This weekend was the culmination of all the excitement: 15th Australian Bluewater Freediving Classic: Woolgoolga 2009. Saturday saw the intended start of the competition. A serious S system had moved in on Friday and was threatening a cancellation. After some deliberation, the Safety Committee gave the divers the green light and the boats were launched. They collected behind the backline waiting for the official start. The flare was lit by the Woolgoolga Sea Rescue and off the fleet charged out toward their preferred destinations. The Big Island had been red-hot during the week but that left the crew with the arduous task of returning into the wind. The prediction was for the wind to drop later in the morning. We played it safe and headed into the wind prefering a return with the wind, our intended hotspot: The Lighthouse. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision because the wind did not follow the predictions and we returned with the S that was blowing way more than 20knots.
Pelagic fish can be very elusive and they lived up to their unpredictability. Some fish were seen and chased or shot at because as the day progressed, the fish became more flighty. I saw several species but they were too harassed to allow any bold approach. My first breakthrough came while investigating a gulley for Jewfish. Some yellowtail schooled above me and I was able to take one with little effort. Soon after a large Silver Trevally was also taken but as it turned out, I should have measured it, because it was undersize. We persevered in various known hotspots and on a dive to search for a large Cobia I bumped into a school of Amberjack. One was quickly collected and loaded into the esky.
At the close, all the divers on our boat had taken 2 species. There were some really large fish taken by some of the luckier divers with Adam Smith getting a 24kg Spanish.
The wind had strengthened all day and Sunday looked like being worse. After a long deliberation, the divers headed out once more. The previous day of chasing had heightened the awareness of many fish in the over-used areas and it was necessary to widen our search. Another important element was concentrating on being stealthy. My first fish for the day was a small Spanish that was in an area obviously ignored by other divers because the fish was quite bold about coming to look at me. The next fish, a Yellowtail came up a burley trail that I started when the area I was in looked fishy but no pelagics were showing themselves. We stopped at several spots that should have held something but just did not produce. I saw some tremendous fish like big Bluebar Parrots and a monster Gold-spot Wrasse but they weren't part of the days agenda. Finally we battled the S wind and headed out to the wave-recorder. In all the areas we had dived, the current was heading S-N but at the recorder a cracking N-S current was in play. I struggled to swim against it and when it dawned that I was making no headway a school of small Dorado circled me. A third fish was added to my total.
It was a long trip back but we were running with the wind which made for easier going, compared to the competitors that struggled for an hour, to cover distances that normally take 10 minutes. Several good fish came to the scales in particular 2 good Cobia both over 20kg.
The competition went down well with lots of prizes awarded by generous sponsors. I am looking forward to this competition next year.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
26 March 2009
We managed to get our team together for a training session yesterday out at sea. Michael, Dave Welch and myself headed out to the Big Island and specifically the pinnacles N of the Island. The ocean was beautiful. Flat and calm with spectacular viz. I floated just outside of the bait and watched as a school of Mack Tuna started hammering the bait from below. I did some dives to the edges of the pinnacles in 15-22m of water and saw some Cobia near a Black Ray but my full attention was focused on shooting a Wahoo. The Wahoo did not disappoint. They were present in abundance. My ability to land one was sadly lacking however. Dave got the first at approx 15kg, I fired at one of the fish in that school falling horribly short. The next school I lay still and allowed them to approach closely. I thought the shot was good and my gear got dragged around the Ocean with my float being dragged down repeatedly. Eventually found the float after about a half hour of swimming. Retrieved the gun and the fish was gone....
Later I watched Michael fighting a huge Wahoo which weighed 25kg. A remarkable fish that many spearos would aspire to. I dropped down on a school of tuna that turned to look at me and placed a nice holding shot in one of the fish. I was quick to pull the fish in and hold it against my body to stop any struggling which may have given the fish a chance to escape. We are still a little unsure of the species because it resembled a Mack Tuna but without the pectoral spots: possible a Frigate Tuna. Dave took a Rainbow Runner while drifting over some deep structure.
We moved S and drifted along the channel between NW Rocks and the Big Island for Mackerel but nothing came knocking. With the Classic around the corner, Michael and I still had some things to attend to and we decided to make a move in. Dave saw a log floating in the middle of nowhere and that is always good for a quick look. Took some Leatherjackets and I picked up a small Dorado.
