Posts by makoa

Right on! You'll love da nenue...onolicious! To'au another favorite. Post pics brah of both.

More poke:

Nenue...OG kine poke!

Shootz...for da bruddah who wen ask for da recipee for Shoyu Poke. Ahi, kaku (cuda...one of my favorites for this), nenue (old school Kupuna kine poke), Ono (wahoo)! K'Den :

Yeah, no problem brah.

Ahi Shoyu Poke

1 lb. fresh ahi (cuda, wahoo, yellowtale...any mellow, buttery raw fish) cut into cubed, bite-size pieces...about 3/4" - 1"
1/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (tops included)
1/4* cup chopped Maui onion (or yellow onion)
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 chili pepper, cored, seeded and diced ( I use only Hawaiian chilis, or no chilis at all...optional)
Hawaiian salt ( you can use course sea salt, not rock salt, but coarse sea salt)
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Limu (Hawaiian seaweed) is used but I've not seen it available outside of Hawaii, so I don't add any when I make this on the mainland.

In a large bowl, sprinkle salt onto cubes of fish and hand mix around. The salt will eventually "melt" into fish. Then combine all the ingredients, and mix lightly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before eating.

Eaten one cube at a time. Enjoy

Best eaten with Waipio Valley Poi!

Aloha,
Makoa

One of my favorite fish to shoot and EAT! But I only will eat them raw...the most mellow and buttery meat evah. I make Hawaiian poke with it and you cannot tell the difference between ahi and kaku (cuda) once it is in the bowl with shoyu, sesamee oil, maui onion, and limu. It is the coolest translucent blue-gray meat. I've never had a cuda make a run at me, or threaten me in 30+ years of spearing...only take my fish, especially the Spanish Mack's. Never had a "hot" cuda with ciguatera in central fla, or Hawaii. That includes the big ones 65-70 poundahs! But the smaller cudas do make better eating. I know that in more tropical waters the big cudas tend to have cig...but so do the groupers, jacks and all other fish that predate on reef fish.

It was the Latinos in Fla that convinced me to try the meat as I could never get past the strong ammonia smell the cudas give off. Once on ice, the smell goes away. When you fillet the meat you realize how fat and awesome these fish are. I also enjoy the fight with the big ones, which is why I always shoot the gill plates so I can control their run by turning them. Grabbing the shaft (if you're not using a slip tip) helps you control the cuda from getting close. Then you can move in over top and behind and then straddle them while sliding your hand underneath and into the gills...now you own his toothy head! Burry the knife and boat the beast.

Any way, I know this thread is old, but I had to give my ten cents worth. I know that while in fla if the day's harvest is thin, I can always bring a cuda or two home and make some of the best ceviche, Hawaiian poke, and Tahitian Poison Crüe (ceviche with coconut milk and cucumbers) that anyone has tasted! In Hawaii and South Pacific, the heller's barracuda is smaller. But the great barracuda also are there. Fla, Gulf of Mexico, though by far have the most cuda
Of any where I've hunted.

Aloha,

Makoa

Thanks all for the education. The "pure carbon" thing was not to describe the composition but to differentiate between the use of a carbon fibre and fiberglass composite with carbon. A few Freedive sites that sell blades state it that way. You nailed the reason why this question needed to be addressed, Lunkerbuster. My fiberglass composite blades I bought with the durability thing in mind due to the fact my shore dives are off of lava and the water exits are not always calm but can be pretty rough. The durability issue didn't seem to be any better than my buddies' carbon blades. Then the cost. I'm blessed to have 5 boys that all hunt with me and the cost of maintaining 6 sets of everything gets expensive, but we've always put our money into what matters most. Now it's time to upgrade my blades and wanted to gather some opinions that would confirm my desire to go carbon. I have a brand in mind, but wanted to keep this science related and not a brand war!

Thanks for the opinions, trade info, and all around education.

Aloha,
Makoa

Aloha to all!

Question:
Pure carbon blades or composite? Composite boasts better durability but do they lose any of the performance of pure carbon blades? Sellers of composite blades state that with composite you get the performance of pure carbon but better durability. I have composite and they have lasted better than 7 years of serious use...stay with composite or go carbon? I know every choice of gear is primarily personal, but there are some facts that are universal and those are performance vs durability.

