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#31
March 1st, 2006
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Kingfish encounter
25/2/06 I found myself under a hail of bullets, planes falling out of the sky and the cavalry attacking the flank. Limbs where flying everywhere, it was a bloody scene from ww1!. I quickly retreated down the north slope and found myself at south Maroubra, making it out of Maroubra rifle range…just(also used for horse riding and model plane flying.) I slowly walked down the hill sending catfish a sms that if he didn’t pick the phone up I’ll report him to immigration. Anyway I looked at the ocean, not good, ugly swell and chop. I only had a top and some small fins to go for a snorkel/ free dive and was hoping catfish could bring his gun along as well as himself(not realy). No reply, I put on my limited gear and got in, ducking and diving through the surf. The rip pushed me out quickly but I was only greeted by 3-4m vis. I decided I’d kill some urchins and see if any snapper would come in. so I continued out looking for better vis as no way am I berlying up anything in this crap, especially with no gun. So I start swimming out and out, not far maybe 100m from the breakers as I have small flippers on. Vis gradually improves to 5-8m but I’m too busy to notice while ducking and diving numerous blue bottles. I’m in 4m of water, vis is about 5m here and I’m thinking of getting some urchins here, when. When from the corner of my vision I see two massive shapes glide in, sharks? But no. 2 really big kingfish come in to check me out, mucles flexing, tails as thick as my wrist. At least 15kg but I’ve never seen them this big, they would have trashed catfishes spear for sure though. Only 100m from the breakers these big fellas must have come in for a tour or smth. Well I swim out some more. Happy for the encounter, after a mini tsunami breaks nearby I shake my head and head back, managing to get nailed by some blue bottles around my legs. Still, shows there are good fish out there, no that far away! Seal Dive on 28/2/06 No Protest” I was at the protest for fishing rights and stuff, that done back home and doing some stuff I had I decided to go for a swim with most of my gear at shark point at around 4pm. After gearing up and being interrogated by the life guard who didn’t believe I was only free diving I slid into Clovelly bay. There I fixed my float up and went out through the breakers to the ocean. Vis was bad from the start but I decided not to let it get in the way and was somewhat optimistic it would be better further out. I did some warm up dives while I made my way to shark point. I started diving there, just free diving, which I don’t mind but much prefer a gun in my right hand. Some king fish around 90cm long or 5kg swam by but this was in the reserve part anyway. I was soon attacked by blue bottles, though fully suited they got me on my forehead, bastards. I went a bit further out to the edge of the reef. I explored a bit and swam a bit further out and was suddenly stopped in my tracks. Dogging and weaving the blue bottle I was looking ahead of me and had my hand out for protection when a fine string of blue materialised in front of me, doted with lovely blue beads. I stopped and looked to see where the blue bottle was to find it lodged onto a large 1kg bream with 4 others holding on. I’m not sure if they killed it or the fish died by other means but didn’t want to hand around and end up like it so I continued on. Doing some slightly deeper dives the vis was maybe 10m at best further out. There is was relaxing at the surface when I saw something moving, it was white, shit it’s the nose a great white? I wondered, I’m a dead man. But no just a plastic bag floating around. Swam a bit more out and dived there, a lot more sponge growth than anywhere else I’ve seen. Relaxing at the surface, I held my breath, I just saw something big move down bellow me. I looked carefully and dived at the shark to try see what it was, not a great white since no white spot on its nose and had a dark black dorsal fin and back. On second inspection I noted it’s dorsal fin was small and had a very small second dorsal fin, a big tail and dark back with maybe a dark stripe on it. It swam in to look at me from out of visibility up from the bottom. Turned and swam away. I saw enough, rounder then a oil barrel and about 3m long it was bigger than scuba pete and if it had an appetite to match I didn’t want to stay and find out. Enough is enough, worrying about blue bottles, sambas and sharks is so much for this pampered seal. Without protest I turned for land and swam steadily to shore with my tail in between my legs and looking behind me every so often until I made it back to Clovelly bay. Seal. 