Last stop: The Wash. This is a pinnacle that comes to the surface and drops off to some significant depths around its steep sides. With the current from the N we drifted in along the NE edge of The Wash. The bait seemed quite nervous and were packed close together. On closer inspection an array of predators were in tow. It wasn't long before I had 2 Amberjacks, a Rainbow Runner and a Yellowtail loaded in the esky. It seemed like I had started the Classic early. There were several other species also in the vicinity and at least 3 others could reasonably have been taken around this spot. I have heard that around the deeper structure there are always some Jewfish present and that will be a definite plan come competition day.
Michael chatted to me at some length about taking Wahoo. He turns away from the fish not directing any swimming attempt at them. He sometimes even balls himself up to arouse their natural curiosity. Judging by his success with Wahoo his technique pays dividends.
I was glad to see a number of species that allowed close approach. Apart from the fish taken, I also saw Silver Trevally, Mack Tuna and Cobia. Last year any diver with 4 species would have made it into the top 10 and a diver weighing 5 species each day would have to be in contention to win.
Later I watched Michael fighting a huge Wahoo which weighed 25kg. A remarkable fish that many spearos would aspire to. I dropped down on a school of tuna that turned to look at me and placed a nice holding shot in one of the fish. I was quick to pull the fish in and hold it against my body to stop any struggling which may have given the fish a chance to escape. We are still a little unsure of the species because it resembled a Mack Tuna but without the pectoral spots: possible a Frigate Tuna. Dave took a Rainbow Runner while drifting over some deep structure.
We moved S and drifted along the channel between NW Rocks and the Big Island for Mackerel but nothing came knocking. With the Classic around the corner, Michael and I still had some things to attend to and we decided to make a move in. Dave saw a log floating in the middle of nowhere and that is always good for a quick look. Took some Leatherjackets and I picked up a small Dorado.
Last stop: The Wash. This is a pinnacle that comes to the surface and drops off to some significant depths around its steep sides. With the current from the N we drifted in along the NE edge of The Wash. The bait seemed quite nervous and were packed close together. On closer inspection an array of predators were in tow. It wasn't long before I had 2 Amberjacks, a Rainbow Runner and a Yellowtail loaded in the esky. It seemed like I had started the Classic early. There were several other species also in the vicinity and at least 3 others could reasonably have been taken around this spot. I have heard that around the deeper structure there are always some Jewfish present and that will be a definite plan come competition day.
Michael chatted to me at some length about taking Wahoo. He turns away from the fish not directing any swimming attempt at them. He sometimes even balls himself up to arouse their natural curiosity. Judging by his success with Wahoo his technique pays dividends.
I was glad to see a number of species that allowed close approach. Apart from the fish taken, I also saw Silver Trevally, Mack Tuna and Cobia. Last year any diver with 4 species would have made it into the top 10 and a diver weighing 5 species each day would have to be in contention to win.
Friday, March 20, 2009
21 March 2009
I was reading Gletwyn's blog about servicing or attending to a carburettor at sea and I thought it might be worthwhile to run through some of the problems encounterd with my motors when I owned a boat. By the way, BOAT is an acronym for 'Bring Out Another Thousand'. Anyone interested in buying a boat would do well to bear this in mind before rushing out and splurging.
My boats, 2 in the end, were RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) with a pair of Yamaha 30hp, 2 stroke, 3 cylinder motors (same motors used on the 2 boats). Those motors saw lots of action and came up trumps in spite of some major problems along the way. Let me relate some of those stories as examples:
1. There is a shop in Johannesburg called 'Motor Books'. Either go there or find a similar retailer who can provide you with a service guide for your motors. The book I bought was a teaching manual for outboard mechanics, learning to service a range of Yamamha motors, and was extremely useful. Good simple text, lots of pictures and helpful hints. It was always carried on the boat as part of the normal emergency gear.
2. When the motors were bought, a magnet in one of the starter motors was fractured. It needed to be replaced. I learned a valuable lesson. If you buy the parts via the dealer, they WILL take their pound of flesh. You should look around, consider ebay, pirate parts or chat to local motorboat dealers who may have secondhand spares.
3. Check your sparkplugs. The manual clearly described what a healthy plug would look like. Make sure that the correct plugs are being used and that the gap is correct (usually the case if you buy new ones but it is always worth a check). My motors were serviced by a professional and he put the wrong plugs in (that is what happens when you don't check the manual) .
4. Don't be intimidated by the motors. The more you work on them, the more confident you become about sorting out problems. I was plagued by a motor that suddenly would not start. With 2 motors it was easy to swop items between the motors until I figured out the 'start-in-gear' switch was broken. Since all my launches were through the heavy Natal surf, the switch represented an unnecessary hassle and was bypassed (cut them off!). The motors would start in gear which was really useful with some of the nasty launches we encountered. If you only had 1 motor, use a digital camera to photograph the dismantling process, then you have a record of how to put everything back together without ending up with a handful of 'spare' parts.
