This has been a good week by all accounts. I was at a congress over the previous weekend and at every break my colleague, Michael and I stood looking at the ocean settling down to diveable conditions. By Saturday afternoon, we tentatively looked at an early morning start on Sunday 26 October.
Sunday morning well before sunrise we arrived at the wave buoy and waited for a little light before slipping into the water. It was warm but the viz not nearly as good as we would have thought. The ever-present school of Yellowtail Kings surrounded us but the Dorado continued to elude. We headed back to Bullocky but the viz became considerably worse and a powerful N-S current also contributed to a short stay. We left with nothing to show for our effort.
Weather predictions for the coming week did not fill me with much optimism as far as diving was concerned. I was wrong. Come Wednesday 29th things took a turn for the better. One of my diving buddies Kris had spent the morning fishing while I was at work. The viz was an astounding 20m+. I was off on Wednesday afternoon and ready to rock and roll. Kris's little rubber-duck was hitched and we were on our way. Michael called to say his brother, John, was keen to take his new fast boat out. We quickly joined that option and launched the new boat from Arrawarra, just north of Woolgoolga. We headed out to the Middle Grounds but the viz was putrid.
John's boat flies and he thought it worth looking at several spots. We checked the Wash before heading out to the Coffs Harbour FAD. Unfortunately the viz was poor at these spots. Kris was adamant the viz had been super in the morning. We finally decided to stop off N of the Light (South Solitary). We jumped in just outside of the sanctuary zone to be enveloped in baitfish. It wasn't long before I lost a chance when a really big fish swam past. I saw it disappear before making a positive ID but it was a pelagic.
We persevered and I saw a reasonable King near the bottom in 19m. It came right up to me in the murky water and paid the price for its curiosity. I soon had another bigger one approach me in mid-water. They were loaded in the esky and I was back in the water.
Kris and John seemed very engrossed in the area they were diving. I started swimming across to them when a small school of Kings came up to me. I ducked down and slowly slipped through them looking for a good fish. They all seemed pretty much the same size and I soon had another in the esky. This was followed by an Amberjack from a massive school that surrounded me. I attempted to get back to Kris and John and took another King. While I was stringing the fish, a huge school surrounded me. I looked around for a really good fish and some big bruisers down deep caught my attention.
I was holding a fish in my left hand as I dived and the school seemed very interested in it, staying in close to me. I selected a really big tackle-buster, lined-up and squeezed the trigger. The spear went over the top and I dropped the fish I had been holding. Kris and John had returned to the boat and the sun was on its way to the horizon. I had enough fish anyway and called it quits. On the way back to the boat, I was entertained by a fast moving school of Mack Tuna (Kawakawa) hammering the tiny Whitebait.
I chatted to some divers the following day and one of them actually said his equipment is too valuable to lose on a big Yellowtail, so he passes up on shooting them. They all commented on the abundance of baitfish which is looking really good.
Conditions have deteriorated again and I will be pool-bound for the time being, playing underwater hockey while we impatiently drum our fingers in anticipation of an improvement.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
20 October 2008
Busy weekend by all accounts. Saturday was the NSW State U/W hockey Champs. Coffs Harbour hosted the event and our team fared well considering this was our first attempt at a State Champs. Coffs were runners-up in the B-League being pipped at the post by Sydney B. Melbourne comfortably took the A League.
Most of the Coffs Harbour competitors play U/W hockey to keep in shape for spearfishing. So just as soon as the conditions allow there are going to be some super-primed spearos out there.
Sunday looked like a good day although buoyweather indicated a dramatic change in conditions by midday. Kris, Aidin and I headed out on Brett's Tupperware boat. First time on a plastic boat for me. Very stable craft with loads of floatation. Handled very predictably but the sea conditions had changed earlier than expected.
We had a pounding ride out to the wave buoy and found a large school of Yellowtail milling about. All small. The viz was good 20m and the water warm. Some dolphins arrived and in spite of the lack of any other fish we enjoyed their antics. I think the Yellowtail much less so. Their school was somewhat thinned by the dolphins' activity by the time we left.
The ride back was worse than the ride out. Decided to stop just outside of Pig Island at the mouth of Coffs Harbour to explore Bullocky. This is a highpoint which comes to approx 8m from the surrounding 22m. Yellowtail Kingfish, Wahoo and Snapper are often taken here. The conditions were atrocious. The viz was really poor, inside of 5m, the surface had thick masses of tiny jellyfish. Thought there might be clearer water below but found an even dirtier silt layer at about 12m. Some fish were seen but nothing worth shooting. Lots of Moses Perch, Bream, Sawtail Surgeon and Kris even saw some Finger-mark Bream. Red Morwong all over the place. Probably would have taken 5 different species in South Africa but the emphasis here is on quality not quantity so nothing for me on Sunday. Nice to get out and dive again.