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#32
March 9th, 2006
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really not sure what shark species
anyway Hard core diving in jervis bay I was hoping to go for a dive before uni started when a message from Keith came in, perfect timing. He was heading to do some work at his place in jervis bay/ Currarong. He was leaving in 4hrs or so with his van and favourite toy, a kayak and speargun. I was soon ready and around 4pm he came and we left. I took some printed maps of the reserves and other things. We discussed diving and so forth along the way while stuck in traffic. Keith a quite the adventurer himself, having travelled around Australia for seven years. As irony would have it as we are travelling along there he gets a phone call, it turns out someone want’s the rent the place at the last minute, darn it. This is quite a change of plans but Keith had a tent and mattress in the garage at the house in Currarong. Ok so we still don’t know what to plan now but we decide to dive the shipwreck TSS Merimbula a short distance from his place as the people are coming on Friday. Dive at Currarong Vis 20m Temp 22C Low fishyness Swell 1m We arrive around 9pm and unload the van and eat up. I scrounge together a make shift flasher before going to bed around 12am. 6am the alarm sounds, I groan and set it for 6 30 since it’s still dark. At around 7am I get up, Keith is awake and I get my arse into gear and get ready. We only arrive at 8pm and get in the water 8:30 after launching Keith’s kayak we swim from the shipwreck from the nearest beach. On the way I pick up some dinner, 2 red rockies. We arrive at the headland and start general diving in close where I debate killing a blue mowie in a cave before shooting it and 3 sea urchins. Keith leaves to call and find out when the people are arriving. I dive close by to keep an eye out on the kyak while some people are on the beach. I berley around a school of bait to no avail, only some small snapper, small blue fin trevally and some other small but exotic fish swim around. He comes back and we swim of to the point where the shipwreck is. It was a large ship and there is nothing really notable except the boiler I think. The metal hull has collapsed and folded down on the rocks. How they didn’t see land is a mystery, maybe they where pissed of their heads. At the point I unwind my flasher and swim around looking for berley to avail, keith swims further away to a shallower reef. I swim over to him and see how he’s doing then come back to get my flasher….Big king! I dive and slowly strum my rubbers as the kingy around 15kilo swims in and say’s good bye…bastard. We swim further out and I look for the mega drop off Keith talked about to no avail. I go looking for good kingy terrain but just find shallow reef. Then I go looking for Keith who’s swimming round in the shallows. There are bigger fish in the deep end! He decides to go but so now I’m alone. Our plans to meet back at the car at 2pm; it’s about 12pm when he goes. I swim out further looking for drop offs to no avail so I decide I will head back to where I saw the kingy. I notice something looking at my rig rope and a school of big leather jackets emerges, I think unicorn so I teach the biggest a lesson. Then 2 sargo’s are on the stringer and I’m trying to get a fish out from a cave when something feels wrong and I swim back to see a 20kilo wobby thrashing with the 2 red rockies and blue mowie on the bottom. I consider my options and naturally the most inappropriate and dangerous thought goes through my mind. I swim down and push down on the unsuspecting wobby with one hand. Drop the gun, grab one pec fin, then firmly grip the other while the wobby releases my fish and tries to make an escape. It thrashes round but I overpower it and pin it between my legs. Swim you sl$t! I try and get it to give me a ride but I think it may have been too freaked out as it just froze up while I was on top of it, shoulda taken a whip. Anyway my heart was beating irregularly by now so I let the wobby go and went for air. Grabbed by gun and went back to where I saw the kingy…..hang on, there’s a strong bloody current!! It takes me 90min to get back against the stiff current that had pushed me near lobster rock. I’m grinding my teeth in frustration at 2pm when arriving at the wreck. I wind my gear up and climb out around 2 :40 from the nearest beach and walk for 20min to get back to the car park. Crap. Fish pics- red rocky and leather jacket…unicorn?  The people who are renting the place will only come at 4-5pm so we have times left over. I’m waisted after that battle with my nemesis the east Australia current. We dine on some lobby’s I took with me and some of Keith’s beer before getting ready to leave. Shame as it is a very nice place with 3 bedrooms, wooden floor, big kitchen…..perfect base camp that Keith had renovated on his own giving it a very nice touch. Well we packed some food and fish and a tent before leaving. We arrive at Honey moon bay…don’t get any ideas now and set up the tent. Put the sleeping bag out and eat a bit before breaking out some bears and then bed. Keith slept in the van and I slept in the tent. By the way the’re where kangaroos everywhere here, bloody possums falling out of the trees, which is only cute in the day time, pain when getting to sleep. I also liked how though it’s a national park, during the week days when it’s closed the navy shoots the shit out of it!! Only in Australia!   