water and headed off around the South-Eastern point, passing Hanama Bay, and picking up some debris along the way. Passing by Makapu’U Lighthouse you could see Rabbit Island and the closer I got the better the water was looking, flat and calm.

After spending about three hours hunting for dinner with no luck, I decided to change locations slightly to see if I could track down some bigger fish. Got the anchor set, geared up and hopped in the water. After about another hour or so I got an every feeling and had to check on the boat. I popped up and started to swim around the corner back towards where I left her...or so I thought I was. As I swam back to the location of where I left her, there was no boat! Your first thought is, “where’d I park my boat?” but when you realize you are where you parked it you start to freak out, a lot. So I went I to frantic mode and looked around, but as the swell had picked up slightly she was nowhere in sight. I spent the next five to ten minutes bobbing up and down trying to located my boat , to no avail. Finally about half a mile away I see the very top on my dive flag and hope like hell that it’s her. I started by swim towards Makapu’U beach, where AquadeficienSea was quickly making her way to. After about what get like miles and hours, it was only like 45 minutes and about 3/4 on a mile, I caught up to her. Fortunately the surf was up a little on a break just to the side of where she was floating to and a very kind surfer had swam over and was holding on her. After getting my thoughts back in order, thanking the surfer and offering to take him fishing soon, I hopped back on AquadeficienSea and headed back to Rabbit Island to finish up the hunt.

After about another hour or two, it was somewhere around 3 p.m. and it was time to head back to the dock, and boy what a ride this turned out to be. I'm talking about 15 ft. swell tempting to sink the boat, the bilge constantly running, and surfing down waves at 15 knots in neutral, did I tell you she is only a 14 ft. Whaler! After about an hour of butt clenching moments I finally made it past China Walls and into Kui Channel and I finally realized I was going to survive this whole ordeal, and I breathed the biggest sigh of relief.


So I tell you this story just to say sometimes Mother Nature will grant you a pass, but not without reminding you that she is wholly in control!


Until next time, stay amphibious my friends.

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