5. My boat almost went up in flames when a short caused a small fire. After that the batteriers were always disconnected after use. There was a set of jumper-cables in the usual gear stowed on the boat. Since there were 2 motors, there were 2 separate batteries. This was useful if a battery was flat. Once the one motor was running it was a simple affair to start the other motor (this is not something you want to do in the waves so make sure you keep your batteries charged and properly serviced).
6. Don't sweat it if your motor fails at sea. Be logical. Secure your boat with an anchor if necessary and if possible to prevent you drifting too far or into trouble. Now go through the following sequence:
a. Check that the emergency cut-off clips are secured and in place.
b. Ensure that the battery terminals are clean and correctly attached to the battery.
c. Check the fuel line is connected, bulb pumped and sufficient fuel in tanks.
d. Ensure controls are in neutral if you have a functional 'start-in-gear' switch.
In the majority of cases that sequence would give you a running motor.
7. Carry some spare parts e.g. set of new sparkplugs for each motor, prop-lock nut and spare split pin. It is also worthwhile carrying a reasonable set of tools including spanners, screwdrivers and plug spanner. A couple of multi-tools and some shifting spanners are indispensable. Additional pieces of equipment that were useful: feeler guage (measure the gaps of sparkplugs), piece of emery paper, small wire brushes and silicone spray (WD40/Q20). It is worthwhile carrying a spare impeller for each motor, chances are you will probably need to replace one at 6pm on a Saturday night and that is when a spare is useful.
8. Take time to frequently inspect your engine. Changing plugs, checking wiring harnesses, removing props and cleaning, dropping the lower unit to change impellers and ensuring the crank has adequate oil, are essential and easy tasks. Regularly conducted, they build confidence to work with your motor and troubleshoot if necessary.
9. Always run your motors with the muffs on after taking it out on a trip. Listen for anything loose or different. Ensure that water is flowing freely through the cooling system (this sometimes does need to be flushed: pieces of rusted metal and sand do make their way through the cooling system and usually block the outlet). Part of the preparation before a trip should be to run the motors for some time on several occasions before the trip, to highlight any possible malfunctions. The muffs are intended for motors running at low revs, they are INADEQUATE when running a motor at high revs. NEVER dry start your motor, only 3 seconds of dry running irreversibly damages the impeller!
10. Finally, if you intend launching through surf take a good time to warm up both motors adequately. Low revs are fine and a good 5-10 minutes should provide you with a trouble free launch.
My boats, 2 in the end, were RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) with a pair of Yamaha 30hp, 2 stroke, 3 cylinder motors (same motors used on the 2 boats). Those motors saw lots of action and came up trumps in spite of some major problems along the way. Let me relate some of those stories as examples:
1. There is a shop in Johannesburg called 'Motor Books'. Either go there or find a similar retailer who can provide you with a service guide for your motors. The book I bought was a teaching manual for outboard mechanics, learning to service a range of Yamamha motors, and was extremely useful. Good simple text, lots of pictures and helpful hints. It was always carried on the boat as part of the normal emergency gear.
2. When the motors were bought, a magnet in one of the starter motors was fractured. It needed to be replaced. I learned a valuable lesson. If you buy the parts via the dealer, they WILL take their pound of flesh. You should look around, consider ebay, pirate parts or chat to local motorboat dealers who may have secondhand spares.
3. Check your sparkplugs. The manual clearly described what a healthy plug would look like. Make sure that the correct plugs are being used and that the gap is correct (usually the case if you buy new ones but it is always worth a check). My motors were serviced by a professional and he put the wrong plugs in (that is what happens when you don't check the manual) .
4. Don't be intimidated by the motors. The more you work on them, the more confident you become about sorting out problems. I was plagued by a motor that suddenly would not start. With 2 motors it was easy to swop items between the motors until I figured out the 'start-in-gear' switch was broken. Since all my launches were through the heavy Natal surf, the switch represented an unnecessary hassle and was bypassed (cut them off!). The motors would start in gear which was really useful with some of the nasty launches we encountered. If you only had 1 motor, use a digital camera to photograph the dismantling process, then you have a record of how to put everything back together without ending up with a handful of 'spare' parts.
5. My boat almost went up in flames when a short caused a small fire. After that the batteriers were always disconnected after use. There was a set of jumper-cables in the usual gear stowed on the boat. Since there were 2 motors, there were 2 separate batteries. This was useful if a battery was flat. Once the one motor was running it was a simple affair to start the other motor (this is not something you want to do in the waves so make sure you keep your batteries charged and properly serviced).
6. Don't sweat it if your motor fails at sea. Be logical. Secure your boat with an anchor if necessary and if possible to prevent you drifting too far or into trouble. Now go through the following sequence:
a. Check that the emergency cut-off clips are secured and in place.
b. Ensure that the battery terminals are clean and correctly attached to the battery.
c. Check the fuel line is connected, bulb pumped and sufficient fuel in tanks.
d. Ensure controls are in neutral if you have a functional 'start-in-gear' switch.
In the majority of cases that sequence would give you a running motor.
7. Carry some spare parts e.g. set of new sparkplugs for each motor, prop-lock nut and spare split pin. It is also worthwhile carrying a reasonable set of tools including spanners, screwdrivers and plug spanner. A couple of multi-tools and some shifting spanners are indispensable. Additional pieces of equipment that were useful: feeler guage (measure the gaps of sparkplugs), piece of emery paper, small wire brushes and silicone spray (WD40/Q20). It is worthwhile carrying a spare impeller for each motor, chances are you will probably need to replace one at 6pm on a Saturday night and that is when a spare is useful.
8. Take time to frequently inspect your engine. Changing plugs, checking wiring harnesses, removing props and cleaning, dropping the lower unit to change impellers and ensuring the crank has adequate oil, are essential and easy tasks. Regularly conducted, they build confidence to work with your motor and troubleshoot if necessary.
9. Always run your motors with the muffs on after taking it out on a trip. Listen for anything loose or different. Ensure that water is flowing freely through the cooling system (this sometimes does need to be flushed: pieces of rusted metal and sand do make their way through the cooling system and usually block the outlet). Part of the preparation before a trip should be to run the motors for some time on several occasions before the trip, to highlight any possible malfunctions. The muffs are intended for motors running at low revs, they are INADEQUATE when running a motor at high revs. NEVER dry start your motor, only 3 seconds of dry running irreversibly damages the impeller!
10. Finally, if you intend launching through surf take a good time to warm up both motors adequately. Low revs are fine and a good 5-10 minutes should provide you with a trouble free launch.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
19 March 2009
I was not expecting to be out diving yesterday but it was a welcome phone call that had me loading my gear into the car and making my way to Michael's house before first light. Joining us for the day of diving was Kurt one of our dive mates. We launched from Arrawarra onto an absolutely flat sea and headed out toward NW Solitary Island. Recently the current has been shunting from the N, always a welcome set of circumstances. As we cleared the headland at Arrawarra the predicted S hit us with avengence. Fortunately we were moving with the direction of the swell and we quickly pulled up to NW Solitary. I jumped in to the delightfully warm and crystal clear water. Unfortunately the area we were hoping to find fish in, was empty. There was also hardly any current.
On to the Pinnacles at the Big Island. We motored around looking for showings of baitfish and eventually found them hanging on the seaward side of the pinnacle. Over went the anchor and we started swimming upcurrent looking for our quarry. Today expectations were high for Wahoo. There was hardly any current, a trickle from the S. The pinnacle had bait and pelagics gathered up together. I saw Mack Tuna both big slow swimmers and the little speedsters, following these were considerable schools of flighty Yellowfin Tuna. The big Mack Tuna make relatively easy targets but the Yellowfin obviously know they are an intended target and don't hang around when you dive. There was a huge school of Yellowtail Kingfish probably numbering in the thousands and in between these I saw Trevally too. I am sure if one had spent more time observing the school, there would have been other pelagics mixed in with the Yellowtail. Kurt got a Cobia out of a group of approximately 10 that he saw following a Black Ray.
We moved to the N end of the Big Island and started diving the seaward drop-off on the edge of the reserve. I encountered some Rainbow Runner but I was not going to shoot at a lesser target when big game was on the cards. This was a good call because as I turned the massive shape of a Queensland Grouper loomed up next to me. The fish could easily have gone over 100kg. Better known as Brindle Bass where I come from I have rarely seen specimens this size unless scuba diving on wrecks. I am sure I would have had a major tussle with this fish had I shot a small Rainbow Runner. I made my way back to the boat only to have Kurt join me with a Spanish Mackerel. Kudos to him. Michael and I were eating humble pie.
Next stop the S end of the Big Island. This is a good spot for Bluebar Parrotfish and Pelagics. I dived and encountered a small Samsonfish. The shot should have been good but a Black Cod gave the fish so much grief that the spear came unstuck. I noticed lots of Black Rays around and took to checking for Cobia. I did not realise Michael had already seen some Cobia which would not offer a shot. After a good breath-up and surface preparation, I dropped to about 22m and watched as 2 large Black Rays came over to investigate me. I hung still in the water, following them was a reasonable Cobia. The fish followed the rays coming over to look at me then angling away. My plan is to improve my technique, so I concentrated on making a good shot. The spear hit the fish high on the left shoulder angling down to the right pectoral fin, in the process smashing the spine. The fish rolled over without so much as a twitch. By this time the sea was getting very rough and we elected to move to a shallower spot: Spooky.
Spooky gets its name from an encounter Michael had on this shallow reef with a White Pointer. On my first dive I swam into a school of Bonito but left them as I was looking for better quarry, that will not be happening next weekend. I drifted to the bottom several times, not finding anything. This was likely considering the bait in the area was swimming around completely relaxed. I eventually dived on the edge of the reef arriving on the sand and lay still with my eyes closed. When I opened them a small Venus Tuskfish was in front of my spear. I took the small fish and saw several more on subsequent dives. Michael surprized us by rustling up a Mangrove Jack from directly under the anchored boat. Will his luck ever run out?
I will probably get into the water one more time before the Classic just to check conditions and have a quick look at the available species. After the Classic it is back to South Africa on holiday and my site will be a little quiet until I get back to Coffs Harbour.
On to the Pinnacles at the Big Island. We motored around looking for showings of baitfish and eventually found them hanging on the seaward side of the pinnacle. Over went the anchor and we started swimming upcurrent looking for our quarry. Today expectations were high for Wahoo. There was hardly any current, a trickle from the S. The pinnacle had bait and pelagics gathered up together. I saw Mack Tuna both big slow swimmers and the little speedsters, following these were considerable schools of flighty Yellowfin Tuna. The big Mack Tuna make relatively easy targets but the Yellowfin obviously know they are an intended target and don't hang around when you dive. There was a huge school of Yellowtail Kingfish probably numbering in the thousands and in between these I saw Trevally too. I am sure if one had spent more time observing the school, there would have been other pelagics mixed in with the Yellowtail. Kurt got a Cobia out of a group of approximately 10 that he saw following a Black Ray.
We moved to the N end of the Big Island and started diving the seaward drop-off on the edge of the reserve. I encountered some Rainbow Runner but I was not going to shoot at a lesser target when big game was on the cards. This was a good call because as I turned the massive shape of a Queensland Grouper loomed up next to me. The fish could easily have gone over 100kg. Better known as Brindle Bass where I come from I have rarely seen specimens this size unless scuba diving on wrecks. I am sure I would have had a major tussle with this fish had I shot a small Rainbow Runner. I made my way back to the boat only to have Kurt join me with a Spanish Mackerel. Kudos to him. Michael and I were eating humble pie.
Next stop the S end of the Big Island. This is a good spot for Bluebar Parrotfish and Pelagics. I dived and encountered a small Samsonfish. The shot should have been good but a Black Cod gave the fish so much grief that the spear came unstuck. I noticed lots of Black Rays around and took to checking for Cobia. I did not realise Michael had already seen some Cobia which would not offer a shot. After a good breath-up and surface preparation, I dropped to about 22m and watched as 2 large Black Rays came over to investigate me. I hung still in the water, following them was a reasonable Cobia. The fish followed the rays coming over to look at me then angling away. My plan is to improve my technique, so I concentrated on making a good shot. The spear hit the fish high on the left shoulder angling down to the right pectoral fin, in the process smashing the spine. The fish rolled over without so much as a twitch. By this time the sea was getting very rough and we elected to move to a shallower spot: Spooky.
Spooky gets its name from an encounter Michael had on this shallow reef with a White Pointer. On my first dive I swam into a school of Bonito but left them as I was looking for better quarry, that will not be happening next weekend. I drifted to the bottom several times, not finding anything. This was likely considering the bait in the area was swimming around completely relaxed. I eventually dived on the edge of the reef arriving on the sand and lay still with my eyes closed. When I opened them a small Venus Tuskfish was in front of my spear. I took the small fish and saw several more on subsequent dives. Michael surprized us by rustling up a Mangrove Jack from directly under the anchored boat. Will his luck ever run out?
I will probably get into the water one more time before the Classic just to check conditions and have a quick look at the available species. After the Classic it is back to South Africa on holiday and my site will be a little quiet until I get back to Coffs Harbour.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
16 March 2009
The weather was quite forgiving over the weekend and I managed to get out both Saturday and Sunday. Expectations were high on Saturday because I had heard that John Featherstone and some friends had found a school of big Samsonfish at a recently discovered pinnacle. The smallest fish was 15kg and the largest a whopping 22.5kg. Great fish and a great effort.
