Diving

By Steve Hathaway

Make the most of summertime

A school of jack mackerel follow the drop-off contour.

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 days catch with family and friends. Life doesnt 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 youre 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 doesnt need to be an expensive exercise. Even though I am lucky enough to have a 740 Lazercraft that gives
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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 dont 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

Blue cod are happy to be admired, and are not scared, even by a bubble blowing diver.

From left: eagle rays are a common sight close to the coast and fascinating to watch underwater with their graceful movements. Another common inhabitant of the inshore coast is the red moki with its distinctive striped livery.

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 antici-

pation 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 suns 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 anyones book, but the thing I remember most was coming across a very large snapper. This fish didnt 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 couldnt

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Craysh can be found in surprisingly shallow nooks and crannies around our coastline.

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 days trip from the

largest city in NZ. However, while enjoying the ocean this season, lets 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 theyd 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 dont 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!

Keeping safety in mind

Here are a few things to keep in mind while enjoying a great summers diving: Make sure your gear is serviced and in good condition, as your life depends on it! Make sure your tness and experience are up to what you are trying to achieve. Seek local advice about where you plan to dive, as some locations will have hazards you need to be aware of, such as strong currents. Keep an eye on the conditions; a small surge when watching from the shore may not look very powerful, but once you have your cumbersome dive-gear on, that sedate looking swell can easily smash you against the rocks. Choose your entry and exit points wisely. There are heaps of boats on the water at this time of the year, so use a dive ag at all times when leaving your boat. Or, if shore diving, tow a oat with a ag on the surface to let the boat drivers know that you are there. If diving in a current, I prefer to anchor the boat slightly down-current of the spot I want to dive and swim up to it. Swimming with a current is very deceptive, so when you surface you could be well beyond sight and sound of your boat person. When diving from a boat, make sure your boat person knows what your plans are (i.e. how long you will be down, the direction you are heading in, and what they need to do when you get to the surface etc). Stress that they must stay attentive until you get back to the surface, as something really simple like cramp could make it impossible to swim back to the boat, and you may need to be picked up. Consequently, ensure they also know how to start your boat, lift the anchor, use your cell phone or VHF, and what the location is called in case of an emergency. 102 New Zealand Fishing News January 2011