Tahitian Pearl Farming: A day in the life...

[lisa c]

Super athletic vid, wow!

Thought the still-pic was of a California beach, should've paid closer attention. Yes, undertow can be quite an unpleasant surprise. The bottom changes shape, drops under your feet...Sad.

Terribly inappropriate of me, but when you wrote you don't see sharks on your beaches, I had an awful vision of the Reese peanutbutter-cup sharks on their backs on lounge chairs w sunglasses, hats and paperbacks...

 

[effisk]

Terribly inappropriate of me, but when you wrote you don't see sharks on your beaches, I had an awful vision of the Reese peanutbutter-cup sharks on their backs on lounge chairs w sunglasses, hats and paperbacks...

awww we don't get the reese peanut butter cups either in France. I had an indigestion of those last year when I was in London.

I should have written "in our waters".

 

[pattye]

Effisk,

Great video! I've not seen that done before. WOW!! Admire the athletic ability it takes!

 

[Pearly Shell]

Wow Effisk! That looks like so much fun!! Is it hard to learn?? Do you need to know how to surf before you can do this??

 

[lisa c]

Efkisk, no reese's peanutbuttercups! Serious Deprivation, for sure. Those things are seriously addicting, and for some reason it's like you can't get enough, so easy to overdo; probably not enough saturated fat in them to satisfy the tastebuds before one has eaten that painful one too many...Still, now all of your outlander friends know what to get you for your next b'day! Butterfingers or Reese's PeanutButter cups.

 

[Josh]

Great vid Effisk! The follow cam stuff and the painful (but honest) blooper sections were really great. Thanks for making me jones for the beach.

 

[effisk]

Wow Effisk! That looks like so much fun!! Is it hard to learn?? Do you need to know how to surf before you can do this??

Kiteboarding is more related to wakeboarding and windsurfing than surfing. Most kitesurfers can't surf.
I had been windsurfing, wakeboarding and surfing for almost 10 years before I started kiteboarding so it was not particularly hard - I knew the basics: standing on a board, going upwind, etc. Most learners can ride after a short week of teaching. The problem with kiteboarding is that it is very accessible (anyone is capable of launching a kite), yet it remains more dangerous than most surfing sports when you don't have full control over your gear. Here in the basque country the coast and the winds are particularly dangerous. Two dead kitesurfers in two years, and a couple other in a wheelchair for life - all of them visitors unaware of the local dangers. The last one flew over two 8-storey buildings.

Since Josh is asking for more beach pics...
This one was shot late in the afternoon last summer. This phenomenon is called brouillarta. After a hot and sunny afternoon, we often get these fronts with thunder, rain, and strong wind.

This is what the anemometer recorded for that day:

From 16 knots (perfect kitesurfing conditions) to 50 knots (perfect for being satellized with your kite) in a blink of an eye.

you can't get enough, so easy to overdo; probably not enough saturated fat in them to satisfy the tastebuds before one has eaten that painful one too many

So true. You end up sick each time and yet you keep coming back for more. And I only turned to the peanut butter cups because I could not find any butterfingers.

 

[Ramona]

That gives the flying Dutchman a whole new meaning.

 

[lisa c]

Aaaaahhhhh, Butterfingers...

and what a stunning photograph! Yours?

 

[Josh]

Great photo Effisk. You can even see someone surfing one of the waves. Kiteboarding is huge here in the Columbia River Gorge (which I'm guessing you have heard of) but I haven't gotten into it yet. It's expensive to gear up so I guess I'll have to sell some pearls.

 

[waimeamomi]

JOSH!!!! Good to "see" you back. I don't know if you heard, but we are also leaving our island home for the "real" world. How long will you be at the farm? Any chance you'll pass through Hawaii? Let's catch up.

 

[Josh]

Hey Sheryl, good to "see" you too!
You're leaving the tropics? That's terrible! Uh, I mean, wow! On to new horizons, congratulations!
Hey what happened to www.maunakeamoonlight.com? Just today I realized that my link doesn't go anywhere any more. Looks like you can still buy it back...(?)

 

[Marianne]

Hi Josh,
Try the link under Sheryl's signature on the post above yours (#151). She is still there and the Kamoka keshi necklace is just beautiful!
Will be so good to see you both!
Marianne

 

[waimeamomi]

I let the domain expire while I was traveling last year, and it was taken so that it could be sold back to me. No thanks. I have such a hard time keeping anything on it these days. Maybe I can catch up once I'm unemployed! I've been doing a lot of really different things lately, and I'd love to get them up there, or at least pictures here. Especially my Tahitian pearl "scarfs."

 

[waimeamomi]

Here's a pic of one of my "scarfs" that I took with my iphone at the market. They range is length, number of pearls, and pearl type (freshies, Tahitians, mix). The Tahitians have definitely been the most popular, but I have been surprised by the age range that has purchased. You wrap or tie them around your neck in any manner that you choose and like. The one in the pic could be worn much closer to the neck if it were wrapped differently. You can also trail them down your back (well you could), or even if you are someone like Lia in the picture, tie them around your hips over a dress. They look really great just wrapped and wrapped around the wrist. I'll get more pics up at some point, but I'm using high quality Greek leather in natural colors, and they are really fun!
Also here is a picture of a Tahitian peacock circled drop necklace that I made with small round garnet beads. The pearls had so much pink and red coloration to them, that the garnets just made them pop. Unfortunately the iphone didn't really pick up the colors, but no matter the necklace sold right away. I have some really incredibly peacocky pearls right now in the drops with slight circles, and I am having a blast with them!

 

[Nerida]

hi Sheryl, nice to see you back, too!!

Thanks for the photos - your 'scarfs' are very similar to long necklaces that have worked well for me for a couple of years now. I tend to use kangaroo leather (seems like an aussie thing to do...). Like you, I am amazed at the age range that purchase these, and also at the longevity of them - I started making/selling them about 3 years ago, and still do them now, and also supply them to another wholesaler. I only use FW (pricepoint thing) but can never get quite enough...

 

[Josh]

Hey Nerida,
Nice to see you too! That's awesome that you are doing kangaroo leather. It has been on my radar for some time. For anyone who didn't know, those giant marsupials have much lower ecological impact than cows, sheep, goats and all those other mammalian grazers out there. Methane. They don't produce nearly as much so for anyone who is concerned about that stuff, Kangaroo leather is the way to go, right Nerida?
Sheryl the garnet strand is really cool. I saw it on your website. Dig it!

 

[Nerida]

Hi Josh,

yes, I forgot to say how nice it was to see you online too... hope you are settling well now and not missing the islands too too much.
Kangaroos - well, it is probably a bit hard for non Aussies to imagine, but we really should be eating more of it too - it is around, but not considered a mainstream meat at all except in the petfood industry. The leather is beautiful, too - very soft and pliable and I have a great supplier here in Sydney - just takes me a while to get my head around ordering by the hide rather than by the metre.

 

[Josh]

Hey Nerida,
Yeah a hide can be a little unwieldy.
I did a blog post about a "day in the life" that has some pics that aren't in this thread for anyone who wants to have a look.

 

[capjuan]

hi guys ? nice job you have and nice time to spend ??
I live in Galicia Spain., if you need mussel shell for inseminating
let me know
john