Aloha all
Mostly I just read posts here but it is time for me to speak up. Tigers have been sighted in Honokohau Harbor on the Kona side of the Big Island. Within 200 yards of the mouth of the harbor are 5 day-use moorings used by local dive oporators everyday. Sightings have occured. Most do not talk much about it. 2 years ago my x-wife and I filmed several Tigers, all female, and we gave one of them the name Laverne. A simple non-threatening code name that has caught on through-out Hawaii. 2 weeks ago an article was on the front page of one of the Honolulu news papers with Kendra's (my x-wife) photo of the original Laverne.
The problem:
Honokohau Harbor, like most small boat harbors, is mostly fishing boats. The practice of cleaning fish and dumping carcasses in the harbor is wide spread. Local rules (laws) say that this is not to happen, but it does... every day. Laverne comes in to the harbor and feeds on the discarded remains of caught game fish. It is not a leap of faith to conclude that food is the driving factor.
Facts:
Why the Tigers show up more in July, August, and September, I do not know, since fish remains are discarded in the harbor 365 days a year. I am little more than an observer here. I am concerned for the sharks well being. I have been in the water with them, a lot. I am more interested in filming the behaviors of others animals (mostly Eagle Rays) with Laverne near by. I have watched as Laverne entered the harbor, ignored a dead marlin floating on the surface waiting to be hoisted to the fish scale, and a man swimming in the water cleaning the hull of his vessel. Laverne ignored them all, picked up a discarded marlin head off the bottom and ate it. All in under a minute.
Diving with the Tigers:
No one has gotten hurt yet. But I doubt the charter oporators are advertising 'Come Dive with the Tigers'. Liability would be outragously high. However, as someone stated in another post, you are in the ocean where big animals live so there is always a chance to see them. Be aware that certain dive sites have a slightly increased "sightings" rating factor than others.
Lesser known and harder to prove facts:
A few years ago when the original Laverne was sighted and photographed, many divers got in the water to look for Laverne. A few fishermen claimed to have "caught and killed her for the safety of us all". Rumor has it that some branch of local government or water safety office silently "took care of the situation". I cannot prove any of it, nor have I tried. I can prove, ironicly, that the practice of indirectly feeding continues. That would be the practice of discarding fish remains in the harbor. Last, the thought of there being only one Laverne in the area is foolish. Photos and video that I have seen and filmed have showed that the scaring, cuts, and markings near the dorsal fins and pectoral fins are different in several different photos and video extractions. There is more than one, but I am not sure how many and I will not venture a guess.
In conclusion:
I tried to be as brief as possible without getting on a soap box. Not an easy feat for me.
Come diving in Hawaii, anywhere in Hawaii. The experience will be outstanding, I am sure of it. And if you get to see Laverne may it be only one check mark on a long list of great experiences during your visit.
Matthew J D'Avella
