Hawaiian Island Ghost Hunters
(Left to Right) - Preston Galera, John "Wayne" Basa, Gene Ganoot, and Blaise Atabay.
Back row left to right - Daniel Carlos, Preston Galera, Blaise Atabay
Front - John "Wayne" Basa
The Team
See videos of actual investigations carried out by Hawaiian Island Ghost Hunters on YouTube. Don't look forward to any drama, effects or deceptions, just straight up investigative work done to provide clients with the best answer possible for their questions and concerns.
Preston Galera - Co-Founder/Lead Investigator
Board of Directors / Co-President
Occupation - Branch Manager for Airgas West Gaspro Waipahu
Hobbies - Music (Lead Vocalist / Ukulele for Hawaiian Soulz), Paranormal Research, Computers, Song Writing, Poetry, Gaming, and being lazy and watching TV.
Paranormal Experiences - Sighting of a full bodied apparition during an investigation and experienced the "choking ghost" when he was younger. He believes that he is a decendent of a bloodline of Kahuna and calls upon this power for protection. He has been told that as a child, he had a gift of premonition, and had several dreams of events that came to be.
Preston has always been interested in ghost. Growing up, he has heard many stories from his family and has grown to embrace that there are things out there that normal people don't accept or understand. Whenever someone talked about ghost or hauntings, his ears were wide open taking in every word. His main goal is to gain experience in the Paranormal field, help those in need, and to help Hawaiian Island Ghost Hunters become the most credible Paranormal research group in the Islands of Hawaii. Though he is a believer, as an Investigator, he bases all his claims on physical evidence that can be analyzed by others.
Blaise Atabay - Co-Founder/Lead Investigator
Board of Directors / Co-President
Occupation - Investigator - City & County of Honolulu Medical Examiner's Department
Hobbies - Working on cars (ISSOAH), shooting guns, and watching comedies.
Paranormal Experiences - At a former residence, on numerous occasions, footsteps on the staircase and living room floor were heard, and shadows walking around the entire house were observed. At another former residence, Blaise's infant would play with an "unseen person."
Due to Blaise's occupation, investigating different types of deaths, some tragic, and some natural, he has gained an understanding for the deceased and the ones they leave behind. Using his investigative skills, and prior experiences, he has found an effective way to conduct his investigations. Blaise's goal is to prove or disprove hauntings, and provide the clients with factual evidence.
Wayne Basa - Sr. Investigator
Board of Directors / Vice-President
Occupation - Air Machinist and a Graphic Designer for Ink Inc.
Hobbies - Gaming, raising roosters, graphic designing, watching MMA and watching sports (football in particular)…Go Warriors!
Paranormal Experiences - While attending a party, Wayne has witnessed 3 fireballs fly through the air. In Hawai’i, this phenomena is known as “akua lele”. These fireballs were about a 100 feet above the ocean. Another experience was when Wayne was taking a short nap before his night shift; he woke up and saw shadows pass in front of his car. He did not see anyone there that would make the shadows.
Wayne’s belief has always been to respect those who have passed and are still walking among us. Growing up in Hawai’i, Wayne has heard a lot of paranormal experiences from those around him. Although Wayne believes the stories that he has heard, he tries to look for the reasoning behind the situations.
Wendy Atabay - Investigator
Secretary / Treasurer
Occupation - Police Officer for the Honolulu Police Department
Hobbies - Working on Cars, Shooting Guns, Cooking, Computers, Art, Gardening, DIY Home Rebuilding, Spending time with her 3 children and husband.
Paranormal Experiences - At a former residence, three members of her family have seen apparitions and heard voices. Locked doors would open and bounce shut. Scratches were heard inside of the bedroom closets by house guest. At another former residence, Wendy's infant would communicate with an "unseen" entity. At her current residence, Wendy has seen full bodied apparitions as well as objects in the house being manipulated. None seems threatening...yet...
Due to her occupation, investigating various cases, including deaths, Wendy had gained has gained and empathetic understanding for the deceased and the loved ones they leave behind.
Gene Ganoot - Investigator
Occupation - Field Supervisor/Territory Coordinator PBG Hawaii
Hobbies - Bettas (Siamese Fighting Fish), Parrots (sold all but his 2 African Greys), Collecting Die-Cast Pepsi Trucks, Combat Firearms, and Paranormal Research. He's had enough hobbies to drive his wife "nuts."
Paranormal Experiences - Gene's first really weird experience started 31 years ago when he first started working for Pepsi. Their old plant, which was once the old Sears Distribution Warehouse, had some really funky noises on the 2nd floor above his office. Balls were heard being bounced or thrown against the walls when he was locking up at night. He'd also feel the sensation of very cold air rushing past him as he went to turn of the lights. The second floor was used as an office for the sales and fountain departments and also as storage for the companies cups and lids. Early one morning, around 2 a.m., Gene proceeded to lock up the second floor still hearing the ball bouncing somewhere in the nearly pitched-black Warehouse. When he finished his rounds, he proceeded to back downstairs to the first floor. When he got halfway down the stairs, a perfectly brand new tennis ball came bouncing down the stairs past him.
Teresa Jacang - Investigator in Training
Occupation- Customer Care Provisioning Specialist for a Telecommunications Company
Hobbies - Photography, music (strictly listening, no singing or any instrument playing), and trying anything once.
Paranormal Experiences - Although Teresa cannot say that she has had a real paranormal experience, she, like anyone else has her own personal experiences which has made her curious of the possibilities of what the cause could have been. She has always believed that there's a different kind of life that exists. Because of that, she approaches each case with respect, as well as a scientific point of view.
Although an investigator in training with the Hawaiian Island Ghost Hunters, Teresa’s goals are to help anyone who might need assistance and to also help H.I.G.H. anyway she can.
Daniel Carlos - Investigator in Training
Occupation- Warehouse Foreman; Pepsi Bottling Group
Hobbies - Lifting Weights, Gaming
Paranormal Experiences - Daniel's experiences with the Paranormal actually began with the sightings of UFOs. He mentions having two experiences to date here in the Islands. Since then he has done extensive research into this different side of Paranormal Investigating. His interest in Ghost and hauntings began with the sighting of what has come to be known as Shadow People. He theorizes that Shadow People, Ghost, and UFOs may all be somehow tied to eachother.
