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Make the most of summertime!
By Steve Hathaway
Ahh, summer is here again – my favourite time of the year. The wet winter that seemed to go on forever is but a distant memory, the stress of December and long hours at work are now behind us, and the weather is playing the game, right on cue. This is the time of the year that most Kiwis look forward to. Long days on the water, followed by evenings around the BBQ eating the day’s catch with family and friends. Life doesn’t get much better than this! Some of you may be reading this while in your tent near the beach, perhaps wondering what you might do for the rest of this lazy day. For others, the day is so packed with action that the only time you read a fishing mag is when you’re having a quick loo break. Whichever pace you take over the holidays though, spending time in and on the ocean has to be the most therapeutic way to recharge the batteries. Unfortunately for some, times are tough out there and money is tight – but getting out for a dive doesn’t need to be an expensive exercise.  Even though I am lucky enough to have a 740 Lazercraft that gives me access to some of the best diving NZ has to offer, including places like the Three King Islands, many of my favourite dives can be accessed by just swimming off a beach. At the time of writing this article (late November), the ocean temperature has been unseasonably high, with temperatures up to 19 degrees being recorded and reports of clean water not too far from the coast. So hopefully the blue-water should be near the coastline, making shore diving a great proposition. When I was at college, I organised a group of mates to do a scuba course together during school time. (I don’t know how we got away with it, but my suspicion is that the teachers were just happy to get me out of their classes!) Having a boat was not an option back then, so apart from the occasional day out on a charter boat, the vast majority of our dives were straight from the shore, particularly near Hahei Beach and the surrounding Coromandel coastline. It is amazing how good coastal diving can be – sometimes even better than that available around the offshore islands! We have so many stunning beaches around our coast that, quite often, just a short walk from your parked car provides access to a quality dive. Something that often amazes me about fishermen and divers is that we frequently drive right past the best spots because we think some other far-off location will be better. My first dive off the shore near Hahei exemplifies this point. My dive partner had dived here once before, and been talking it up with stories of crayfish under every rock and crystal clear water. This was music to my ears and seemingly way too good to be true.  During the half-hour walk lugging our tanks around this rocky coast, I was careful not to slip as I jumped from boulder to boulder, with the beautifully turquoise coloured water right next to me adding to the anticipation and excitement. This is why I had got into diving: I was about to explore somewhere I had never dived before, and I was absolutely pumped. Once we arrived at the entry point, I put my mask into the water and confirmed that this nice looking water was not a figment of my imagination – the vis’ was amazing. A little later I ended up looking through the shallows, the strands of kelp flickering in the sun’s rays as they swayed back and forth above the boulders they clung to. I think we got three or four crays that day, which is a good feed in anyone’s book, but the thing I remember most was coming across a very large snapper. This fish didn’t seem to be in a hurry to escape, which appeared weird, and as I got closer I could see it was attached to a short fishing line caught around the rocks. I couldn’t believe my luck, as I had only ever dreamt of catching a fish this large on a rod, let alone with my bare hands. However, upon grabbing hold of the nylon the fish came back to life, swimming strongly back and forth in an effort to escape my clutches, and displaying the raw power that had enabled it to break away from its original captor. I frantically tried to manoeuvre it into my opened catch bag, but snap, the line suddenly parted. Bugger!  I have never experienced anything like this again, but having dived this location many times since, I remain mesmerised by the beauty and the various sea life I encounter each time. It is amazing to think we have got dozens of locations just like this within an easy day’s trip from the largest city in NZ. However, while enjoying the ocean this season, let’s remember that every year there are a number of people who lose their lives while diving. One thing I can guarantee is that not one of them would have thought they’d become one of the statistics. I have also heard it said that some drowned divers are found still clutching onto their catch-bag full of crays or scallops.So don’t let the thought of losing an $80 catch bag or the excitement of the hunt take over from common sense and safe diving practices. I hope you have a fantastic summer season, and make sure you dive and discover some new locations; there are literally thousands out there just waiting to be found! Courtesy of New Zealand Fishing News January 2011 Please view our extensive range of Freedive products and Scuba Products. To follow Steve Hathaway's video blog, click here.
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