Jumpin Billfish!

I’m on board the Chiripa, a 36' Hatteras fishing boat engaged as the Press Boot for the Hawaiian International Billfish tournament (HIBT). Rick and I (and now Giselle) have been the official photographers for the tournament since the early 90’s. Today I’m out to catch some action!

I love to sit on the fly bridge with B.C. Crawford, Captain and owner of the Chiripa. He’s a salt of the earth and sea kind of guy who has been fishing Kona waters for over 30 years and this tournament long enough to have some of the most amazing stories, and man can he talk story! I indecently, love to listen.


There is a beautiful sunny blue Kona sky and ultra calm Kona seas today. Mate K.J. Robinson sets two trolling lines. Hey, we may as well try to catch some sushi while we’re out here.

Also on board is fishing photographer Jon Schwartz. You may have just seen his amazing images from the tournament a couple of days prior on the front page of Yahoo of a 500 pound Marlin charging the press boat. Whoa baby! We’re talking jackpot image of a lifetime. Check it out.

At about 8:45am, our line starts screaming. Man, I love that sound; we’re hooked up!

I grab two cameras and rush down the ladder onto the lower deck. K.J. is busy reeling in the other line while Capt. B.C. keeps the active line tight. Jon and I take knowing looks at each other. Neither of us wants to sit in the fighting chair and K.J. quickly realizes he’s the angler and the crew, not an immediate problem.

When a fishing boat starts backing down, it signals the possibility of the fish coming to the surface and jumping. Here’s the coolest thing of all, it’s just like jostling, elbow to elbow with other photographers, and waiting for first finisher of the Ironman triathlon to cross the line… the anticipation in your stomach, a level of alertness I just love to experience, one eye squinting through a small hole in the back of the camera, the other wide open and searching the area outside the viewfinder for anything expected or unexpected.

“Here she comes. She’s going to jump.” I could hear Capt. B.C. shouting. And she did, all 700+ pounds of her! My Canon 5D Mark II’s camera lens was locked on in a flash, shutter sputtering like rapid gunfire. K.J. ‘s reeling hard at the line, she’s coming closer, lights up to phosphorescent blue and pulls the line back out at an alarming rate.

Well over an hour later, she eventually came close enough to tag. Jon put down his camera, reached out and did the deed. Soon afterward she swam free.

All of the HIBT photos are on line and can be viewed by clicking HERE: