Almost Dived!

I woke up this morning, hoping to call Morne and get him out of bed for a dive. But my plan was foiled by gusty winds and miserable rain. I checked the real time wind update in Durban and it was blowing 10 knots south. So I crawled back into bed .....

Driving to work the sea was lumpy and not dive able .... well not fun at least. Not sure what the vis is doing, but it did bucket down and I am sure the rivers will have some affect.

Coatesman

Salties Quiet

Dived Salties today .... the vis wasn't bad, but there were just no fish around. There were also a pod of dolphins on the drop off when I first got there. Maybe thats why there were no fish??

Anyway the week end looks good.

Coatesman

Wild Weekend - and the Spot!

Wayne and Gary getting stuck into the action!

Friday and Saturday went nuts down the south coast. And I think it caught every on by surprise, and the only guys out on the spot that was cooking were a tight group of mates. Wayne and Gary got "lucky" and had a fat jol in the process.

The North Coast was not as 'hot' but the water was good though and some fish did come out. But nothing like the South Coast.

At home we have seen quiet a bit of diving pressure as the guys hungry for some action have been scouting the spots. This has meant that guys travel from far and wide to come climb into some fish, causing some crowding at some spots. I dont blame the guys, we all like to get some fish.

But lets face it, no one likes diving in a crowd, its just unproductive! It amazes me that guys will still swim out to a spot when there are already a couple guys on the spot.

That said the other day ..during the week. I went to a remote local spot, its not a secret or anything, just remote. Warren and myself started diving it many many years ago, and to my knowledge no one else really dived it. Any way my mate who was with me that day, a local chap who lives 5min drive from the spot, was keen to get away from the crowds and head out to the spot.

We got in the water as it was getting light, the current was going the wrong way and by the time we got to the ledge another chap who's name I will not mention, was already there.
We kept or distance, just good diving etiquette and actually landed up diving almost off the spot. But hey he was there first!!

About 40min into the dive he comes swimming past in a serious huff. I recognize him (he is a mate who lives an hour south and often comes up here to dive) and say my hello's. Only to be greeted by cursing and that I had "brought every one" along with me. I was actually so gob smacked that I did not even answer him.

This incident was seriously uncalled for, in surfing there is hardcore localism that prevails at some spots. I do hope that this is not going to become the case with our beautiful sport.

That said I have got loads of flack (via the grape vine) by some..... like this chap for this blog. There are some that feel that the blog promotes diving in our area and is ruining the piece of heaven they have.

Funny its the same faces that have been coming diving long before this blog started.
And if any one has a problem, please rather just be man enough to stand up. (that's an invitation!)

Coatesman

Spearfishing - Large Cuta

Its every spearfishermans goal here at home to land a large cuta. Its like the bench mark of spearing ... well almost!! The thing is that you can have all the knowledge and technique down and be unlucky. Or even spend hours in the water, and still unlucky.

Then on the other hand you can be seriously lucky ... let me explain! A number of years ago, long before shooting cuta was a common thing, and we only dreamed of shooting cuta. Some of the mates went diving off a shallow point ... the usual hunting grounds when we were growing up. One of the mates invited a friend who had never dived before to go along and 'check' it out.

The long and short was that this chap in 5 m of water shot a 20 plus kg cuta!! his first ....... and here is the sad and irritating part ..... his last. He never dived again!!!??? Man that ate us up for years, I had spent hours in the water and had never even seen a cuta over 15kg .. man I was bleak!!

And then there is good old persistence and getting out there, some where along the line you will get lucky!! Like yesterday, lucky the fish swam in...yes, but it was also time out there in marginal conditions.

17,48kg Cuta

And here is a real cuta!! Mike Blake with a Big one!
We often joke that a cuta is not a cuta unless its over 10kg and a 'real' cuta is over 20kg.