So the stories goes like this....
I did not want to go actualy to this 4 hours by car and 1 1/2 hr boat ride dive location. The weather been bad but after being sick from Christmas till New Year... I stayed home too long and my muscle felt weak.
I called the captain last Wednesday and he told me they troll and caught 15kg Wahoo and a few10 kg Spanish Mackerels. So I watched the weather sattelite and confirm to go out to sea on Saturday morning. I arrived at 10PM Friday and it was raining the entire 4 hours car ride. In fact it rained till 3AM. I was worried that the river run off will cloud the water. All dive location in this area is only 2000 meters from shore at most and they are a few rivers there. This is the Indian Ocean.
Last trip here I got current of 1.5 knots at the rock the call GHOST ROCK, so I took my Riffe #2 instead of Riffe #4. I intended to hoover in place, smaller gun will be less strain on me. The cloud was all dark at 8AM Saturday Dive 1. There was not enought light as I hoover at 70 feet. The viz was great, I can see 120 feet bottom at 70 feet and see the surface too, only it was dark. I positioned myself as afar away from the rock as my eyes can see it, I need a reference to hoover. Lock my compass just in case I get lost in mid water. By the 10th minute a +-10kg Spanish Mackie came to me and I felt 100% sure it will be dinner. Mys haft shot at nothing !!!!
I assumed the fish was 4 meters away and it must have been at least 8 meters. It was so shiny and looked so close. It only jerk its tail a bit when my shaft did not reach it..... I cursed and cursed.
I waited again and at about the 20th minute another mackie came, this time a bit smaller. I shot and again I thought it was near:head ......... I would not miss a fish so big, if it is a rainbow runner size I can say that I missed. I was so pissed. I should have used my Riffe#4 instead. I get dumb when viz gets good...always. As my nitrogen loading gets high, I hoovered at 50 feet and play that sand throwing routine but the rock has so little sand. The sand sea bad is at 120feet, I can afford anymore bottom time. So it didn't work this time. My friend saw a big 25kg doggie near the surface but he could not ascend fast enough. Being on scuba air embolism from fas ascent is our number 1 fear. The doggie just passed by while my friend's computer was beeping like mad.
I kind of feel vurnerable hoovering mid water away from the surface rock in this place. 2 years ago an Aussie spearo was chased/harrassed by two Oceanic White Tip in this very spot. He climbed the rock and waited there. He was chumming I know. This rock is only about 1500 meters from the mainland and where I hoover, another 1000 meters heading offshore the water is 1000+ feet. I feel "small" here. From here all I need is to sail +-400 miles away South and I will hit Australia Christmas island.
On the 30th minute, a small 4kg mackie came and this time I waited till it get very close. I shot and even the shooting line went thru. It was a poor placed shot just above the tummy and it broke free. This time I was totaly pissed. I simply lost my cool. Seeing 3 mackies and two of good size is something I never got in a single 35 minute dive. This is a first time. This place is full of surprises.
On Dive 2 I retired my Riffe#2 and use my #4 Baja instead. It was a good call. This time I dove a submerged rock with top at 65 feet and bottom at 120 feet. The same rock I got my small doggie on the last trip. In a few minutes a small 4kg doggie came and it was on my floating stringer in no time. Later I moved to 90 feet and waited at a ledge. Luck was still with me. I saw the 15kg Doggie came to me and it was some 10 feet above me. I aimed my #4 till I feel it s close enough as I need to shoot 45* degrees up, reducing my range significantly. The shot landed well from mid body to the shoulder ( I din't know until on the boat ). It made a "yawn" when the shaft went thru some 30 cm of its flesh (an angled shot ) and some 26 cm exiting the shoulder. I seen trevaly "yawn" its mouth when shot but tuna doin it is my first. It almost came to a dead stop. I thought it was half stoned. Later it tried to wiggle teh shaft free like a marlin I seen on video trying to undo a hooked lure in its mouth. Since my Ice Pick was pointing to the surface, it did not dis-engaged. So I pulled the shooting line till it went tight and Ice Pick take the action. Only then the doggie realized that it was hook to me. It took off with its left over energy and drag me around some 3 minutes and circling almost half of this 200 meter radius rock. I got tired and my fingers are burning from keeping a drag on the shooting line. I recovered lines only to loose it again. At one stage I grabbed a rock with my right hand and use the left to hold the gun and my shoulder could not take it, tired. My friend was watching me being dragged around. I finaly have only 600 psi left and gave him the cue to second shot the fish. He did and that hole on the rear mid body is from his shot. The doggie did not die with the second shaft in but much weaker. I brained it and in a minute later it went limped. With all the blood in the water, I saw a Green Job fish as long as the doggie's length, trying to come close. It is the biggest I seen, perhaps some 6-7kg. Unless I can punch drunk the Job fish, both of us ( me and friend ) have no gun to shoot it with.
So I completed the 25 minute dive with two doggies, one being my PB for a doggie. I was very happy.
Dive 3 after lunch. While I was waiting to gass off. Yellowfin jumped some 10 meters away from out boat. I geared up for freedive some minutes later but could not see the fish anymore. The river run off has come to my dive spot. Viz from 5 meters to the surface was very cloudy. Later we hook on our tanks and went down the very same Dive 2 spot. I waited at the shallowest 65 feet. Sometime later, two mackies came and I aimed at one. Again a 45 degrees shot heading up. It took off with great speed dragging me to 45 feet in a blink. My computer beeped like hell and I was taking short fast breath. Air embolism too risky. Lucky at 45 feet the mackie made a circle instead of going up. In another minute it is already on my floating stringer. I pay out more line on my stringer so that the mackie is some 10 meters above me and rather behind as the 1 knot current was pushing it.
When I was fighting my mackie, the other mackie was hanging around for sometime.
I been thinking, at only a current of 1 knot or less, I could bring a second loaded gun my MT0 on my floating stringer and whack those curious fish. Will try this weekend. Have read S.African freediver doing that but scubadiver.....me don't know.
Dive 4 & 5 was EMPTY-NIL. Did the hoovering at Ghost Rock at 4th dive but water viz was like 15 feet and cloudy......eeehhhh scarry. Went back to this mackie rock at 5th dive and it was not only bad viz at all depth, it was so dark. See nothing, shoot nothing.
Come to think of a mackie run, it has the tendency to surface. I seen Wahoo on video doing the same. Being pulled up to the surface is something I fear most, not only the air embolism stuff but I can't fight a fish well if up is where it pull me. I love horizontal & downward pull, but not up. If I ever hit a Wahoo, with its kind of burst initial run, I will need a reel at least. I don't like using a float, I feel low mobility and unfair fight cause I use scuba. I love being dragged around by a fish...sure a nice sensation.
My MT3 is on the works. Should be on my lap in 45 days. It will have a Floater Wing Kit and the Stabilizer Wing Kit plus a new Riffe reel with 1000# Kevlar and 150 feet long. I hope it doesn't sink with shaft out. The reel and aluminum muzzle its quite heavy. I can imagine it looking like a mini 127cm Blue Water Gun look alike with all those wings. My two other buddies also ordering the fully rigged MT3, one like mine, the other without reel and floater wing kit. 6 bands mini cannon here we come !!!
The MT3 should be better for location where I hoover and need to track fast. I do not find Stab Wing Kit a hamper on tracking, it is nice on balance side to have it and it does absord a good deal of muzzle flip. Mine wil come with extra 9/32 Hawaiian shaft, 5/16" threaded shaft and enclosed track kit for both shafts. 3/8 x 55" with extra tab will the the primary shaft. Riffe says its enclosed track is one size fits all. I am still figuring how the hell they do this ??? I even get the original plastic muzzle. Me need to test this baby out in all configuration. No one gun fits all the needs.....:naughty
