David Salazar, Gone Way Too Soon
On Tuesday evening we got the awful news that David Salazar – owner of Casa Vieja Lodge, world renowned captain, devoted husband to Kristen, and father of four young daughters – passed away unexpectedly. Hanna came up the stairs bawling, with the same intensity as if a family member had passed. Indeed, that’s how it still feels, because even though we did not know him well, part of the Salazars’ business genius was that they made every guest feel like part of an exclusive and valued club.
We were fortunate that in 2021, on our second trip to CVL, we got to fish with David for three days with on The Hooker, one of the fish-catchingest boats to ever travel the globe. It was not his normal ride (at that point he was captaining the Poco Loco) but a series of circumstances resulted in our good luck.
He was welcoming and worked his butt off to keep us on fish, but he was also remarkably encouraging. Partway through the trip, after watching the mates hand off the hooked sailfish to us, he recommended that we start working on the bait and switch ourselves. There’s no shame in missed opportunities, he offered, but you can always get better as an angler, even if it might lead to lower percentages.
Indeed, despite his many achievements he was on a constant quest to become a better angler himself. On that mid-COVID era trip, he talked about plans to belatedly celebrate his 50th birthday in Kona, spending a week looking for a grander marlin. He was exceptionally fortunate to have the dynamic Kristen as a partner, because she took care of serious business, allowing him to be on the water nearly every day.
On our recent mid-November trip, he got up from the dinner table to greet us upon our arrival. I’m sure he does that with all of his returning guests, but it felt like a nice touch. We talked about the great fishing occurring that week, and then we left him to his other guests. Still, each day he made sure to check on us, to ask about our day on the water. We could not offer up enough superlatives.
Our last memory of David will always be the one that defines him most. On Sunday, he had some special guests – his four daughters — down from Antigua. After a long day on the water, and I’m sure with a wide range of fishing-related and business-related obligations, he still managed to give each of them ample daddy time. He got in the pool with the youngest and the oldest, helping the former to stay afloat, and timing the latter’s underwater laps across the pool. He had his attention directed toward six different things at the same time, and every one of them seemed to have complete focus. For someone who had accomplished so much on the water and in the business world, his most compelling interest seemed to be working every day to become the best husband and father that he could be.
We will of course be back to Casa Vieja many times in the future. Our trips will be great. But without David Salazar there, they’ll never be the same. Rest in peace.