On another tack, thought I would try my hand at some Gyotaku (Japanese Fish Printing). First attempt was not that bad and I am deciding on what my next subject should be. I remember my dad showing me an etching from a knight's tomb and the technique of Gyotaku does share some similarities.
Most of the Coffs Harbour competitors play U/W hockey to keep in shape for spearfishing. So just as soon as the conditions allow there are going to be some super-primed spearos out there.
Sunday looked like a good day although buoyweather indicated a dramatic change in conditions by midday. Kris, Aidin and I headed out on Brett's Tupperware boat. First time on a plastic boat for me. Very stable craft with loads of floatation. Handled very predictably but the sea conditions had changed earlier than expected.
We had a pounding ride out to the wave buoy and found a large school of Yellowtail milling about. All small. The viz was good 20m and the water warm. Some dolphins arrived and in spite of the lack of any other fish we enjoyed their antics. I think the Yellowtail much less so. Their school was somewhat thinned by the dolphins' activity by the time we left.
The ride back was worse than the ride out. Decided to stop just outside of Pig Island at the mouth of Coffs Harbour to explore Bullocky. This is a highpoint which comes to approx 8m from the surrounding 22m. Yellowtail Kingfish, Wahoo and Snapper are often taken here. The conditions were atrocious. The viz was really poor, inside of 5m, the surface had thick masses of tiny jellyfish. Thought there might be clearer water below but found an even dirtier silt layer at about 12m. Some fish were seen but nothing worth shooting. Lots of Moses Perch, Bream, Sawtail Surgeon and Kris even saw some Finger-mark Bream. Red Morwong all over the place. Probably would have taken 5 different species in South Africa but the emphasis here is on quality not quantity so nothing for me on Sunday. Nice to get out and dive again.
On another tack, thought I would try my hand at some Gyotaku (Japanese Fish Printing). First attempt was not that bad and I am deciding on what my next subject should be. I remember my dad showing me an etching from a knight's tomb and the technique of Gyotaku does share some similarities.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
13 October 2008
Eventually got the chance to dive in reasonable conditions. There was a small break in the weather yesterday and fortunately we had 3 hours to use to our best advantage. Michael took us to South Solitary Island and we pulled up on the NW side, to be greeted by showering baitfish and hundreds of predators on the feed. Thousands of birds filled the sky and lots of bait balls breaking the surface filled our ears with joy. It was obvious that different fish were involved. We could see the backs of small Tuna, probably Kawakawa (Mack Tuna) and Australian Salmon were also on the rampage.
The sky was overcast but the sea was almost mirror calm with little current flowing N-S. The sea was not warm or particularly clear. There were colder patches about where the viz was terrible. I went over the side but the activity had moved off. I had cleverly left my speargun at home again. Almost a habit. I saw some fish racing up to take some of the tiny sprats that were all around at the surface. Viz was maybe 8m in the really good areas. Kris came up from a dive and told me there was a Yellowtail below. I ducked down and glided into the gloom below. The thought of the recent Great White sighting off Boambee still a little troubling. In came a group of scads and some fusiliers. The inquisitive Sawtail Surgeons drifted around the periphery while I hung still just above the muck in about 15m of water.
I noticed the long shape of the fish coming from behind on my right side. I kept still, falling into the dirty water, before I made my way to intercept the Yellowtail's course. It turned to see what I was up to and I was able to put in a good shot through its left gill plate into the right. The spear and barb smashed the gills making it a short struggle to subdue the fish. It went approx 8/9kg. I thought a worthwhile reward for all the effort I have recently put in. One fish is all I can use at the moment so I decided to try some deeper diving and gliding.
Had a good preparation on the surface before starting the descent. For a while I glided down with my eyes closed, just enjoying the freedom of freediving. I opened my eyes to see a big head coming up at me. Took me a moment to realise it was a large Grey nurse giving me the once over but my bottom time was smashed and I headed back to the surface to try again. Another good prep and glided down. This time with open eyes making sure I was not going to be surprised again. I found a good spot on the reef and settled down in an effort to do a good breath-hold. There were lots of sea-urchins on my approach and I just wanted to check that the ones on my left were safely clear of me. I turned to see a set of massive gills next to my head. Suffice to say I shat myself. Headed back to the surface leaving the inquisitive Grey Nurse to her own devices.
