So this is my second edition to this blog, and as I had explained in my first, I have a great interest in the marine world and its fauna, so a lot of my blogs are going to have something to do with the critters I have found and mingled with during my reef experiences.
First of all I will explain about a particular species of shark that has been popping up everywhere! Yes this story has been blogged about very briefly in one of mum’s blogs but one night at the wharf we were fishing and I had the amazing experience of hand-landing a male epaulette shark. Now these only grow to just over a meter and are often kept in house hold reef aquariums. So after the exiting catch of the night I went home satisfied that I had seen and handled a wild epaulette. Skip a few weeks forward and I got taken out in a dingy, cray diving, with some boys. Whilst our dive, I did the routine bomie check where I swim down and check under the large coral out crops for the tell tail feelers of the painted cray, and this time I saw the blade like tail of another epaulette shark, This time a large mature female. Ignoring common sense I plunged my hand into the rocky fissure and clamped my gloved hand around her tail. After a gentle tug I had her out in the open holding her like Steve Irwin with an aggressive tipan and the looks on the blokes faces were priceless! After securely grabbing he shark just behind the head I felt quite safe to swim with this beauty for a bit, until I loosened my grip… she swung round with almighty force and lunged at me, luckily she didn’t get me, only a mouthful of my favorite red shirt. After getting heaved into the boat with the thing still hanging from my shirt I managed to remove it and renewed my grip behind the head as I jumped back in the water. Slowly and carefully I released her and she shot off like a bat out of hell back to her cosy rock hole. Wow what an experience and a holy red shirt to show it.
Snorkeling yesterday afternoon yielded well, with two more epaulette sharks found (no more attacks) a few nice pearl shells for the collection and a little cray speared from the reef (by little I mean, just classes as a prawn…)
Haven’t kept the tradition of writing this while waiting for my sis this time but hey, next time ill probably get board with no akas to talk to and I will retreat to the ipad to write my next blog, so until then..
Yawo!
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