Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grouper with electric blue spots were seen skulking beneath the corral heads and in caves.
Little yellow and black zebra fish were plentiful.
The trick, I learned, was to take a deep breath and then quietly swim up to a cave or even
enter it, and be ready with the spear gun, for suddenly the grouper would come rattling
past in a flash. If you were quick you could corner him, or be lucky enough to shoot wildly
and spear him. The spear had to be very sharp, or it usually would bounce harmlessly off
his scales. Ideally, the spear would penetrate through, and the folding barb would keep it
trapped until you could remove it.
I would periodically take my spear and hammer the tip flat with the aid of two hammers.
I would then file it as sharp as a knife, with a needle point at the tip, and then heat it up
cherry red on the propane stove, and plunge it into a bucket of cold water. This would help
to harden the metal.
I had speared a couple of fish which I foolishly stuck into my weight belt and was heading
back to the boat when I spied the biggest lobster I had ever seen. I am aware that things
look vastly magnified underwater, but this lobster looked big enough to ride back to the
boat!
He saw me approaching, and took off in the opposite direction. I just had to have him, and
my flippers spurred into action, I soon was on top of him. I lunged at this giant and soon
had a firm hold of his spiny, red carapace. He was certainly a big daddy and very strong.
He flapped his tail and virtually towed me along with his powerful thrusting tail; I couldn't
believe it. I hung on dearly. Suddenly, out of nowhere I saw a large, dark shadow loom right
up to me and give me a hard nudge with its snout. I nearly lost control of my bladder when
I saw that it was a large aggressive shark, a Mako at that. He was obviously very interested
in the bleeding fish that I had lodged in my belt, and I knew it was just an experimental
bump. The next one would be the real thing.
I clung onto my lobster prize and shot back to the boat in absolute, panic-stricken record
time and threw the luckless lobster over the side and into the cockpit. I did the same with
the couple of fish and clambered up over the side myself with very little time to spare.
I removed my flippers and snorkel and jumped into the dinghy, panting and rowing as fast
as I could to where I saw Gavin's snorkel gurgling away. He saw the shadow of the dinghy
and came up with an inquiring look on his face. I warned him about the shark, and he nod-
ded, pointing to his long trailing fishing line with floating buoy attached to the end. I cursed
my stupidity and mentally made a note to make one as well, so much safer.
The incident reminded me of a very sad tale told to me by a young skipper in St. Maarten.
He and a set of twins had been diving somewhere when the accident occurred. The twins