The sky was overcast but the sea was almost mirror calm with little current flowing N-S. The sea was not warm or particularly clear. There were colder patches about where the viz was terrible. I went over the side but the activity had moved off. I had cleverly left my speargun at home again. Almost a habit. I saw some fish racing up to take some of the tiny sprats that were all around at the surface. Viz was maybe 8m in the really good areas. Kris came up from a dive and told me there was a Yellowtail below. I ducked down and glided into the gloom below. The thought of the recent Great White sighting off Boambee still a little troubling. In came a group of scads and some fusiliers. The inquisitive Sawtail Surgeons drifted around the periphery while I hung still just above the muck in about 15m of water.
I noticed the long shape of the fish coming from behind on my right side. I kept still, falling into the dirty water, before I made my way to intercept the Yellowtail's course. It turned to see what I was up to and I was able to put in a good shot through its left gill plate into the right. The spear and barb smashed the gills making it a short struggle to subdue the fish. It went approx 8/9kg. I thought a worthwhile reward for all the effort I have recently put in. One fish is all I can use at the moment so I decided to try some deeper diving and gliding.
Had a good preparation on the surface before starting the descent. For a while I glided down with my eyes closed, just enjoying the freedom of freediving. I opened my eyes to see a big head coming up at me. Took me a moment to realise it was a large Grey nurse giving me the once over but my bottom time was smashed and I headed back to the surface to try again. Another good prep and glided down. This time with open eyes making sure I was not going to be surprised again. I found a good spot on the reef and settled down in an effort to do a good breath-hold. There were lots of sea-urchins on my approach and I just wanted to check that the ones on my left were safely clear of me. I turned to see a set of massive gills next to my head. Suffice to say I shat myself. Headed back to the surface leaving the inquisitive Grey Nurse to her own devices.
Monday, October 6, 2008
7 October 2008
It could almost be described as ridiculous. There are fish about. I know this because I keep reading about the rock & surf guys and the boaters picking up fish. As far as the spearos go, it has been slim pickings. Heard via the grapevine that the local shrimp trawlers are not even going out because their nets pick up so much muck that it becomes too expensive to drag the nets. The sea still has that ugly black appearance that in my limited experience equals lots of effort with little reward. Not too bad working hard while the conditions are poor.
I have been training really hard with the U/W hockey though. Spend 4 days a week practicing in the local pool. The State Champs are to be held in Coffs the weekend after next. Should be good fun. Our team is very rough around the edges. The guys have superb breath-holding ability but the rules rarely apply and full contact often ensues. The city softies are in for a rude awakening. Thought I would include some pictures of the beach at Korora. I am told when conditions are good, there are Jewfish, crays and abalone to be found against the headland from which the picture was taken. On the edge of the reef, one could encounter kingfish and mackerel move through the channel between the deep blinder and the small rocky island.
I have been training really hard with the U/W hockey though. Spend 4 days a week practicing in the local pool. The State Champs are to be held in Coffs the weekend after next. Should be good fun. Our team is very rough around the edges. The guys have superb breath-holding ability but the rules rarely apply and full contact often ensues. The city softies are in for a rude awakening. Thought I would include some pictures of the beach at Korora. I am told when conditions are good, there are Jewfish, crays and abalone to be found against the headland from which the picture was taken. On the edge of the reef, one could encounter kingfish and mackerel move through the channel between the deep blinder and the small rocky island.
Monday, September 29, 2008
30 September 2008
Started last week watching a patch of good weather, predicted approx 3 days ahead, on Buoyweather. Each day the good weather seemed to move ahead another day. NE blowing and mucking up the sea but by Friday the reasonable weather seemed to be stable. Saturday 27 September seemed to be a good day. Then on Friday the NE slacked off with a light S following and the ocean settled down nicely. We decided to head out early on Saturday before the morning consulting.
One of the problems with leaving early in the morning is that you don't see what is going on with the sea. You tend to work on what you saw yesterday and what the grapevine is broadcasting. On Friday the scuba guys had 20+ viz around the lighthouse at South Solitary. Our expectations were high because of the reports of Dorado at the wave buoy outside the harbour.