Roo picks  Hard core Vis 13m Temp 22 High fishness Saturday 3rd march 2006 I was interesting to see how far I could push myself so next day we woke around 6am. Packed the tent up, after some exercise I put on my cold wettie and started the long bush walk while Keith went to kayak the distance, we would meet at long nose point a 2.5km walk with all my gear through rough trail. Keith would kayak there from the boat ramp about 3km I think. I remember how it was still getting brighter I was walking into numerous spider webs and ant nest. The nest’s weren’t a problem but bloody walking into a web with a big spider in it sux. I walked into so many I started to spot them a few meters in advance. The trail just went on and on, endlessly into the distance with just 1 sign 500m before the beach. I was cold and uncomfortable, with an empty stomach and a wettie filled with dirt. A bead of sweat dripped down my face as I emerged onto the beach in the increasing light at 7:30am. I rolled into the ocean to cool off and then geared up. I had 9lb lead, 1m omer dragon gun, 5mm top, 2mm long johns. I was pretty heavy but still experimenting. I wonder after that walk if I didn’t go too far or something so swim out without shooting any fish as I may be in a reserve area. I get to the point and look around(underwater) some nice fish, nothing special, big tarwhines but I wonder where Keith is. I hang around a big drop off looking around I realise long nose point is the next point out, I’m in the right place. I start swimming there. Strangely there is a small current running along inside the harbour. Maybe the tide was causing it since high is at 12pm. I swim into the shallows but cannot nail any tailor from the wash since I suck. Finally Keith comes, at 8:30am or so. We dive and I head out to the bomby like the nautical chart describes. I follow it out and find salmon which get shot at and see a small kingy, encouraging. I swim around to where I find a big rock, suddenly a king appears so I nail it, stoned. I find some berley and swim out to the bait berleying a bit and kingy’s would appear almost each time! Unfortuanly not very big, I was hopping we could swim to the tubes but not against current esp if it changes on the way back, bugger. I get on the beach and have something to eat with Keith, showing him the fishies, bloody soo good to eat after 5hrs in the water on an empty stomach. All too soon it’s time to go, I give Keith my heavy stuff and he paddles of. It’s maybe 2pm when I arrive at the car park and Keith is soon there. We go back and pack the kyack up and go to get some stuff at his place. The people are out so we chat drink quickly and take the mountain bikes out Keith that has. At the original dive spot I go out for a ride to mermaids inlet I think that’s the name. A note to anyone diving around here is to bring a bike as you can ride most of the trails, walking is toooo long. At mermaids I get out and chat up the fishermen. Darn it’s a nice spot but I’m worried Keith’s not good at getting in and out of the rocks. There are some entry and exit spots that are safe on calm days. The fisho’s catch marlin and tuna though that day big 20kilo+ kings where busting their 50lb line. It was late so I went back to the bike, unlocked it and checked out lobster rock quickly, hmm has potential, also easyer entry exit spots. We cook some food up at the car park Barbie area, I do my best not to fall into the public toilets there that have had their seats ripped of, while “offloading the crap.” Some warm food, a lot of mosquito bites and a crescent moon later we head back to where we camped before at dark. A lot of beer later the tents up and we soon go to sleep after harassing little skippy.  Still dark at 5:30am I’m up and manage to put on my cold wettie after doing a lot of push ups so I wouldn’t go insane(maybe it didn’t work since I’m not making much sense). Tent packed, it’s time to go to lobster rock. I put my gear on my back and ride off while Keith paddles there from the car park. Last edited by the seal; March 10th, 2006 at 03:36.
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#33
March 9th, 2006
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Lobster Rock
Vis 2-13m Fishynes medium Water 22 Swell 1-2m I lock the bike up with lobster rock in the distance, the swells picked up a bit. I gear up get in and out into 2m vis, yuck. I start to swim out to and past the island wondering if any fur seals live on the island and if their best friend is near by. “control yourself seal!” I say, it’s not SA your diving in! I find better vis to 10m and drop offs from 8 to 13m but no kings. so I swim to the headland past the island to find lots of fish life, drummers, bream, salmon and even big spinefoot! I get some berley and dive amongst the schools of salmon strumming my rubbers, hopping a big king will emerge from somewhere. It was embarrassing when I nailed a salmon nearly the same size as the kingfish from yesterday. I swim further out and though lots of bait are present I can’t find any kings. Only saw one rat that was in the wash. One good thing as the tide was coming in the current was softly pushing me back to the island most of the time. I looked at my watch and it was time to go, back at car at 1pm, with just a salmon I left back to the beach. Met Keith there who hadn’t bothered getting in after a boat said the fishing sucked.  We headed back and arrived at the house at 1pm as planned, ate and drank and washed before packing up a bit and leaving, it was good that we were leaving as by now the 3days of fishing had left me with cut hands, rashes on my feet and legs and my tongue felt like a pickle. I must say Keith’s drinking habits will easily make him fit in with other dolphin members and looking forward to him joining the crew. Got back to Sydney at 8pm. Went to uni next day, all good The seal and his pickled tongue. maps   Last edited by the seal; March 10th, 2006 at 03:41.
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