can you post a picture & tell us more about your hunt?
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In Sydney the weather has been ordinary at best for the past couple of weeks and I was dying to get in the water as I had just purchased my first real wetsuit (cressi tecnica 3.5mm) and a float (I'd never used one before and had the great pleasure of making my own float line with the help of a new friend).
But first let me digress; I've been spearing for the past 10 years, always on my own, maybe 3-5 times a summer so i guess 30-40 dives total. This summer when I returned to sydney I decided I wanted to step up to the next level and meet fellow spearo's so I could learn more (hence why I joined this forum). So I did and today was my second dive (ever) with other people.
My soul goal was to at the very least see a kingfish (never seen one before) and with any luck fire off a shot. Well low and behold in a two hour dive this morning it was the pretty much the only fish i saw and God willing I shot it.
Play by play: There was about a 12 meter (40') drop to a ledge that then dropped a further 3-5 meters (10'15'). I swam down to the first drop, grabbed onto some seaweed and creeped forward to look over and around the wall/ledge.
I spotted a pair of boarfish which I thought was interesting as some of the guys were saying they were good eating (while i was sitting there thinking they were too majestic to kill). Then out of nowhere this Kingfish begins to wonder by, now at this stage i'd say i've been down for 45 seconds but I'm so excited at seeing one for the first time that it's like i'd just gotten there.
I contained my nerves and prayed that she'd continue to swim my way. She was out of range (which isn't a lot with my sea hornet) for a long time but i held steady, praying, begging the lord that I'd get a crack in her. Then low and behold she did just that and I plucked off a shot (albeit rather too hastily). I got her clean through the head but a little low and I wasn't sure how long my mako head spear would hold ash she was kicking like a bull. I raced to the surface reeling her in as quickly as I could, took a gasp of breath before bringing her up to the surface.
At this point I was desperately trying to grab her tail and dislodge my knife (not the sharpest thing in the world) at the same time as it appeared as though the spear might come loose at any second.
Now I'm really praying to the Gods as the thought of losing her at this point was unbearable. Bare in mind I've not handled a fish of this size and power or used a speed rail before (It's one thing to read about it, another to put into practice).
So I'm fumbling around for about 10 seconds (but it feels like an hour) when out of nowhere my dive buddy comes over the top of me and in one fell swoop grabs the Kingie, wrestles it under his arm, dislodges his knife and kills her in a heartbeat. I gotta tell you it was like superman coming to the rescue.
If he didn't show at the time I'd of given myself a 60/40 chance of bagging her. The guy said "I hope you didn't mind but i know how much you wanted that and it would of hurt me just as much as it would you if you lost her). I can't tell you how grateful I was.
So there it is, my first kingfish. My only wish was I was in Sydney for longer as now that I've had a taste I want more.