First stop saw us at the wave recording buoy. Kris elected to be the boat bitch because he overslept! I slipped over the side after seeing schools of small fish under the boat. The viz was not great, 8m at best. Depth under the buoy was in the vicinity of 60m. I drifted toward the buoy and dived. In a short space of time I noticed a large school of small fish heading my way. Initially thought they were Rainbow Runners but it turned out to be a Yellowtail Creche. Hundreds of these baby Kingfish milled around me. Minimum size is 65cm, so I just hung in the water hoping that I would see a reasonable one to grace the sushi menu for Saturday evening. Nothing. The water was really cold and the decision was made to move to the FAD.
For the Spearos in SA, the law in Australia is that your fishing permit money can only be used to benefit recreational fishers. So funds are provided for the placement of legal FADs for the use of recreational fishers only. Amazing what you can do when you don't have corrupt officials pilfering the funds.
Got to the area where the buoy is normally placed and it has not been returned since it was removed for maintenance! The water had that ugly black appearance too. Saw a commercial in the vicinity servicing his fish traps. These traps are set for extended periods of time and are marked with large surface buoys. Good spot for attracting open ocean pelagics. On inspection, we found that the traps had been freshly set, too soon to have pulled any fish.
By this time it was getting late and by that I mean normal people were waking up. We turned to port and opened the throttle. Within 3/4 of an hour the boat was pulled from the water and I was heading home for a quick shower before starting work. Another opportunity gone awry.
Sunday I was still smarting from Saturday's disappointment and elected to give the spearing a miss. This week I am watching proceedings for Wednesday and the weekend closely with the hope of getting into more settled conditions. In the meantime, still training 3x/week in the pool for U/W hockey. I firmly believe that by the time we get the really good conditions that I have seen here previously I will be super trained for the diving. I have heard that daylight saving is starting early this year. I think that after the first weekend in October our clocks are set forward by an hour. That means when I get back from work in the evening, there will still be enough light to go for a dive. How cool is that.
One of the problems with leaving early in the morning is that you don't see what is going on with the sea. You tend to work on what you saw yesterday and what the grapevine is broadcasting. On Friday the scuba guys had 20+ viz around the lighthouse at South Solitary. Our expectations were high because of the reports of Dorado at the wave buoy outside the harbour.
First stop saw us at the wave recording buoy. Kris elected to be the boat bitch because he overslept! I slipped over the side after seeing schools of small fish under the boat. The viz was not great, 8m at best. Depth under the buoy was in the vicinity of 60m. I drifted toward the buoy and dived. In a short space of time I noticed a large school of small fish heading my way. Initially thought they were Rainbow Runners but it turned out to be a Yellowtail Creche. Hundreds of these baby Kingfish milled around me. Minimum size is 65cm, so I just hung in the water hoping that I would see a reasonable one to grace the sushi menu for Saturday evening. Nothing. The water was really cold and the decision was made to move to the FAD.
For the Spearos in SA, the law in Australia is that your fishing permit money can only be used to benefit recreational fishers. So funds are provided for the placement of legal FADs for the use of recreational fishers only. Amazing what you can do when you don't have corrupt officials pilfering the funds.
Got to the area where the buoy is normally placed and it has not been returned since it was removed for maintenance! The water had that ugly black appearance too. Saw a commercial in the vicinity servicing his fish traps. These traps are set for extended periods of time and are marked with large surface buoys. Good spot for attracting open ocean pelagics. On inspection, we found that the traps had been freshly set, too soon to have pulled any fish.
By this time it was getting late and by that I mean normal people were waking up. We turned to port and opened the throttle. Within 3/4 of an hour the boat was pulled from the water and I was heading home for a quick shower before starting work. Another opportunity gone awry.
Sunday I was still smarting from Saturday's disappointment and elected to give the spearing a miss. This week I am watching proceedings for Wednesday and the weekend closely with the hope of getting into more settled conditions. In the meantime, still training 3x/week in the pool for U/W hockey. I firmly believe that by the time we get the really good conditions that I have seen here previously I will be super trained for the diving. I have heard that daylight saving is starting early this year. I think that after the first weekend in October our clocks are set forward by an hour. That means when I get back from work in the evening, there will still be enough light to go for a dive. How cool is that.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
22 September 2008
For those who do not have any idea of where Coffs Harbour is, it is approx 30 S on the E coast of Australia. For the guys in Natal that is approx the same line of latitude as Aliwal Shoal. Current off the coast is usually in a N-S direction (East Australia Current). I am still learning the effect of the various winds but at this stage a NE is bad news.
Saturday saw a relatively strong NE with white-horses and the sea was churned up terribly. Wind dropped off by the evening and I even managed to catch a Whiting off the beach on plastic. Fish was released because I already had some fresh salmon for sushi.
