The other import had been on at me for a while about taking him out for a dive....weather and tides looked good so off we went this morning at a leasurly 0800.
Dropped a longline in 15m then headed out.
Out the front for a swim in hopefully good vis as the tide started coming in.
Vis was good I ankored in 7m and was able to swim down and check it before buggering off to look for a fish.
I was pretty pleased with that as a unfit novice freediver.
Managed to shoot my first just barely legal butterfish.
Float line and my flippers were a pain in the proverbial....really need some new full foot pocket ones.
Got it sorted eventually and reloaded.
Shot a just legal blue cod....two from two pretty happy with that but the spot was a bit devoid of fish so we moved on to another spot.
Spot two was good vis now as the tide had had a couple of hours coming in. Ankored in 7m.
Gave my gun to the import to have a go and swam down to check ankor.....good looking spot for a Cray I thought.
Did a few more dives looking under ledges and overhangs but didn't see anything.
While I could get down there I had all of about 5seconds bottom time before I had to come back up so I headed in shallower.
Overhangs and weedy gutters and lots of small kina.
Swimming into a weedy overhang I found 3 decent sized kina and placed them on top of a big rock to collect later.
Down the side of the rock was a weed filled gutter about a meter deep by 400 wide and peering in the end of it occasionally I would see a glimpse of a bloody big butter.
Yelled out for the gun but the import was 200m away sitting on a rock trying to reload it so it took a while for him to get to me.
While I waited I did a few dives and just waited on the bottom looking into this gutter....it was nice and shallow at maybe 3-4m but I was weighted a little light so I couldn't stay perfectly still but non the less out came the massive butter....sat side on at maybe 2m range and I had no gun then it went back in the gut.
Finally get the gun, dive down rooky mistake too close and spook it.....can't find it again FFS.
Good few hours in the water and I'm starting to get cramp so give the gun back to the import and swim back to the boat.
Get changed and catch a couple of decent blues on the rod then hear a Hollar from the Shallows and the import has shot his first fish a red moky.
Pull longline for two massive gurnard and one small returned.
Change spots and fish the slack till the top of the tide(to get on trailer without getting ute wet) and manage 4 nice pannie snaps not big but good eating and a big pod of dolphins did two drive buys on us
Every days a school day as they say and we both learnt a lot today.
Awesome day out but the sun was punishing!!
Oh and the kina were shit.
I thought they all were shit cos every one I have had had been until recently I ate some kiakoura ones and they were fat and sweet....really nice.
Nelson ones are skinny and bitter.
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