There was a long rolling sea and we pitched, yawed and rolled our way across to the West end anchorage. After a quick lunch we set out to the nearby reef, it was 15h00, an hour before low tide and the Fire Coral heads were breaking the surface as the swell rolled in. Perfect conditions below water with coral heads like mushrooms surrounding us. We had just started swimming towards one when a call from André stopped me and i turn to find him holding up a large Crayfish / Lobster. Not even 3 minutes into the dive and dinner was taken care of. The first Coral bombie we dived on a large Nassau Grouper peeped out of his cave. A bulls eye shot from André’s hawaiian sling and dinner waas set!
We spent another two hours exploring the reef. It seemed to have been damaged and broken in the last hurricane but was re-establishing itself and was teeming with colourful reef fish of all sizes.
Le Maitresse crew, Rosaire and Neena joined us and we headed for the reef in the anchorage to explore. A few minutes into the dive and once again huge Crayfish were spotted in the reef. My ace hunter once again did his thing and we had two for the pot. He was no sooner on the dinghy in the bucket and returning to the same hole in the reef another Lobster had taken his place and was added to the catch. Unbelievably we went back and found a third in the same spot. Each person had their appetizers provided.
Then strolling across the sand another Lobster giving Rosaire his first oppotunity to use his hawaiian sling. it was fn and a learing experience but this one got the chance to live anther day by wedging himself into a small tight space under the coral.
Dinner was on Rat Catcher, freshly cooked Nassau grouper. As is our custom we then take the carcass of the fish when it is filleted and tie it with string to hand beneath the boat. We love watching Ray and Shark feed off it. Nothing appeared immediatly but not long after we had eaten the squeek of the line on the handle indicated something big and strong had it in their mouth. Grabbing a spotlight we saw a large shape in the water that swam off as we aimed the light at him. lifting the carcass all that was left was the head with the line tied through its jaw. We had given up watching and just settled down chatting when a ‘ping / snap’ sound drew us back to the line.
The first time ever the stgrong line we used to hold the fish carcass to the bpoat had been snapped like a piece of string. Sadly we never saw the perpetrator but it musty have been a big boy!
Neena and Rosaire were very very careful climbing back into their dinghy for the ride home.