Woke late on Sunday and after a walk on the beach decided to go for a swim. The competition was called off and boats stayed at home. What a pity. The sea was flat and while the viz was poor close in, it looked better out deep. I heard of one boat finding Dorado and Kingfish off the wave bouy E of Coffs Harbour. My swim produced nothing. Saw several large fish which all turned out to be Blue Groper, a protected species. I am seriously considering acquiring a surf-ski to extend my range from the beach, which might give me sufficient range to get into the really clean water.
Drove from Korora to Woolgoolga and the Ocean looked superb this morning. Absolutely flat with a clear cloudless sky. Plan of action should be to get going early morning and try to get some fish off the wave bouy before work. Will see if that pans out.
Saturday saw a relatively strong NE with white-horses and the sea was churned up terribly. Wind dropped off by the evening and I even managed to catch a Whiting off the beach on plastic. Fish was released because I already had some fresh salmon for sushi.
Woke late on Sunday and after a walk on the beach decided to go for a swim. The competition was called off and boats stayed at home. What a pity. The sea was flat and while the viz was poor close in, it looked better out deep. I heard of one boat finding Dorado and Kingfish off the wave bouy E of Coffs Harbour. My swim produced nothing. Saw several large fish which all turned out to be Blue Groper, a protected species. I am seriously considering acquiring a surf-ski to extend my range from the beach, which might give me sufficient range to get into the really clean water.
Drove from Korora to Woolgoolga and the Ocean looked superb this morning. Absolutely flat with a clear cloudless sky. Plan of action should be to get going early morning and try to get some fish off the wave bouy before work. Will see if that pans out.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
19 September 2008: Friday
Managed to get out on Wednesday. Long swim looking for clean water. Water looked clear from the headland at Korora and was very definitely clean much further out, but inshore it was milky. Swam approx 3km and although the viz was 2m at best, found lots of interesting reef. Water temp cold, approx 17C. Saw a few fish but they tended to be very skittish but when you are out hunting you learn quickly. Found several nice deep gutters and lay dead still in the bottom of one. I fired immediately I could make out the shape of the fish. A reasonable Bluebar Parrotfish for the supper table. I spent some time looking for crays and abalone but my spot had the worst viz possible, could not see beyond my elbow. Kept wondering when the lead actor in 'Jaws' was going to show up.
The light E wind is shifting from N to S and back again but the sea continues to look cleaner. Could see reef patches every time I drove from Coffs to Korora. Fortunately not on-call this weekend. I am really grateful because of the level of tick paralysis cases I am seeing at present. Going to be a busy day for the local vets.
Joined the local spearfishing club: Coffs Harbour Bluewater Freedivers. They are almost a bunch of renegades. I say this tongue-in-cheek because they are extremely environmentally aware. The Club only keeps records of good eating fish and no records of fish that are shot, just because they happen to be there, are kept. Sunday is the Club competition day and if the weather holds the guys should get some Yellowtail Kingfish. I certainly have designs on getting out. A little bird whispered that there might be Yellowfin Tuna and Striped Marlin about and I am very keen to get out and see. Also out deep I will be able to practice some 30+m dives to keep the system fresh & trained. Playing u/w hockey once a week and training in the pool 3x/week. I was fascinated to feel how much my hockey had improved. My training companion was a demon at the hockey on Wednesday evening after just a few days of training. Hope to be hot to trot by the time the really good spearfishing conditions arrive.
The light E wind is shifting from N to S and back again but the sea continues to look cleaner. Could see reef patches every time I drove from Coffs to Korora. Fortunately not on-call this weekend. I am really grateful because of the level of tick paralysis cases I am seeing at present. Going to be a busy day for the local vets.
Joined the local spearfishing club: Coffs Harbour Bluewater Freedivers. They are almost a bunch of renegades. I say this tongue-in-cheek because they are extremely environmentally aware. The Club only keeps records of good eating fish and no records of fish that are shot, just because they happen to be there, are kept. Sunday is the Club competition day and if the weather holds the guys should get some Yellowtail Kingfish. I certainly have designs on getting out. A little bird whispered that there might be Yellowfin Tuna and Striped Marlin about and I am very keen to get out and see. Also out deep I will be able to practice some 30+m dives to keep the system fresh & trained. Playing u/w hockey once a week and training in the pool 3x/week. I was fascinated to feel how much my hockey had improved. My training companion was a demon at the hockey on Wednesday evening after just a few days of training. Hope to be hot to trot by the time the really good spearfishing conditions arrive.
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