Kapiolani Community College
Diamond Journal 2004

What the Shark Said To Me
Bronson Ho

It was a crisp, clear, early morning. I thought I heard a voice, but there was no wind. I was strapping up my diving gear getting ready to swim out into the deep blue. My partner, Kimo, was right next to me rinsing out his mask. I stopped look if there were any boats out there, but there were none in our spot. The water was flat like a lake and as clear as a pool. Kimo and I quickly swam to our spot, a little less than a mile off the Lanikai shore.

Strangely, the fish were just cruising like we weren’t even there. I busted out my Riffe and started hammering some Uhu’s, Kole’s, Kumu’s, and Menpachi’s. An hour went by and I had quite a few fish on my stringer. I kind of thought there were too many, but I didn’t care because I was more concerned about Kimo. Usually he stayed pretty close to me, within eye sight at least, but for some reason he was nowhere to be found. I started to get scared because I couldn’t see his flag.

I decided to swim out behind the islands to see if I could find his floater. Coming up near one of the islands the water started to get darker and a whole lot deeper. I spotted two big Ulua’s cruising on the deep bottom. I thought I heard a voice, but I wouldn’t be able to hear Kimo under water. That’s when I spotted a huge shark. He was about a hundred yards away and headed right towards Kimo. Kimo had no idea that the shark was headed for his fish and he wouldn’t be able to hear my whistle. The water was very clear and I could see Kimo’s long string of fish. I swam towards him as fast as I could without splashing so the shark wouldn’t turn around and attack me. Kimo was at the bottom entering a cavern when the shark attacked his floater filled with fish. Without warning he got yanked right out of the hole.

The shark’s teeth were big, his skin rough, and his power was immeasurable. I loaded my spear gun and I cut the tag line with my knife. I watched as Kimo did the same thing. I swam toward the shark pointing my gun at it while holding my knife in my left hand. I waited patiently and watched for the perfect shot. He stopped and turned, my heart started pounding as the shark watched me. I took the first shot and I stoned him right behind his gills. Kimo hit the shark in his belly while he was coming up to the surface. It started to bleed heavily and it was rolling, kicking, turning, and trying to get those spears out of him. The spears were bent and I thought that it wasn’t going to be enough to stop him as he stared me down. That shark didn’t want any more and he took off with two spear gun shafts stuck in his belly and wing.

Kimo and I quickly headed for shore where we reflected on the day and our shark encounter. I couldn’t figure out why my Aumakua would attack my partner. Later that afternoon, my dad told me that we caught a lot of fish. He said on the days that you catch a lot of fish that you should try and give some of it back.

Now, as a precaution, we never ever take too much fish. When we have a hefty catch, we always leave something down on the bottom of the ocean or near some small reefs. Since seeing my father leave fish on the ocean, I really took his advice to heart. Even if we don’t have a hefty catch, I still try to give something back. That encounter really taught me to be humble and never overfish the ocean.