Big Wednesday

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:54 am

we all know I enjoy donning the lycra suit and having a bit of rummage around on the bottom of ocean. Found myself down deep on Wednesday - we chased a massive school of Jewel fish from one end of the reef to the other. managed 2 each, biggest was 9kgs, last 3 were about 6 or 7.

First 10 dives were painful, too much partying over xmas so the breath hold was difficult. But after a quick hurl everything came together.

Bit scared of the crocs migrating this time of year and the viz is cr.p in close to the harbour anyway.

Faulksy · Post by **Faulksy** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:10 am

Nice fish BB. Cant say I blame you with the croc's I would be looking over my sholder pretty reguarly. Much happier staying in the boat up here.

punter · Post by **punter** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:50 am

Do you have any hassles with sharks after you spear the fish?

harmsey · Post by **harmsey** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:59 am

on ya beasty, ya mad bastard

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:57 pm

punter wrote:Do you have any hassles with sharks after you spear the fish?

people ask me this all the time. 50% of the time not really. But they can be thick as thieves especially outside the harbour. Around the harbour you can expect the odd large(ish) hammerhead to come in from no where and steal a speared fish. As they can hold their breath longer than me they can have it. Occasionally there are packs of bull sharks. like the Cas boyz they are small in size big in numbers and want something that's not theirs. Some time they cruise on the bottom slowly and dont seam interested. The rest of the time they lower their lateral fins and change depth constantly. thats when we get out of the water. around Bass reef and bynoe they take fish off your float. So we tend to get the fish into the esky as fast as possible. I have a great photo of one at the side of the boat with fish and rig line in it's mouth. It was grabbed in a head lock but still didnt want to let go.

It's proper spearing ettiquite to ward off sharkies that are after your mates spear.

Extra large Groper have taken jewies off a mate of mine and they have proven to be unstoppable taking our hardware as well.

I've seen Tigers but I like to keep that quiet incase my missus reads the forum! Tigers would be a threat to the her guy that mows the lawn!

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:29 pm

here you go Punter - is it a Waler or Bull or big black tip?

4x4xfar · Post by **4x4xfar** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:33 pm

Nice catch BarraBeast, I am also a keen Free diver/Spear fisherman, but I am yet to make up my mind on wether to sell my diving gear before I move to darwin, or bring it with me and try to get some local knowledge about safe diving in the Territory.
I'm not usually concerned about sharks unless they are behaving erratically or as big as my boat!

My problem is the Crocs.

Are Crocs common in the open ocean?

I've seen a few of you free dive but im not sure if that's because it's safe or because your all bl..dy crazy!

SMITHY · Post by **SMITHY** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:36 pm

awsome stuff bb and 4x4 they free dive because their bl..dy crazy

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:50 am

4x4xfar wrote: wether to sell my diving gear before I move to darwin, or bring it with me
Are Crocs common in the open ocean?

keep your freediving gear for sure. it's a buzz to dive the WWII wrecks in the harbour. I'm gonna p..s myself laughing the day I freedive while there are scuba divers on the same wreck, gonna sneek up on them and tap em on the shoulder!

would had to leave the gun in the boat though

crocs are migrating this time of year and have been seen swimming in the open ocean from time to time. I saw a BBC doco where alot of young male crocs leave the big rivers systems and travel to Bathurst/Melville and down the west coast.

It's a big sea but if it really worries you, then we can take turns spotting from the boat.

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:55 am

SMITHY wrote:because their bl..dy crazy

it helps to have a few screws loose. I'm addicted to seeing the sea life down there up close. it's facinating. After a while you stop dreaming about how you'd love to have an extra set of eyes in the back of your head, and just get on with hunting fish for dinner.

4x4xfar · Post by **4x4xfar** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:42 pm

I might have to hit you up for a dive trip once up settled mate, i'll just tell the missus I'm nicking down the pub with the boys!

She reckons drinking p..s with me mates is safer than diving in the Territory! I dunno sometimes!

What sort of ground and depths do you cover BB?

flicker · Post by **flicker** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 8:02 pm

On the subject of migrating crocs , we passed a good size one this morning out in the middle of the harbour between cullen bay and mandora on our way out to charles point.

Cheers Flicker

NathanL · Post by **NathanL** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:02 pm

flicker wrote:On the subject of migrating crocs , we passed a good size one this morning out in the middle of the harbour between cullen bay and mandora on our way out to charles point.

Cheers Flicker

Prob the same one i saw this morning cruising from east arm to the middle of the harbour, i was anchored on the Zelandia and he cruise by to our north side, prolly 2.5/3mtr, quite a sizeable one.

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:31 am

4x4xfar wrote:What sort of ground and depths do you cover BB?

wrecks and reefs from 2m to 24m. your welcome to come along. no fluro suits though ok!

slug · Post by **slug** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:06 am

Do you free dive to 24 meters BB

What sort of bottom time do you get at that depth? (& so much for safety stop on the way back up that my dive instructor rammed down my throat all those years ago

)

North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Big Wednesday

Big Wednesday

.

crocs

Re: crocs