There are a number of unique conditions that make the Kona Coast ideal for big game fishing tournaments in Hawaii. When you think of big game fishing, you’ll often think of nasty ocean conditions, big waves, and tumultuous weather. This can make the job of actually catching and hauling in big game fish much more difficult.

1. The temperatures in Hawaii are always fairly moderate. The state of Hawaii has never even recorded a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This always surprises people because we’re the southernmost state, but the amount of water surrounding the islands keeps temperatures moderated.

This is what’s called ocean-effect. Water absorbs extremes of heat and cold, creating a sort of opposite effect to what’s happening on land. There are no big land masses to radiate day heat either, meaning there’s no coastal heat extending far out into the ocean. This means we’ll usually be catching fish in temperatures from the 70s to the 90s, even during the summer. That’s pretty ideal for big game that can take two hours-plus to catch.

2. We do have some great big mountains and volcanoes. These do a lot to shelter the surrounding seas from the Pacific trade winds. These mountains cast a sort of invisible shadow of calmer weather by blocking and slowing winds that would otherwise roil up the seas. The Kona coast is leeward of one of Hawaii’s most famous mountains. This can make for big game fishing unlike anywhere else.

3. We don’t have to go far for our catch. It’s calmer near the coast, and Hawaii’s sea floor drops off very quickly and very steeply. This allows for big game fish as close as a quarter mile from shore. Thousand pound marlin are regularly caught in the 2-to-5 mile range. This means we don’t have to head out far into the ocean in order to find big game fish.

Big game fishing tournaments in Hawaii are unique because they can take place in such calm, ideal conditions. It allows anglers to focus on the hunt in conditions that don’t tax them.