My Inside Line: Persistence

Aloha. I was born and raised on the island of Kaua‘i, where fishing became one of my passions at a young age. One of my fondest memories from childhood was flipping through HAWAII FISHING NEWS and looking at all of the photos.

In 2009, I became a lifeguard for the County of Kaua‘i. This career path introduced me to jet skis, and by 2013, I was officially a jet ski operator. As I became more proficient in operating a jet ski, it was only natural for me to combine my fishing and diving experience with operation of this vessel. In 2017, I pulled the trigger and bought a jet ski, fully outfitted for fishing, with one goal in mind: to catch ‘ahi.

After getting a few fish under my belt last season including some big ‘ahi, I set out to land a 200-plus-lb ‘ahi on the jet ski. Every opportunity I had on the water, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Maybe today will be the day.” But it’s fishing, not catching, so you just never know when the reel is going to scream.