- A 63-year-old man is missing after he told his friend he hooked a "huge" fish and went overboard.
- Hawaii police said the man hooked an Ahi tuna, which average 125 pounds and can reach 400 pounds.
A 63-year-old man was pulled overboard after hooking "huge" tuna while fishing off the coast of Hōnaunau, Hawaii, on Sunday, in an accident that expert deep sea fishermen described as rare but not unheard of.
Mark Knittle of Captain Cook, Hawaii, was fishing with a friend about 4 miles off the coast of the Big Island at around 5 a.m., when he hooked a fish and exclaimed, "the fish is huge," according to the Hawaii Police Department. The friend then saw Knittle go overboard and into the water.
The friend unsuccessfully tried to grab the line, but Knittle disappeared after being visible on the surface for only seconds, the press release said. The friend jumped in after Knittle, but he was nowhere to be found. As of Thursday, the Hawaii Fire Department and the US Coast Guard had been searching for Knittle for five days and planned to continue.
Police said Knittle had hooked an Ahi, also known as a Yellowfin tuna, which can weigh up to 400 pounds and reach 6 feet in length. On average they weigh about 125 pounds, and are a notoriously challenging fish to successfully pull in.
"With one of these on your line, you'll have a satisfying meal ahead of you if you reel it in and a harrowing story even if you don't," Whipsaw Sportfishing, based in Oahu, explains on their website. "When hooked, Ahi tuna usually do not jump, but they will make sudden sideways turns and swim in large circles. Considering their weight, this can be an exhausting experience, and you will have to have patience while trying to reel them in."
Overboard fishing incidents are rare, but there are a number of measures fishermen can take to avoid getting pulled away by a monster fish.
It's unclear exactly what method of fishing Knittle was using when he got pulled over, but deep sea fishing experts told Insider that he may have been handlining, a technique where the fishing line is held and pulled in by hand rather than with a rod and reel.
Chuck Wigzell, captain and owner of Hooked Up Sportfishing in Kona, Hawaii, said that it's important to know how to wrap your hands to avoid getting tangled or caught on the line.
"You don't just wrap it any way," Wigzell told Insider, adding his crews are trained in how to manage a line. "You have to learn how to wrap it properly, so when you let it go it comes off your hand without it stopping, or losing a finger, or getting up on your wrist."
He described a scenario in which someone could get pulled over: "You're leaning over a rail, pulling in a fish, the deck's wet, and the fish pulls, and you've got a bad wrap and you can't let go, then you get jerked overboard."
Wigzell said even if someone is trained in how to do it, things can go wrong. For instance, if there's too much slack in the line around a fisherman's feet as they're trying to pull it in, if a fish makes a big push the line could even get wrapped around their feet.
As a fail-safe, Wigzell said some fishermen carry a specific knife on them that allows them to quickly cut the fishing line and free themselves if needed.
"Some crews wear a release knife around their neck or in their pocket so if they do get stuck their other hand can reach up to cut the line, and they're free," he said. A release knife is a small knife with a fixed blade and special design that can quickly cut a line while still being safe to carry.
Even fishing boats that are using a rod and reel to initially hook and pull in a fish may use a technique called leadering, which is similar to handlining in that it involves pulling in the fish by hand for the last 20 or 30 feet. If Knittle was using this technique, he could have similarly gotten caught up in the line and pulled over.
If you're not handlining, some larger boats also have "fighting chairs" which can be used to strap you and the rod in. The Coast Guard also recommends anyone out fishing wear a life jacket, which can also be tethered to the boat and keep you close by if you are pulled overboard.
Paul Appleblom, owner of Kauai Apex Charters, told Insider he thought the most likely to way to get pulled overboard was some type of user error, such as incorrectly setting their drag or improperly hand wrapping.
"If you're handlining and wrapping your hands incorrectly, you could get pulled over and be along for the ride," he said.