KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii – A 47-year-old fisherman died Friday after a swordfish apparently punctured his chest in the waters of Honokohau Harbor.
Randy Llanes, a Kailua-Kona fisherman and boat captain, was pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital at 11:30 a.m. following the incident.
Police issued a media release:
Responding to a 10:48 a.m.call, police learned that a swordfish had been observed in Honokōhau Harbor and that fisherman Randy Llanes of Kailua-Kona had jumped into the water with a spear gun. The fish was then seen thrashing about, leaving a puncture wound to the man’s upper chest.Hawaii County Police Dept.
The swordfish measured about 3 feet long, with a bill length of about 3 feet, and weighed about 40 pounds, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. DLNR had a little more information in a media release:
Just before 11 a.m. the man reportedly spotted a swordfish swimming in the back area of the harbor near the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) harbor office. DOBOR staff and witnesses say he jumped into the water and speared the fish. The fish then reportedly struck the man in the chest with its sharp bill. He was pulled by onlookers from the harbor and was unresponsive. DLNR media release
what a loss…he was hunting for food…the fish was fighting for it’s life…some times..the fish win…
they both lost.. 🙁