A Hawaiian fisherman died after being pierced through the chest by the very same swordfish he had just speared in the Honokohau small boat harbor on the big island. According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, witnesses stated that a charter boat captain had jumped into the water to catch the fish when it fought back. The man was not named in the statement but local television station KITV identified him as 47-year-old Randy Llanes.
Although paramedics quickly performed CPR after pulling him out, they could not save him.
“He was a tough guy, he was such a tough guy that everyone’s scared of him, the whole harbor’s scared of him,” Randy’s sister-in-law Kalina Llanes told KITV. “However, those who knew him well were not scared of him because he has such a big heart.”
In fact, locals who came to attend a gathering for Llanes actually jumped in the harbor and swam out to the spot where he died, leaving a traditional lei there in his honor.
Swordfish typically grow to be anywhere from about 10’-15’ long and can weigh as much as a ton and a half. Females are larger than males. The fish that killed Llanes was reported to be 6-feet long (including its 3-foot bill) and weighed in at 40 lbs.
Swordfish are extremely active and fierce fighters. They have been known to dive so quickly they have impaled their swords into the ocean bottom up to their eyes when harpooned or hooked. They generally do not attack humans unless attacked first. In fact, ancient Hawaiians (as well as fishermen from other cultures, including Sicily) tend to fear them because the fish are known to run their swords through the planking of canoes and other small boats when injured. However, contrary to what many people believe, they do not use their swords as spears, but instead generally use them to “slash” at enemies and prey.
This article is reposted with the author’s permission from examiner.com.
