Archeology from a Submersible: Rare Physical Evidence of Ancient Deepwater Bottom Fishing in Hawai‘i

Abstract

Historical accounts of off-shore fishing and methodology are documented in Hawaiian literature yet few accounts of ancient fishing grounds exist since locations were undisclosed and lost over time. A submersible dive (216 m) now provides evidence of a historical site and verification of traditional fishing techniques. A recovered artifact and photo documentation of stones scattered throughout the pinnacle distinctly fit historical descriptions of plummet and sinker stones used in bottom fishing. This paper documents the deepest substantiated pre-contact fishing site to date and substantiates reports of the ability of early Hawaiian fishermen to return to fishing sites well offshore.