Bruce and I at Tunnels after taking his family diving in 1990

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The rock in this video is called Vertical Awareness on Lehua Island at Niihau: the Forbidden Island seven miles from Kauai

The above video describes the dive I did with Bruce Willis. Thank you to Fathom Five for filming the dive site.

 

In 1986 I sailed from Maui to Kauai after a year in Lahaina, Maui captaining the world's fastest sailboat.

In 1967 Seasmoke surfed at 33 knots through the Pailolo Channel.

Seasmoke
's owner was James Arness.  Gunsmoke/Sea Smoke. The legendary Rudy Choy: designer and builder.

Sea Smoke

One real cool gal and I bought a 46 foot cat (below) and cruised into Hanalei Bay, Kauai where we lived on the boat.

molokai-catamarran.jpg (33228 bytes)



 

Below are some personal reflections on what I was doing in 1985 while living aboard my cat in Hanalei Bay

I had a mission to try to understand God, I am an inquisitive person
by nature and dive into things, so I dove into being a seeker of truth: Jesus/God/Creator.

The nearest church to the boat anchored in Hanalei Bay was a tiny (500 sq foot) fellowship that my girlfriend
and I joined and I would hang around after church and became friends with a guy who swept up afterwards named Tom
.

 
He and wife Cheri had a little baby Noah and had bible studies over at their house and we'd hang out.
They made a living cleaning condos and were super cool people. Tom was so humble and non-assuming,
he was real easy to like and
Cheri is a real sweetie.

Anyway, after a couple years I got to be friends with a guy up in Princeville that got his hand bit off by a shark,
Joe Thompson, down at the cliffs off
Princeville while boogie-boarding looking like a turtle, same look Bethany
presented to the sharks (surfers = endangered marine mammals)
. Joe would always inspire me when we hung
out
, his outlook was so cool about only having one hand and he really dug the life he lead as a one-hander
and a shark survivor.

The really cool story of Joe getting his arm bit off by a huge tiger shark is here.

Artist rendering of the attack on Joe below:

I was in water every day at Tunnels teaching diving and saw a big, big, big, really super
damn great big great white shark and followed it for a bit, but it took off into the murk.

So I knew big sharks were at my dive site where Bethany would get bit.

I had a inner feeling the the next person on Kauai would be "ultra-inspiring" when they lost a limb due to shark attack.

It was just a feeling knowing how I felt around Joe and knowing the spirituality of the island.

So when Bethany got bit, I called her brother Noah and we strategized a bit how to get the story told
on the web properly and he went off and figured it all out like the smart kid he is and I cheered the whole thing
on as a fan
knowing Bethany was now the Chosen One to be inspiring.

All I can say is the ocean is me old mate and I look forward to spending more time there
and the entire Hamilton family is awesome and so is the island of Kauai and the lucky people that live there.

Bethany's parents are my old friend's from Kauai,
they are the coolest - most humble folks anywhere.



Tom Hamilton

We went to same little church in Hanalei: circa 1984 – 1990.

The NorthShore Christian Fellowship. Warren Duffy - Pastor.

This is the shark that took Bethany's arm off.

Caught by my two friends Bill Hamilton and Ralph Young, two Hanalei fishermen,
who baited and caught the 13-foot 6-inch tiger shark that weighed in at over 1500 pounds.

This was the board she was riding.

 

The opening aerial shot of this movie trailer is Tunnels

 

My old dive site = > Tunnels = > North Shore of Kauai



I did scooter charters, no boat needed.

 

Aerial view of Tunnels Dive Site

Bruce and I at Tunnels.

More Info on Bill Span

Call Bill Span at 425 827 2431 or email