[Josh]

Good to hear mention of my friend Valerie Van Balen on here on PG. She came to my farm last year and did a little promo vid that can be seen here: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=22270990 if anyone is interested. It might need a little bit of editing but there are some great images.

[olmander]

Josh, what an amazingly beautiful film! Really great!

[Pearl_dreams]

I enjoyed the video as well... still photos are great but this gave me a better idea of what goes on. Lovely underwater footage!

[Hanaleimom]

Hi Josh,
Very nice footage, especially the underwater scenes. But I felt an "ouch" seeing her wearing the necklace in the ocean. Does that stretch the silk knotting much if it's not prolonged exposure to salt water? If you clean the strand immediately after filming, there should be no damage to the pearls, right? Did you not mention in another post somewhere that you, or a friend wears a Tahitian on a leather cord daily? Have you noticed duller surface or noticeable wearing of nacre?

I will be staying on Kauai this June near the Princeville Shopping Center. Her website shows a new location there. I will definitely make a visit for browsing. The original location is in Poipu, south of the island. We we only make dashes through there.

Thanks,
Cathy

[Karl]

I have to agree with everyone who said it was a really cool video. I'm no expert but I wouldn't think that the saltwater would harm the pearls since they were cultured in it. The silk would be another story. Maybe they were strung with something else? I read somewhere that women in Cuba used to go in the water with their pearls on..can't quite remember where I saw that though.

[Caitlin]

On wearing salt water pearls in salt water, it seems so natural.....

I have washed my Bahraini natural pearls in a salt slurry so I could "scrub" them. The salt is not abrasive, but it is drying to pearls in that kind of concentration, so I rinsed them well in filtered water. They came out beautiful!

Hi Josh
Are those your pearls Natalie is wearing?
What is the story on pre-contact pearl wearing? Drilling? What was used before silk to string them? Do Tahitians use silk now? (I know Paspaley uses nylon, so using silk is not carved in stone.)

[knotty panda]

Josh: The video transported me far away from ridiculously boring and pretentious Florida to a wonderfully pristine sacred place I could only hope to visit some day. You are indeed blessed. I love the nucleation parts. I think I finally understand. What an amazing thing! Thank you for the journey. I'll go there often.

[Josh]

Cathy, good question you asked. I'll try to get Val herself to join this discussion. I'm not her exclusive supplier so it's hard to say where certain pearls of hers came from. I'll ask her though! I am in the ocean every day, usually multiple times spearfishing, surfing or swimming and the pearl I wear has not dulled at all after all this time.
Knotty, thank YOU for the post. You never fail to get a chuckle out of me.

[julianner]

Josh,
Loved watching the video! At the farm I visited before, they used scuba, but I see at yours you don't. Tough guys, eh!

(Using scuba surely must add to the overheads...)

When's the next video? When it finished, I wanted more! more!

J

[danachit]

Awesome video Josh!

Um...if any of us come visit...does this mean we have to wear a bikini too?

And if you come visit us?

I really enjoyed that...thanks!

[john675]

As the others, I really enjoyed the video.

I was thinking, as people were swimming in that relaxing water, what concern is there regarding sharks - and then I saw one swimming around! Any worries about the shark finding one of those bare limbs appetizing?

John

[Ingykiz]

Great video. It is amazing to watch these big guys so delicately handle those shells. Whenever I watch TV specials abøut pearls(PBS) the person nucleating is usually a very petite female with special eyewear, clothing, etc. I wonder if that is just for effect. Quick question. Can you put in too little or too much mantle tissue when you are bead nucleating? If you use larger beads, is there more mantle tissue needed?

[Josh]

Oops, missed this post.
Julianne: Yup, free diving saves time and is a great way to stay fit, especially for spear fishing. Some times we use a diver (Laurent) down on the mainline to detach the strings for the freedivers but if we can do it all without air, we prefer to.
Ingykiz: The mantle piece does increase slightly in size to accommodate a larger bead. It's more to do with good contact with the bead though than the actual number of cells required to coat the nucleus.
John: Here's an article taken from a Patagonia catalog that came out in December 06'. It was the opening spread in the catalog with all the fish on the cover and the seal swimming through them if anyone remembers... There was a big black and white photo of Laurent and me sitting on the planks and peaking in some oysters.


Always There
by Jeff Johnson
Summer 2006

Laurent has obviously seen something. He descends past me silent, poised, his body angling toward the deep, his speargun well hidden next to his torso. I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Josh. Using his thumb, Josh motions for us to surface.

The wind above water matches my labored breaths.

"Look down," says Josh, "watch Laurent."

I put my mask and snorkel to the water and see Laurent hovering, waiting motionless 40 feet below. A few curious fish glide by him. As he releases the trigger on the gun, I hear a muffled click and the fish quickly scatter away. Below Laurent, a large, colorful parai (surgeonfish) convulses with a spear in its side. Laurent remains there for a moment, studying his surroundings. During his ascent he spins continuously as to monitor anything that moves.

Josh taps my shoulder again and points down. Rising out of the purple depths I see shadows – three, four, five, six of them. Sharks. A frenzy. My initial instinct is to swim to the boat, fast. But I look at Josh and he is relaxed, almost laughing. Looking back down, I see more of them, blacktips, four- to six-feet long and too difficult to count now as they dart around sporadically. Laurent reels in his line and finds that the fish he speared is gone, taken by one of the sharks. Josh shakes his head as if to say, "Typical."

Laurent re-cocks his gun and descends. As he enters the frenzy, the sharks in their untamed movement charge right at him. Unfazed by this aggression Laurent confronts them, making quick stabbing motions with his gun. This method proves to be highly effective, for the sharks, like dogs, are easily spooked. Within minutes the sharks drop down beyond the pearl lines and dissolve into darkness. Casually, everyone goes back to work.

I have just taken five strings of oysters off the main line 30 feet below the surface. I am heavily weighted, preparing to ascend, when I see another shadow appear. But this one is darker, slower and much bigger than the blacktips. I am waiting for Timi to give me a buoy. He hands one to me, and its buoyancy sends me soaring to the surface. I look down at the large, ominous shadow. Because of the way the ocean plays with your eyes, it is difficult to tell how big she is, but I'd say an easy eight- to 10-feet long and very round. Like a ghost, she hovers for a moment, barely moving. I am frozen, staring at her in awe. It's as if all she wants is to let us know she is there, always there, nothing more. Then, slowly, effortlessly, like a sinking ship blending in with the dark depths below, she is gone.

That evening, during dinner, Josh explains the situation. He tells me how blacktips are not a problem, more of a nuisance and easy to deal with.

I ask, "What was that big one we saw?"

Josh takes a sip of beer. "I don't know," he says, setting the can on the table with a smile. "I've never seen her before."


About the Author
Though we have managed to get some work hours out of him here at the offices in Ventura, Jeff Johnson is a hard man to pin down. And he has multiple personalities to boot – surfer, writer, climber, photographer – though in no specific order. This field report was written while he and Yvon earned their room and board as apprentice pearl divers in the Tuamotu Islands.

[julianner]

Originally Posted by Josh

I ask, "What was that big one we saw?"

Josh takes a sip of beer. "I don't know," he says, setting the can on the table with a smile. "I've never seen her before."

.

Oh, some cool customer you are!

[john675]

What a great article. I agree - you sound very calm there, Josh! Growing upon the east coast of Florida, we had a lot of sharks but I was never so calm about them. Feet dangling from the surfboard always seemed so vulnerable to me (I would never know what exactly brushed against my foot!).