Playing with sharks

Realistic drawings are part of the lure of playing cards featuring marine life

"Specializing in Things Fishy" is Les Hata's business card slogan. So it is no wonder that he connected with Elaine de Man.

Hata is creating the illustrations for the card game, "Great White," for de Man's Card Shark Press. The game is similar to Old Maid; in this case, players try to avoid getting stuck with the great white shark.

COURTESY OF ELAINE DE MAN "I always have ideas bouncing around in my head, but this one kept coming to the surface." Elaine de Man Creator of "Go Fish! -- Hawaii" and "Great White"

Hata drew an array of sharks for the new game.

"It's hard to identify certain sharks, but the eyes, teeth and coloration do vary," he said.

Hata is accustomed to looking for differences as an illustrator for Hawaii Fishing News since the 1970s. He has produced numerous educational posters and currently is trying to identify the characteristics of male and female crabs and lobsters in a project for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"Each fish has its own characteristics," he said. "The process can be technical ... you count the spines, scales in a row. I could spend hours in the aquarium."

The scientific images were exactly what de Man was looking for.

"I wanted the fish to be realistic," she said.

De Man's other game, "Go Fish! -- Hawaii," came out last year and featured an array of local fish, from the lauwiliwili nukunuku 'oi 'oi (longnose butterflyfish) to the kokala (porcupine fish). Thirteen fish are represented on the cards, which include scientific illustrations, common and scientific names, Hawaiian names and a brief biological description.

Even nongamers can use the cards, which present a good opportunity to practice the pronunciation of Hawaiian words, she said.

"If that ties your tongue in knots, you can ask for the fish by their common of scientific name or by a description -- the spotted fish with the pink lips and horns on its head."

De Man enjoys listening to her son try to pronounce the names while snorkeling.

"Humuhumunukunukuapua'a ... he tries to get it out with water in his mouth," she said, laughing.

HER ENTREPRENEURIAL venture has "been successful beyond my wildest dreams," said de Man, who holds a degree in marine biology and came up with the idea as a way to move to Hawaii, where her husband was raised, and spend more time with her family.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM "It's hard to identify certain sharks, but the eyes, teeth and coloration do vary." Les Hata Illustrator for the card game "Great White"

"It lets me spend more time with the kids. I can work at my own pace, make it fit around my life," she said.

As simple as the idea seemed, "the process took years," she said. "I always have ideas bouncing around in my head, but this one kept coming to the surface."

She began researching a small library of Hawaiian fish and articles. "I pulled bits and pieces of information from a lot of different sources."

The "Go Fish!" cards have already made it to faraway places, and she plans to create more card games in the future, keeping her focus on Hawaii.

"Even people in Germany are enjoying them," she said. "We also support an orphanage in Mexico, so we sent some down there."

De Man also sent several decks to local agencies.

"I wanted to donate some decks to needy kids or woman shelters. Nearly 200 cards were sent to three different organizations: Hale Ola in Kauai, Hale Ohana Shelter in Hilo and Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii.

"It's such a great way for me to be able to give a little something back to the children of Hawaii."

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