We launched from Coffs and headed to the Lighthouse where I freedived and just looked around as we were in the reserve. Then moved off to Black Rock and around the Wash. I was just not making the shots count or turning seen fish into landed fish. Yellowtail Kingfish were around as were Amberjack. I dived on Cobia and should have made a good shot but didn't. We did see some Tailor and Silver Trevally but these are really not worthwhile pursuing unless in a competition.
We ventured out wide and the viz was spectatcular. Gin clear, warm water that just screams pelagics. I saw huge numbers of Dorado and took 2 smallish fish that just went size. Every trap we stopped at out wide had a contingent of Dorado.
We travelled back to Coffs in the late morning, stopping at the Wave Recorder for a quick look. The sea was putrid. Poor viz but interestingly lots of fish working. The downside was that every time I saw a fish I was hesitant to take the shot, knowing that Kris was in that direction. There were Rainbow Runner, Mack Tuna and Dorado but the best was seeing a Wahoo, it was very flighty and I am not sure if it came back to look at me the viz was that bad.
I heard that evening that divers out at the Big Island had successfully landed some Wahoo and seen several schools of various sizes which bodes well for the Classic.
Justin struggled to find crew for Sunday which was surprizing but the 2 of us again launched from Coffs. We had intended going from Arrawarra which may have been difficult with only 2 divers. We looked around for some clean water to dive, hoping to get in some good deep diving practice but the current had not pushed the clean water in yet. The current was pushing strongly from the N and should move that clean water right in if the rivers don't spill mud out again. We eventually went and checked out the FAD and some fish traps but there wasn't anything really worthwhile and we called it a day quite early.
Michael and I are avidly putting our plan together for the Classic and trying to work out the best route to follow to cover as much ground as possible. Obviously one wants to hit areas that other divers pass as the increased boat traffic and diver presence does put the fish off.
We launched from Coffs and headed to the Lighthouse where I freedived and just looked around as we were in the reserve. Then moved off to Black Rock and around the Wash. I was just not making the shots count or turning seen fish into landed fish. Yellowtail Kingfish were around as were Amberjack. I dived on Cobia and should have made a good shot but didn't. We did see some Tailor and Silver Trevally but these are really not worthwhile pursuing unless in a competition.
We ventured out wide and the viz was spectatcular. Gin clear, warm water that just screams pelagics. I saw huge numbers of Dorado and took 2 smallish fish that just went size. Every trap we stopped at out wide had a contingent of Dorado.
We travelled back to Coffs in the late morning, stopping at the Wave Recorder for a quick look. The sea was putrid. Poor viz but interestingly lots of fish working. The downside was that every time I saw a fish I was hesitant to take the shot, knowing that Kris was in that direction. There were Rainbow Runner, Mack Tuna and Dorado but the best was seeing a Wahoo, it was very flighty and I am not sure if it came back to look at me the viz was that bad.
I heard that evening that divers out at the Big Island had successfully landed some Wahoo and seen several schools of various sizes which bodes well for the Classic.
Justin struggled to find crew for Sunday which was surprizing but the 2 of us again launched from Coffs. We had intended going from Arrawarra which may have been difficult with only 2 divers. We looked around for some clean water to dive, hoping to get in some good deep diving practice but the current had not pushed the clean water in yet. The current was pushing strongly from the N and should move that clean water right in if the rivers don't spill mud out again. We eventually went and checked out the FAD and some fish traps but there wasn't anything really worthwhile and we called it a day quite early.
Michael and I are avidly putting our plan together for the Classic and trying to work out the best route to follow to cover as much ground as possible. Obviously one wants to hit areas that other divers pass as the increased boat traffic and diver presence does put the fish off.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
13 March 2009
Unlucky Friday the 13th. Only unlucky thing are the poor buggers working in this great weather. Clear blue skies, great clean, warm sea that just screams FISH! I am at work but preparing for a good weekend of spearfishing.
Just recently, a good Blue and Black Marlin have been tagged and released off Coffs, with reports of some small Black Marlin being seen from the Southern harbour breakwater. A little S of our normal hunting grounds, fishermen have had a field day with Spotted Mackerel (very similar to Natal Snoek) and Spanish. The first big mackerel that I have heard of, this season, has been taken, a fish of 28kg. What an awesome fish and I can easily imagine getting a fish like that on spear. Having said that, I am looking at the photo of a 40kg Spanish taken by Michael several years ago. The head is in his freezer at home and looks quite formidable. There have also been some very good Snapper weighed recently but when it comes to hunting these, you really need a long breath and a great deal of patience or just some real good luck.
