G'day crew...

Following is a report from a dive trip yesterday to the southern group of the abrolhos... Mind Blowing is the word ill start with and i had a goal of nailing my first spanish on the spear!

Up at 440 for a 530 start from the ramp. With the local flooding of the greenough it was a good excuse to head wide and we did in style. The forecast 12-15knot nth east wind was non existant and the run over was into a slight swell and glassy ocean...

Along today where good mates and regular dive buddys Rob , Dale & Todd. For dale & toddy today would be there first trip to the islands. They where pumped!

First stop was at Mid Reef - Approx 50k west of gero - A lump that rises from 45m upto 8 in spots. It does cop a fair hammering but being in the vacinity we decided to check it out. Slowing down to sound onto the reef we where greeted with words everyone that dives/freedives loves to hear! "How Fu*king deep are we , I can see the bottom!"

My response - 27m...... Holy Shhhhhh^t... This was gonna be good! Gearing up and anchoring on a edge on the west side dale was first into the water and popped straight back up screaming there was a big school of solid spanish straight under him! YOU ARE JOKING! First drop and the man nails his first WA spanish of about 8kg.... Schools of shark macks and broadbar continued to harass schools of bait and the dive was pretty sweet... Other spanish where spotted but none landed so we moved off closer again to the islands proper.

Next drop saw a tad greener water and not alot spotted beside a small dhu and the usual trout n baldies - all a touch small to shaft but well over size. This area saw dale break his pb with a drop into 28.8m of water - dive time 1:43secs... WOW

Another move back to clearer waters and again viz was astounding clearly seeing the bottom in 30 odd metres. Big spanish buzzed us but proved ellusive - solid baldies mooched on the bottom ontop of the dropoff in 18m - big spangleds made a quick entry exit style raid and it was just a pleasure to be in the water!

Moving abit deeper over the drop and i was privelaged with something i wont forget! Spying a dhu of maybe 5-6kg down deep i dropped into 17m , the bottom shelving away and still probably 8-10m below me. Leveling off i spy the small dhu - shootable but not quiet wat i was after.... Then i saw them - out of range and slowly swimming away a pair of dhus. 1 male 1 female.... The male was everybit of 15kg and the female would have given my pb of 11-12kg a serious nudge! These where stellar fish!

I wanted one veeeeery badly but after a few more drops and stretcing my limits for only one more sighting i gave up the chase and left them to do there thing. In a way it was probably a good thing they are still there and i feel privelaged to have seen such fish in there home.

Back on board and another move into shallow water for some filming and burly gathering we moved in close to the southern groups eastern side... Buff bream where shot for burly and some lovely underwater video filmed. The water i might add was about 27.5degrees!

Now it was mackie time and Wreck Point was the course we plotted... Wreck Point is the most southern tip of the island group. And for those that have not seen it , its a wild place - Somewhere that anything could pop up and often does. Marlin Yellowfin Wahoo absolutely anything... As we approached i couldnt help but think of the poor skipper who had the unfortunate end a few yrs back thanks to a monster GWS. Nerves tingled...

Idling down we approached a drop off from 11m into 50m over a distance of maybe 75-100m... We could clearly see the sand bottom in 35m. Trout and parrot fish idled away in the depths but clearly where out of reach. And then it all started to happen...

Out of no where a big school of spanish just appeared! This is it! My time - i breathed up and dropped... So many spanish i almost didnt get to shoot... My mind racing just trying to take it all in! Dove on them how ive been told - looking away and swimming on a angle to get there interest and it worked a treat - i lined up with my new RA carbon 1400 - took a moment to compose and fired.... In seconds my gun was gone and my float line racing thru my hands - i was on! Todd had also managed to hit one... YES....

Hitting the surface the mack had already ripped my float line clear and was off... My 11l float bobbing away i raced to catch up... Slowly and tentatively i pulled the line in letting it run and not putting too much pressure on - Robbie came to help spot for sharks and to place a 2nd shot as mine looked high. Then just as the mack was in sight - the spear just fell out.... Devo was an understatement... Then to make it worse robbie dropped into the school who where still buzzing about after the activity and nailed himself a good fish. Landed without a drama and highfives exchanged.. Still deep down i was dissapointed to injure and loose a great fish. 

2mins later breathing up again and another school come in - this time dale and todd are spotting me - willing me to crack to the ice! I dropped to 17m in the crystal water and leveled off... i closed my eyes and tried to act none threatning - what felt like eternity but was only seconds went by , i opened my eyes and there right in front of me not even 7ft from my gun was a good mack... in fact there where probably 30 but i lined up on the closest... mid body just behind the anal fin and fired.... The shot looked perfect and the fish screamed off - My only concern was i had strung it being so close and having the double rubbers rigged up.... One awesome run and i had it again - slack line.... i wont repeat what i said... 2 fish now id lost!

Things went quiet for maybe 10mins of so - burlying and strumming rubbers....

Rob and i had drifted with the gentle current maybe 50m behind the boat..... Then we spotted one - Rob gave me the this is it look and i dropped.... I remeber levelling off again - almost in a trans like state totally relaxed.... i looked up - mackies everywhere in front of me... i looked left straight into the current - HOLY CR!P - a WALL of spanish - words wont describe but ppl that have seen it will know what im saying.. 100+ fish surrounded me... This was mind blowing! Again i aimed up and fired - this time i had to land one....

Fight on - up and down - felt like forever but was probs only 3-4mins and i had my fish just out of reach - i dropped and tailed it - then into its gills! YES ive got him , look up WTF bronzie right on my nose - that'd be right i finally land one only for a shark to pinch it - It was short tho as the shark bolted at the sight of rob and i had to swim my prize back to the boat. Continually admiring such a fantastic fish - Albeit only a small speciman of 10-11kg... During the swim back the school of spanish where everywhere underneath me.... Rob followed me back to the boat and high fives and hand shakes exchanged! The other boys yahooing ontop - they'd also shot good fish....

That left 1 each left to shoot for both rob and i.... Back in the blue and again they appeared - Repeated process and i had my 2nd spanish YEEEEAH... It was going off but by this time a couple of bronzies and started to pop up - suprising it took so long really... I was to spot rob and hopefully get some footage on camera but it wasnt to be... We drifted and didnt a mack... 1 lone YTK of possibly 15kg came for a look but was let pass. Then the boys shot a trevally for burly... A switch was flicked - The trevor spooled dales reel gun in seconds and then tore off - right below rob and i as we made our way back to the boat. A bronzie moved in and took the fishes tail - Suddenly there where bronzies everywhere - WOW.... Camera rolling as 12-15sharks devoured the big trev in seconds and then proceeded to zip up and down in and out of viz all around us - it was going off! Awesome to watch..... One even decided on grabbing my float and having a munch almost pulling the gun out of my hand in the process!

Back on board stories where swapped and general bullsh*t flowed atho this time majority of it true lol.... We upanchored and headed off to bag some reefies but that part of the story just dosnt compare - some thumper trout where speared and a couple of reasonable baldies before stumps where drawn and a course home plotted. A couple of beers enjoyed to celebrate the best day ive ever experianced under the water.... it dosnt get any better!

Apologies for no pics as i had my camera on video mode all day - the other fellas will send me some pics thru soon enough but i just couldnt wait to report on this massive trip!

Hope i haven't bored you all too much with the rambling....

Cheers poddy