Okiwi Bay
25th July 2004
A later start than normal due to icy road conditions meant we met outside the Big Blue at and were on the road by eight. Jim took his boat for the day (thanks Jim), but opted to stay warm and dry due to a cold, so left the dive gear at home.
Wet suits on, boat in the water and off we went. The water was flat calm so the decision was made to have a Cray dive off
Angus and I dropped in a little further out, while Nigel and Mark were dropped off closer in to shore. Down about twenty metres, the water temperature was quite pleasant and the visibility good, but the crays were scarce. After about a forty-minute swim, prior to heading back up I came across a bug on the move. I followed him over a rock and watched it disappear into a hole, out of reach. I could see Angus’ torch flickering through the other end of the hole, so indicated to him where I thought he might have a better chance of catching it. Sure enough within moments it had found itself bundled into a catch bag and heading for the surface after a safety stop.
I had recently purchased a whistle that fits on my inflator hose from the Big Blue, and was keen to try it out. They really do work well and I would highly recommend them. Alerting Jim of our location, he was soon over to pick us up (after polishing the bottom of the boat on a rock). Once Angus and I were back on board, it was over to collect Nigel and Mark who had seen plenty in berry, Mark however had a keeper in his catch bag.
With all on board we headed back in behind the Croiselles for a scallop dive. Angus and I got in the water and went down to around twenty metres, where it was cold and the scallops were few and far between. After coming back up with less than our quota, Nigel and Mark decided to flag the scallops and have another go at the crays on a reef on the other side of the islands. This was a reasonably deep dive, with a similar result as earlier, plenty in berry and no takers.
We headed back into shore where it was good to get some warm gear on, and then headed for home. Not the best day catch wise, but a very enjoyable day out on the water in Jim’s new vessel.
Cheers - Brian