Just recently, a good Blue and Black Marlin have been tagged and released off Coffs, with reports of some small Black Marlin being seen from the Southern harbour breakwater. A little S of our normal hunting grounds, fishermen have had a field day with Spotted Mackerel (very similar to Natal Snoek) and Spanish. The first big mackerel that I have heard of, this season, has been taken, a fish of 28kg. What an awesome fish and I can easily imagine getting a fish like that on spear. Having said that, I am looking at the photo of a 40kg Spanish taken by Michael several years ago. The head is in his freezer at home and looks quite formidable. There have also been some very good Snapper weighed recently but when it comes to hunting these, you really need a long breath and a great deal of patience or just some real good luck.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thursday 12 March 2009
Saturday 7 March was the last club competition. Coffs Harbour Bluewater Freedivers arrange an annual trip to a spearfishing venue as a club holiday. Lots of frivolity and good times but some diving thrown in.
Conditions had been reasonable. The chocolate had cleared a lot and earlier in the week, divers had reported great sightings around the Big Island. We were at Wooli about 2 hrs N of Coffs and considerably closer to the Big Island. For a change there was a great attendance with almost all the club members competing. We even had some visitors from Nambucca join us.
Michael and I decided to look at the Big Island, while some divers headed further N. We found hardly any current which tends to throw a spanner in the works. A number of boats had already stationed themselves over the pinnacles N of the Big Island and we moved to the gutters in front of NW rocks. I don't know if there is anything as disappointing as lying on the bottom in clean, warm water and seeing nothing. I dived for a 1/2 hour and found I had hardly drifted away from the anchored boat at all.
Next move to the S end of the island. On the first dive I mess up with a Bluebar and that seemed to set the mood for the day. I soon missed another Bluebar. I was not very comfortable with my recent gun setup. Changed the Freedivers spear to something else, after it was bent and the new spear was affecting my aim. I found some Scads being harassed by monster Mack Tuna (Kawakawa) around the 7kg mark. They did not behave like the smaller speedsters of their species do. They hung around looking at me. Oh well at least I would weigh something. Forget it. My aim was way off and I missed on both chances I had. I was sore about that because both fish were sitters and should have been a sure thing.
Kept at it, pounding away at the deep dives and encountered some Tailor on my way up. Over-excitement chased them before I could take a shot and then to make matters worse I found a Bluebar at about 22m and it was quite calm. I lay still paying it no attention and the longer I lay the more excited it became, until it shot off farting out bits of coral. I climbed into the boat nursing a severely bruised ego.
Michael took one shot all day, nailing 2 Bludger at the same time. Back at the weigh in, some nice fish were put onto the scales. John had a nice bag of Moses Perch, Mangrove Jack, Bluebar and Maori Cod but Kurt's 5.5kg Bluebar was voted the best fish of the day. Fortunately the guys from Nambucca were only over for a friendly. Between 2 of their divers, they got a lovely Samsonfish and 3 Spanish, so the fish are around.
Being quiet is important. It starts when working at the surface, not banging on the hull of the boat to when you dive, gliding in to the bottom. Try not to bash your gear around on the bottom or scrape your fins over the bottom. Some divers have a clever technique of pulling themselves along the bottom with their free arm thus limiting the racket they create. Your eyes seem to give your intentions away. Try to avoid looking directly at your quarry. Keep your eyes slightly closed or away from the fish.
At the moment Cyclone Hamish is stuffing the conditions up completely and the weather predictions are for a clearing this weekend. Let's hope.
Conditions had been reasonable. The chocolate had cleared a lot and earlier in the week, divers had reported great sightings around the Big Island. We were at Wooli about 2 hrs N of Coffs and considerably closer to the Big Island. For a change there was a great attendance with almost all the club members competing. We even had some visitors from Nambucca join us.
Michael and I decided to look at the Big Island, while some divers headed further N. We found hardly any current which tends to throw a spanner in the works. A number of boats had already stationed themselves over the pinnacles N of the Big Island and we moved to the gutters in front of NW rocks. I don't know if there is anything as disappointing as lying on the bottom in clean, warm water and seeing nothing. I dived for a 1/2 hour and found I had hardly drifted away from the anchored boat at all.
Next move to the S end of the island. On the first dive I mess up with a Bluebar and that seemed to set the mood for the day. I soon missed another Bluebar. I was not very comfortable with my recent gun setup. Changed the Freedivers spear to something else, after it was bent and the new spear was affecting my aim. I found some Scads being harassed by monster Mack Tuna (Kawakawa) around the 7kg mark. They did not behave like the smaller speedsters of their species do. They hung around looking at me. Oh well at least I would weigh something. Forget it. My aim was way off and I missed on both chances I had. I was sore about that because both fish were sitters and should have been a sure thing.
