Spear Fishing Adventures

          My parents recently got back from a trip to Maui, Hawaii. One thing that was pretty cool, maybe even a little unnecessary ego boost was that so many places had the name, “Kai” in it.  Restaurants, road signs, lawyer offices, beach parks, fishing stores, etc.  “Kai,” in Hawaiian, means the ocean, something that I love with all my heart.  My own name being “Kai” helps build my personality, and similarly gives a reason to why I feel so connected to it. On his return trip, my father purchased two spear guns from a couple of laid-back Hawaiians. Last weekend we decided to give them a try.  Being beginners, my dad told me that it was only going to be a practice run and not to be disappointed if we didn’t catch anything. That’s not the way I think.  I was so eager to catch a fish during my first time spear fishing, prepared and full of ambition I was. 
        My dad and I took our little 14 foot dingy out to a reef in from of Tanapag called, Wahoo Rocks.  I strapped myself into a five pound weight belt, put my fins on, and cleared my mask and snorkel.  Pulling the classic diving maneuver, I let myself fall backwards into the water.  Once underwater in liquid space, I pulled the bands back and locked them into the shaft of the spear.  The hunt began. 
       With my hopes high and my eyes alert, I descended about 15 feet and hovered on the bottom waiting for fish.  My breath hold ran out and I had to retreat to the surface.  Running impatient, I aimed at nothing and I pulled the trigger to see what the gun 
could do.  While I was retrieving the shaft and locking it back into place, I saw a dark form moving in the distance.  The figure began to take shape as it got closer, and I realized it was a black tip reef shark.  These sharks are generally harmless to humans; it was about six feet long and had a strong, thick body.  The black tip shark swam towards me, checked out who was in its territory, and ominously swam away.  I surfaced and shouted to my dad, who ducked under to have a look at the seemingly-gentle beast.  
       Thinking it was a good time to head back to the boat, I realized I had not caught any fish. My dad and
 I made it next to the boat and got ready to hop in when I saw another amazing animal. Two large stingrays swam directly beneath my father and me.  I could see every detail from their large, unblinking eyes, to the five foot wingspan, down to the fatal barb that killed Steve Irwin, RIP Mr. Irwin. My heart pumped faster once I realized this was an animal capable of killing a seemingly invincible man.  I lay still and looked over at my dad, he nodded in agreement and we both lay as still as we could with waves lapping over our backs. 
        After the stingrays passed, the day felt complete and I was filled with the great honor of seeing these creatures.   I felt that perhaps my dad was right: as a beginner, try not to expect anything too great from yourself. Things take practice, and in time, I know that I will be able to catch a delicious Parrotfish, Tataga, or perhaps even a Yellow-fin Tuna.  I had no regrets about the day, for being able to have two graceful and powerful creatures in my presence felt as good as catching a fish, possibly even better.