Australia is surrounded by oceans with endless coastlines to enjoy from the land. Why not make the most of it? Fishing, spear fishing and diving, are some of the ways we enjoy it. For us, it's about enjoying the outdoors, watching the sunrise and set, its exploring nature, discovering hidden places we'd not see otherwise, it's looking out for crocks up north, watching the whales jump on the horizon, seeing the dolphins swimming in the waves, being in the outdoors, enjoying the sunshine and vitamin D, the fresh air, its entertaining, amusing, fun and relaxing. We have caught some beautiful fish since we've been on the road; Snapper, Salmon Queen Fish, Barramundi in the Norther Territory, Giant Trevally, Coral Trout, Gar fish and Long Tom the list is endless.
We fish off the land as we don't travel with a boat, but another way to enjoy the ocean is to spear fish. It's like a whole other world under the water! It truely is incredible. We've seen dolphins, all kinds of pretty little fish, coral, crabs, sharks, shell fish, sting rays. I haven't quiet got the nack of spear fishing yet, I stick to swimming, snorkelling and stay on crock or shark watch for Leigh! It takes a certain level of strength and coordination to load and fire a spear gun under the water, its certainly a good way to keep fit, active and well fed! Spear fishing can give you a better chance of catching a feed but it's also nice to spend time snorkelling and exploring the underwater world.
Leigh and friends we've travelled with along the way have been lucky, not to mention, brave and skilled enough to dive in the waters up north in the Northern Territory. We will never forget this day, early in the morning we sat up top and enjoyed our view from the cliff as we sipped our coffee and began to wake up. We could see the fish swimming in to play. The trevally would swim in pairs, it always looked as though they were playing together, swimming in the waves, hiding in the rocks, finding their food.
The boys decided, I was given the important job of 'crock watch' from where I sat overlooking from the cliff and the boys went out diving. It was a clear day, the water was calm, barely a breath of winding you could see all the rocks under the water. They had been out in the water about an hour or so and had started to make their way back in. As they were swimming, I spotted a big black looking thing in the water, right where Justin was swimming. Shit! what was it?! I yelled out, he'd seen it too. It was going too fast to be a crock, (thats what I told myself anyway) it was too calm to be shark (I hoped), it darted for the rocks and I lost sight of it. Justin popped up shrugging his shoulders as if to say, "where'd it go?" I pointed to the rocks, he swam over and from what I could see, he was going to shoot it! I still couldn't tell what it was, but he had it!
A big beautiful Giant Trevally! He shot it but it didn't come easy! It put up a fight, Justin was struggling to keep it, he and I both signalled to the others to help him. Over they went, after some good team work and wrestling, they brought it in.
What an effort! This fish was huge, it must have weight 20kg +, it was the size of our 22kg staffy Brutus! They emptied their hands and on to the sand they lay 3 Ornate Cray Fish, a Trevally, Coral Trout, Parrot Fish and a Queen Fish!! The smiles on their faces was from ear to ear, they were filled with excitement, accomplishment, they were brave, probably secretly shitting them selves a little worrying they'd encounter a crock, specially when I started waving from the cliff and Justin was frantically calling out, but with risk comes reward. Dinner was sorted and it was time to celebrate! Beers, camp fire, cooking dinner, laughs, music all as we enjoyed the incredible view and watched the sunset. It's times like these that make leaving everything beind worth while. The simple things in life are the best things and these memories last a lifetime.
We've also been diving without the spear guns and gotten ourselves abalone and mussels. Eyre Peninsula and the south coast of Western Australia is also home to razor fish - similar to a scallop but in a razor sharp dark coloured shell. Cockles are in abundance in the Coffin Bay National Park too. All you have to do is feel with your hand and feet under the waters edge and dig down. There are obviously limits on the amount you can take but you suer won't go hungry. We've made paella with our freshly gathered mussels with friends we've met on our travels, we've cooked delicious dinners with cockles and enjoyed razor fish for entre'. Catching your food can mean less trips to the closest town, less money, less fuel wasted and all of this can mean more time on the road if you're time depends on your budget! It can create memories like us in the N.T, its exciting, its fun, its rewarding and can be excillirating!
So what are you waiting for? Life is short, gett out there and start fishing, learn how to snorkel, spear fish, dive and make the most of this incredible land we live on!!!
THE GEAR ... spear fishing/snorkeling/diving we recommend; fins, snorkel set, a good quality spear gun, anti fog gel, dive knife (for safety or to cut off your abalone) a leg strap to hold it, wet suits if you really want.
We highly recommend Adreno for spear fishing and diving gear. They're online and there are a few stores in Australia. Their gear is high quality and not overly priced. The staff are always super helpful and they often have good sales too! Oh, and they also have beginner snorkel sets that stop the water getting in when you dive under.
