Myself and a few mates were diving a small bommie section just off a tropical Island down here in North Queensland, Australia, and my other two mates were Scuba Diving nearby while I was trying to spear a few fish for Dinner . The water was clear and there were a few nice fish around with some quite large Coral Trout cruising the drop off edge. I was working a group of large isolated bommies when I spotted a good size Coral Trout next to one of the large Bommies. I made a dive on him and took the shot . I'd clean missed him. I then noticed that there was a cave at the bottom of the Bommie. I dived down and looked in the cave and sure enough here was the same fish that I had just missed . So I lined him up again and let him have it. The shot was good but the spear line came off the shaft. I couldn't believe it and had to resurface for air. I knew he wasn't going far so I breathed up and went back down after him. I entered the cave and grabbed my shaft and the fish. Just as I did one of my fins became caught in a crevice and I couldn't manage to get it off to escape. I pannicked and hit my head, grazing my forehead a bit. And then the next thing that happened was I saw a very bright light and then found myself on the surface minus one fin, spearshaft,fish and goggles. I swam back to the boat very shook up and my friends saw me in the boat and asked whats wrong. I told them what happened and wasn't until I showed them the cuts on my head and no fin ,that they believed me. My mate ended up going down with tanks and found my lost fin, after about five minutes of looking, all torn up aand wrecked.
I know it sounds cornie, but It's all true and to this day I still don't know how I got out of that cave ,and how my fin got caught or if maybe something grabbed it. Whatever happened it is the scariest diving experience I've had so far in my life and hopefully it will be the last.
I know it sounds cornie, but It's all true and to this day I still don't know how I got out of that cave ,and how my fin got caught or if maybe something grabbed it. Whatever happened it is the scariest diving experience I've had so far in my life and hopefully it will be the last.
