BIG ISLAND HAWAII SAILING TOURS

Article from Island Shopper Magazine

Aloha. My name is Nila “Neil” Cusimano
I am 31, living most of the last 21 years on the Hamakua Coast. I’m going to talk story with you guys about sailing and whale watching in Hilo. First, I’ll introduce myself, and give you a little background about Captain Dan. Then I’ll tell you what the voyages are like. Words might not quite convey how fun the experience is, but I’ll give it a shot!

I’ve been raised on the Big Island, working on a family farm in Kalopa Mauka with cows, horses and cats. I attended Honoka’a High and Elementary, leaving to get an early start on college. I began taking my first college classes in Hilo at 16, while also working at Illuminations in Honoka’a. I graduated in May 2006 from the University of Hawaii Hilo with a Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Art. For the last couple of years, I have been working towards my MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, one of the more challenging endeavors of my life. Academics aside, I greatly enjoy gardening and cooking.

Although I still consider Kalopa Mauka to be home, I moved to Hilo early last year. With the help of my family and some good luck, I now live in an incredible little place on the edge of Reed’s Bay. My friend and roommate, Captain Dan, sailed over from Oahu to a mooring here, which can be seen from our house. After getting settled in at the Hilo place, I began to help Captain Dan out with his voyages. My role is to assist passengers before, during and after the trip, as well to “learn the ropes”, quite literally. Hawaii has a long history of sailing, which really reminds me of the deep connection here between land and sea.

It has been Captain Dan’s dream to create a unique sailing and whale watching experience in Hilo, as well as to teach sailing. One of the best things about his approach is that he visits the whales without a loud motor. As an analogy, how would you feel if somebody drove up in your lawn, revving the engine the whole time? Sailing out on wind power to meet the whales is the more gentle way to experience these beautiful creatures, and a very fun and peaceful experience on it’s own. .

A working Captain since 1992, Captain Dan has a huge amount of experience and unique adventures in his life. Dan first learned to sail in Florida at the age of 12, logging extensive sea miles. One of the things you will notice about Captain Dan is that he has a great willingness to teach the beautiful art of sailing to everyone. Though Dan has had amazing experiences as a sport fisherman, whale watching, sailing lessons and waterfall and sunset leisure cruises around the bay and coastline are his focus now.

Living here on the Big Island, I’ve been able to participate in lots of great experiences. I’ve been up in the rare air of the mountains, gone down into the valleys and lava tubes, trudged around the forests on hunts and hikes. There’s really nothing quite like whale watching though!

Each voyage begins with a short ride out to The Prelude, Dan's beautiful seaworthy 33' Hunter sloop. Once onboard, Captain Dan and myself get everyone settled in and give a safety briefing. There’s a short tour of the vessel, the sails go up and we sail off of the mooring. After navigating out past the breakwater, the whale watching really starts. Usually there are one or two humpback juveniles hanging around closer to shore, with the majority of the whales some distance out in various detached pods.

A quick tip in whale watching is to call out where the whales are like on the face of a clock, with the bow of the boat being 12:00. I love scanning the horizon in the very beginning, because I can yell “Thar she blows, one O’clock!” or something to that effect, and it’s totally appropriate and authentic. Pretty soon, everyone on board is wide eyed and anticipating the next sighting, to alert everyone else where to look. It can get pretty thrilling, with lots of whales all around.

The humpback whales (Hawaiian: “Kohola”) can give spectacular breaching shows, almost as though they know what we like to see. When they land in the water after breaching, it can sound almost like a cannon going off! More frequently, the whales’ bus-sized backs are seen as they surface for a breath of air. They also like to slap the water with their fins. It’s incredible how gigantic these mammals are, reaching from 39-52 feet, weighing about 79,000 lbs, nearly 40 tons! Not surprising that the Hawaiians believed the whale to be a representative of the god Kanaloa, god of animals in the ocean.

After tacking around outside of the breakwater, Captain Dan will sometimes offer passengers the chance to hold the wheel, steering the ship under his guidance. It’s exciting, and a person who is willing to carefully listen to the bow wave, observe the wind in the sails, and feel how the boat responds can learn how to get the most out of the wind. It’s nothing like driving a car. Some of the biggest smiles on kids and adults alike I’ve seen out there occur when they steers the boat for a little while, and finally “gets it.” This is the case for me for sure, every time I’ve taken the helm.

After watching (and being watched by) the whales (and often dolphins too!), the ship comes about and heads back towards the breakwater, to the mooring and land. Job “whale done”, everyone!

I hope that this story has given you something of a heads up about this special opportunity. You may have been on the islands for years or just arrived yesterday, but if you haven’t gone out and sailed the beautiful waters of Hilo, I highly recommend you meet Captain Dan and see the whales now! This is a unique experience, that has never been had in Hilo Bay like this ever before.

For more information, see www.hawaiisailingtours.com, or call 935-7978.

* Be sure to bring your water shoes and come sailing hawaii