The last post didn't really touch on what was intended. The three of us got in Tim's boat sunday morning with our snorkel gear, and Tim and I with our spear guns. Dave was just out to enjoy life and see what he could see. Actually, that could be said for Tim and I too, we just wanted to add spearing a fish to the menu.
The forecast was for 10 knot south to south east winds. The lagoon was as smooth as it has been for a while during this windy season. Tim had his forty horse 2 cycle at its peak with us screaming across the lagoon north to the second or third island up on the west reef. His boat is a "RIB"...read ridged bottom inflatable boat, a zodiac as most of the world knows it.
Kwajalein is pretty much the elbow of the atoll. From Kwajalein, in the lagoon you go either northeast (going up the lagoon side leeward side of the atoll) or you go sort of northwest(heading up either the inside of the atoll (read lagoon) or go Oceanside of the atoll)).
Kwajalein is pretty much the elbow of the atoll. From Kwajalein, in the lagoon you go either northeast (going up the lagoon side leeward side of the atoll) or you go sort of northwest(heading up either the inside of the atoll (read lagoon) or go Oceanside of the atoll)).
It was nice in the morning, we sped up to south pass with very little bouncing around, very little violence. We made it to Gea just south of that island and the pass and started there. Most of the atolls out here on the leeward side have these beautiful canyon ladened reefs with white sand at the bottom of the canyons and spectacular coral formations lining the shallow 10 to 20 foot canyons.
From the surface, you approach from this deep deep blue water. It is where the base for the color "blue" comes from. As you approach the atoll, the island or reef, the deep blue from where the atoll depths go from a thousand feet to 80, and then quickly to 40, then within fifty or so yards its 20 or so feet deep, the blues turn into a hundred other colors of green and blue. Its beautiful from above, just looking at it from the boat.
Once in the water snorkelling, the leeward side of the atoll in many places is incredibly beautiful. Its like the wind came thru and dug small canyons into the reef, then nature filled them with sand. The sand looks green from above, and slightly less so from below. Its a beautiful contrast to the coral that surrounds it. The coral is much darker, but much more alive, much more textured with the slow crazy growth of various other corals on top of it. It's a hundred different types of lime, all completely beautiful and all completely different. All thru this beautiful underwater landscape are hundreds of different fish species, incredibly beautifully different.
We got busy hunting. Well Tim and I did, and Dave took the lookout position snorkeling around as Tim and I dove down to get some fish. Grouper seems to be the fish to be gotten when out with Tim, (and when his brother Steve was here). It's like the "fallback" fish if no dogtooth tuna, or trevally, jobfish, or larger mackeral show up.
Grouper is a reef fish, as opposed to a pelagic fish like the tuna, or trevally. Tim (along with his brother Steve, now living in the states) did their research and have their opinions on what size and type of grouper should be harvested (yes, read shot). Once you spend a little time hunting grouper on the reef, their profiles stick out like a sore thumb. Easy to spot from a distance, even against the dark colored reef, which they camouflage themselves with. Most times they are easy pickins. They see you coming, stop, face off to you and then slowly turn broadside. Most of the reef fish are more shy than this, but maybe the grouper is near the top of the food chain and has little fear. We usually take them about end of fingers to elbow in length. Much bigger, and the risk of the dreaded ciguatera, according to Tim and good logic, increases. The bigger ones (I've seen up to 4 foot and around 35lbs), are even less shy then the already less shy smaller ones. This is something I learned after swimming down to face off with one. He won. His large underbitten bottom lip with the fangs hanging out, his size, and his confidence made me decide going up to the surface for air was a good choice.
Grouper is a reef fish, as opposed to a pelagic fish like the tuna, or trevally. Tim (along with his brother Steve, now living in the states) did their research and have their opinions on what size and type of grouper should be harvested (yes, read shot). Once you spend a little time hunting grouper on the reef, their profiles stick out like a sore thumb. Easy to spot from a distance, even against the dark colored reef, which they camouflage themselves with. Most times they are easy pickins. They see you coming, stop, face off to you and then slowly turn broadside. Most of the reef fish are more shy than this, but maybe the grouper is near the top of the food chain and has little fear. We usually take them about end of fingers to elbow in length. Much bigger, and the risk of the dreaded ciguatera, according to Tim and good logic, increases. The bigger ones (I've seen up to 4 foot and around 35lbs), are even less shy then the already less shy smaller ones. This is something I learned after swimming down to face off with one. He won. His large underbitten bottom lip with the fangs hanging out, his size, and his confidence made me decide going up to the surface for air was a good choice.
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