Please respond with any facts that would help me determine between pure carbon and composite...No brand names, just your thoughts/experience with pure carbon blades vs composite. I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs and dive deep. I use composite medium stiffness and have a strong kick. My blades measure 80 cm x 20 cm...pretty standard. There are 85 cm making news, anyone use these extra long blades?

I look forward to the education! After a life of spearfishing, I realize I still have questions:crazy:

Mahalo in advance.

Aloha!

Makoa

Nenue is da bomb for poke!... Old school kine...Sesame oil, shoyu, Maui onion, Hawaiian salt, Hawaiian chili peppah, limu...soak em and chill em then grind em! Cheeho! Onolicious.

BI best hunting evah!

Aloha
Makoa

Anyone know who is selling Aimrite guns on the US Mainland besides Nautilus now that Josh is no longer a distributor? It's been a while since I spoke with Rick or Angela and I'm in the market for a KV 140.

Mahalo

Just a couple more thoughts. Lobster is one of the few seasonal restricted targets...but don't be confused when local boys come up with bugs in off season. Most locals harvest for feeding their Ohana and not for trophy so a lot of locals just grab according to what's there. Night diving, especially for lobster is awesome, but there are restrictions on what you can harvest at night. Again locals will poke uhu (parrot fish) at night which is not allowed but is done a lot. As a malahini you will want to adhere to the Hawaii State Regs and also local customs. Respect for the resources and customs goes along way to wether or not you're welcomed at local spots. Diving for your food is more than a hobby here on BI...it's a waterman's way of life. Hawaii has a long established and historical claim on spearing for food. The more you adopt a local mentality for diving (and every other aspect of island living) the more you'll fall in love with this place and become apart of BI. Read Sonny Tanabe's book on the history of Spearfishing in the early days of BI. When I'm back on island I would be glad to take you to a few of my family's "sacred" hunting grounds up Hamakua side. Diving these rugged and remote spots alone (not recommended, but for me a regular event) is almost a spiritual experience and my personal escape from the noise of daily life.

The float line set up most guys use for blue water out here is a Hawaiian Breakaway, especially if shooting wood or hybrids, and even on the bigger Bluewater rail guns. It's a simple and clean set up. You can run an inline set up but personally I like hanging onto my gun especially when the big oceanic white tips and tigers show up. It gives you something to poke them away with.

Plenty resources for hooking up with guys on BI. I know Spearboard is not well liked here on Speardiver, but way more Hawaiian shooters in the forum there. Also Hawaii Skin Diver (HSD) has a few more locals on forum. Also I'm sure UH Hilo student boards have guys posting looking for dive buddies.

Immerse yourself in the BI liquid salt and enjoy. I'm stuck in the desert of AZ shooting stupid carp in murky water and am missing home majah! You are very blessed to be hunting some of the best waters in the world.
Again, respect da locals and be principled in your harvest.

Aloha!

Makoa

Aloha E Komo Mai....welcome. Justin's answers are good advice. The wetsuit is personal preference. My boys and I use 3 mil and many times just the farmer johns with a rash guard top, depending on how long we stay out. Also its nice to have the protection when hunting around reef loaded with wana (black long spined sea urchin) and a surging current pushing you into them! The big Island has amazing spots everywhere but very rugged and the best spots not easy to get to. For Blue water I use an Aimrite Bluewater float, for shore dives a life guard rescue can (hard float) if diving away from surging swells and lava rock structure. We usually use reels on our guns so you don't have the problem of tangling your float line in the holes and caves you will be hunting on BI. Kayaks are great if you can get one. Alot of blue water action can be found as the depth changes rapidly and are accessible from shore dives with a long swim or a quicker kayak paddle. Sharks, or Mano, are Hawaiian demigods of many Kanaka Maoli, or native Hawaiians...ancestors that have passed on and returned as protectors of their posterity, especially for watermen. So while it is not illegal to shoot and take the Mano, it is not welcomed, especially by a haole or any other visitor that is not kama'aina. Bust out the three prong for reef action and it will prove your prowess in the water as you poke manini, kumu, kala, palani, etc. get a reef fish of Hawaii ID chart and load up your kui with these smaller but good eating fish. Spectra or cable for shooting ulua...Giant Trevally. Omilu, bluefin trevally, the best eating ulua and is smaller but fight and will thrash gear if allowed to run. Uhu (parrot fish) are some of the best fish you'll ever eat. But remember none of these fish are going to sit there and let you shoot em. Fish in Hawaii are akamai...very smart...as they've been hunted for generations and know how far away to stay from anything pointy! Clear waters also teach you how to stalk and hunt from ledges and among structure to stay hidden. You'll get to know the guys at S Tokunaga's Store...they have most everything you'll need for rigging,etc. and when you go grocery store and see fishing gear and pole spears for sale, you'll know you've landed in paradise!

