31 October 2008

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.