Kept at it, pounding away at the deep dives and encountered some Tailor on my way up. Over-excitement chased them before I could take a shot and then to make matters worse I found a Bluebar at about 22m and it was quite calm. I lay still paying it no attention and the longer I lay the more excited it became, until it shot off farting out bits of coral. I climbed into the boat nursing a severely bruised ego.
Michael took one shot all day, nailing 2 Bludger at the same time. Back at the weigh in, some nice fish were put onto the scales. John had a nice bag of Moses Perch, Mangrove Jack, Bluebar and Maori Cod but Kurt's 5.5kg Bluebar was voted the best fish of the day. Fortunately the guys from Nambucca were only over for a friendly. Between 2 of their divers, they got a lovely Samsonfish and 3 Spanish, so the fish are around.
Being quiet is important. It starts when working at the surface, not banging on the hull of the boat to when you dive, gliding in to the bottom. Try not to bash your gear around on the bottom or scrape your fins over the bottom. Some divers have a clever technique of pulling themselves along the bottom with their free arm thus limiting the racket they create. Your eyes seem to give your intentions away. Try to avoid looking directly at your quarry. Keep your eyes slightly closed or away from the fish.
At the moment Cyclone Hamish is stuffing the conditions up completely and the weather predictions are for a clearing this weekend. Let's hope.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
5 March 2009
Dived on Sunday 1st March in the club competition. Conditions looked good but as it panned out, the situation was still a little mucky and you had to move around to find suitable conditions. We started at the wave recorder and the Coffs FAD. The conditions at the wave recorder were poor but the FAD was quite spectacular, unfortunately there were very few fish around. Met up with some other divers at the FAD who were going to call it a day because the water was so putrid. We persevered and actually went back to where these divers had just come from. The conditions were still mucky and I still had no fish.
We moved inshore about 500m from the Lighthouse and the situation improved quite dramatically. Viz was better and there were many more fish around. In the end I got an Amberjack, Samsonfish, Rainbow Runner and a Fusilier. That closes my account for Rainbow Runners and Fusiliers. Michael whacked me again. He weighed Samsonfish, Yellowtail, Amberjack, Rainbow Runner and a nice Mangrove Jack. The Jack came from a school of 4 good fish found in really shallow water. I almost lost my Amberjack to a Whaler that gave me a really hard time.
Since the weekend, I have had reports of some good fish seen at the Big Island. During a dive, several large Wahoo attacked a school of smallish Yellowfin Tuna. The Yellowfin were in a school with some very big Mack Tuna. Some time into the dive, 2 small Black Marlin were also encountered. Yesterday John took some divers back to the Big Island and they got some smallish Spanish, again the Yellowfin and Mack Tuna were around. On one of the shallower reefs, Mantas were found and following them a school of big Cobia. A Cobia of 22.5kg was landed from the school, the diver in question spearing it 3 times before managing to subdue it.
This weekend is the March club competition coinciding with the club annual trip. We are going about 2 hours N to Wooli. All things point to a good weekend of diving. So lots of Sushi and fresh fish for supper this weekend.
We moved inshore about 500m from the Lighthouse and the situation improved quite dramatically. Viz was better and there were many more fish around. In the end I got an Amberjack, Samsonfish, Rainbow Runner and a Fusilier. That closes my account for Rainbow Runners and Fusiliers. Michael whacked me again. He weighed Samsonfish, Yellowtail, Amberjack, Rainbow Runner and a nice Mangrove Jack. The Jack came from a school of 4 good fish found in really shallow water. I almost lost my Amberjack to a Whaler that gave me a really hard time.
Since the weekend, I have had reports of some good fish seen at the Big Island. During a dive, several large Wahoo attacked a school of smallish Yellowfin Tuna. The Yellowfin were in a school with some very big Mack Tuna. Some time into the dive, 2 small Black Marlin were also encountered. Yesterday John took some divers back to the Big Island and they got some smallish Spanish, again the Yellowfin and Mack Tuna were around. On one of the shallower reefs, Mantas were found and following them a school of big Cobia. A Cobia of 22.5kg was landed from the school, the diver in question spearing it 3 times before managing to subdue it.
This weekend is the March club competition coinciding with the club annual trip. We are going about 2 hours N to Wooli. All things point to a good weekend of diving. So lots of Sushi and fresh fish for supper this weekend.
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