The 85ft Pinnacle

When Europeans discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1700s, Polynesians had been calling them home for 1,000-1,500 years. Evidence of these years of habitation exists not only on land but underwater as well in the form of fishponds and well-used fishing sites. The 85 ft. Pinnacle is one of the few known pre-contact Hawaiian fishing sites and Mike documented it as the first underwater archaeological site in Hawaiian waters. Hundreds of carved stones used as sinkers for lures in octopus fishing were recorded as part of the first systematic survey of such a site in Hawaii. Still on the bottom are thousands of smooth river stones from another method of fishing called palu fishing. These provide a peek into pre-contact Hawaiian fishing strategies and allow us to see first-hand where early Hawaiians fished hundreds of years ago. The area consists of several rock pinnacles that provide shelter to many species including octopus that still find it to be good habitat so many years later.