Aloha!

They're called Wana (vana) here in Hawaii. Some do break open and eat, but why harvest wana when opihi are the delicacy and don't have spines that break off in your skin?!

Aloha

Anyone here in the desert spear striped bass in lake pleasant? Displaced Island boy and am on the hunt for a respectable fish to spear while here in AZ. Everyone gets giddy over carp, so I poked a monster 20 lb carp but ended up turning it into fertilizer...:(

I've been doing majah research and am on the hunt! I've scouted several spots and will put something together soon. Sounds like the SB population is not as great as north on colo river.

Aloha

Makoa

Gracias a todos

Great input. Did a lot of handle swapping since my post. I keep coming back to the fact that my neutral grip with arm fully extended is different than perhaps another's neutral grip. Shooting a speargun is most similar to firing a handgun, and sig's, glock's, etc all have varied angles to their brand. I tactically shoot a glock but have to change my hand angle when shooting an H&K USP. My buddies prefer the Sig over the Glock, but we both are deadly with our own preferred guns due to the fact the barrels align with our own neutral grips. Steve Alexander and Daryl (the handle is his design although Rick of Aimrite used to build it for D's guns) are a much better natural fit for my arm-hand-barrel alignment. That won't stop me from trying to shoot Tinman's AR handle cause the thing just looks so "SICK!" It's amazing how long you can be a shooter and never realize that there are other variables that could change.

So thanks for all the input. Very interesting. BTW, got a new Speardiver reel and love it!

Aloha

PS, My buddies in the Teams all use their own personalized weapons much for the same reason...on target placement should be a natural extension of your instinctive movements and not an unnatural kinetic manipulation of your body. These are big words for a simple Island boy!

Handles matched with top mounting plates level, Tinman handle on top. Top picture was with the trailing edge of the handles aligned together.

Ordered a handle by Tinman who makes some nice gear. I like the AR-15 style high grade aluminum handle with rubber grip. Looks mean! When it arrived I pulled it out and noticed that the angle of the grip is significantly more angled aft in relation to the base mount (laongitudinal line of the gun) requiring my wrist to be unnaturally cocked up and the leading edge of my fingers/grip to be pointing down in order to point the muzzle of my gun level with the rest of the stock. If I hold it with a neutral grip the muzzle points high. My Wong 1911 style grip and my Steve Alexander grips allow for a neutral hold which allows the guns longitudinal axis to be level with muzzle pointing straight ahead in line with the entire stock.

Anyone else notice this? I really would like to put that AR handle by Tinman on my hybrid build when I'm done, but not at the expense of a less accurate shot. I realize we all have different styles, techniques in developing our own personal sight pictures, but thought I would throw this out there and see what others are saying. This in no means is to rag on Tinmans handles...I think they are the best looking ones out there. Just bummed that the angle of those handles may not be the fit I personally need for my spearguns. I shoot and own several AR's, M-4's and love the style for my fire arms.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Aloha!

Brah, those guns stay hard for find! Email Daryl and he'll put you on a list for the guns he builds that people no longer want or for some reason buyers don't pick up. Big savings if you're willing to shoot a gun with someone else's custom artwork and engravings...but then again, that's why we're willing to buy used and pay less for the same quality work. Even used these guns keep their price tag. Go to Daryl's website wongguns.com and send him a message. You may have to wait a while, but for the price people are selling their used guns for you'll get a new gun. Hope this helps.

Aloha!

Another look:

I bought an antique speargun that appears to be the same pictured with the Ginger. $10 bucks at a garage sale!! While you boyz were looking at the girl, I was looking at the gun...maybe I need help?! The gun I have is a Rene Cavalero, built I believe in Marseille France. I've refurbished the gun a bit and it is the first gun all my younger kids shot in the pool. Now if I can just get that bikini for my hot wife my life will be imitating art! Auwe!!!!

Aloha