It was a routine kayak fishing adventure for Isaac Brumaghim, until Chompy the shark showed up. It’s the viral video from last summer that went world-wide (Chompy and Isaac now have over 12 million views on YouTube), and we caught up with Isaac 20 months later to find out some more details about that experience.
Warning, there is one NSFW word yelled, which is actually a surprisingly low number given what Isaac had just witnessed!
On this particular trip, Isaac was actually targeting mahi, ono, and tunas, including kawkawa or wavy back tunas (the one chompy took). When asked about his initial reaction, he replied with “panic and then stress knowing this shark is after my tournament tuna. After my fish came off the hook I desperately tried to use the hook and rod as a makeshift gaff to possibly hook the fish.”
After that initial explosion, Isacc’s “fishing” instincts kick in, which could have been disastorus. Issac laughed and said, “I thought about just reaching in and grabbing my fish, something I have done in the past. I’m glad I didn’t, because Chompy had turned around and was headed straight for my fish. After thinking about it for a seconds, I realized putting my hand in the water would have possibly been disastrous for me – it hit me and I had the chills.”
Looking back he commented, “I look at the video differently than before. I used to be so embarrassed by my actions, now when I look at it I see the gateway it created for all of Hawaii’s kayak fishermen. I am thankful for my once in a lifetime chance, and that we couldn’t have capitalized on it any better. In the end it made the world look at what we were doing in Hawaii, and it makes my smile. It was our chance and Chompy did that for us.”
Kayak: Ocean Kayak Ultra 4.7
Reel: PENN Torque Spinner
Rod: PENN Bluewater Carnage Jigging Rod
Camera: Go Pro Hero
Leader: Knot2Kinky wire leader
Shorts: Quiksilver
