Hawaiian fans took advantage of their final chances to see Johnny Depp in person as Captain Jack Sparrow, waiting at He’eia Pier in Kaneohe as filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides continued this week. “A couple hundred screaming fans of all ages stood behind a barricade Thursday night, some for several hours, in the hopes of catching a glimpse, handshake or photo of actor Johnny Depp,” reports Nancy Arcayna of the StarAdvertiser. “They were rewarded for their devotion when, at about 10 p.m., the Oscar-nominated star made his way in costume as Captain Jack Sparrow to the set — a vessel built to resemble Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.”

Adds Arcayna, “Depp thrilled bystanders by walking close to the crowd and acknowledging their cheers, reaching for outstretched hands and stopping once or twice to say something to children. Once Depp was out of sight, fans were shooed away so that filming could begin without noise or distractions.” The photo at left was taken by a fan on August 2nd; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE. That’s security chief Jerry Judge standing next to Johnny.

Alas, the days of meet-and-greet at Kaneohe are coming to a close. Last Thursday “may have been the best chance for gawkers to see the star,” says Arcayna, “as filming at He’eia Kea reportedly has wrapped.” Nice seeing you, Captain Jack!

The Zone thanks Emma for the picture and news article; you can read much more about the filming of On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.