Looking for new spots
After a couple of bad days trying new spots and a bad summer (as always in Ireland) today I was lucky.
I was checking the nautical charts and google earth and I found a spot which seems to be good. I couldn´t go before but today must be OK.
It´s an exposed spot with walls and deep spots close to the shore. Probably strong currents but should be OK.
The sea was perfect. No wind and low waves. When I was driving along the coast in the Galway bay was 0m but when we arrived to this spots was a big bigger. It was great for spearfishing.
Before go diving we eat and have a look around. We wanted to go directly to the spot but walking through the rocks wouldn´t be easy so decided to swim a bit more and go into the water in a small natural port. It´s a sheltered spot and very shallow waters but perfect to go out if the weather change.
So we wear the wetsuit and all the equipment and go into the water. We are using the Salvimar Blend again and testing the new action camera. Will see how it works.
The first part is not good. Mostly sand and some rocks plenty of seaweed. We can see in the sand razor fish which we will take when we come back. Don´t want weight in the first part of the dive.
We saw a lot of small fish so we make some waits at the bottom as could be predators like bass or big pollocks. But nothing appears so still swimming to the “good spots”
We reach the point and start hitting some waves. Not big ones. It´s just the perfect height of swell. Create some foam and remove the seaweed so the fish is eating there. But there are bad news as it´s dark. Not good viz so when we try to go a bit deeper it become dark so it´s impossible spearfishing below than 8-10m
We are sad because the nautical charts show good spots there. Big walls going deep and probably lot of holes to look for different fish, not only wrasse and pollock. But will be the next time. Besides the kelp is too dense to find the good holes so probably will be better a bit later when the first winter storms tear it.
Coming back to the shore is plenty of fish. In shallow waters the wrasse is eating and we can find good size ones. And pollocks covered behind the shallows, resting there. The best techniques are the ambush and do waits. The kelp help us to do that offering shelter and allow us not be seen by the fish. So it came easy and close to us.
If you are with a good buoyancy and hide in the kelp it´s easy to have a good shot like our first pollock. We just need to make a good shot to the head and we have the first fish. To eat we only need one Pollock so unless we can see a extraordinary big one we won´t shoot any other one.
Now is time to find a big wrasse. A really tasty fish but hard to clean. We would try to find a good size one. We can see a lot them but not the one we are looking for. This fish is better taste the red ones not the browns.
And here is it. In the kelp, he was fast so we couldn´t shot it. But if you wait, making no movement you can usually have a second chance. And here is it as you can see in the video. It came again, a bit further, to check what was happening. A good shot in the head and we have it. So we are plenty of fish for today.
The work was done as the most important was check this spot and see if it was good and mark it as a good spot for future dives. And it is. We will come here again.
Coming back we start taking razor fish in the sheltered part. In the sand are a lot so in a few time we have around 3 dozens to eat. And I could take a few velvet crabs too.
It´s usual in sheltered places find dogfish. And we found a curious one who came to have a look.
The surprise was just when we are going to go out when we found a polychaete swimming. And see how the small pollocks eat it in seconds. You can see it in the video.
Now we only need to clean the fish a come back home. The wrasse is not as easy as the Pollock but with the knife it´s not a big deal.
And one stop on the road to rehydrate us (one of the most important things in all dives) talking about how was today and planning the next dive. The weather forecast is not good so probably will take some time until the next one.
Here is the video:
