Rob here. Loved- the snorkelling- gardens of different colours and shapes of beautiful coral- more fish colours and sizes than I have ever seen. Very beautiful. As Amanda has been diving I have spent heaps of time with Cade who loves the pool, “feeding the crabs”, watching bats and finding frogs and lizards. He also really enjoyed the three boys of Bryan’s friends “Rob and Kate” who also sailed down from Dubai- Swiss Family Robinson.
Cade has daily bike rides on the back with me in a baby seat for a visit to the local cafe for “short eats”- little samosa type things of different types. Cade has been the center of attention with “hello baby” wherever we go- but got a little over being touched by everyone..
Bryan and I have been doing regular six am fishing and doing well. On the first day, using my lovely gold rapala trolling the drop off it got harassed by tropical barracuda and as soon as we turned over the reef- hit a nice blue fin trevally. The resort chef offered to cook it but would not let me help make Iki Mata (raw fish Polynesian style) and ended up ‘stewing’ it, even when gave two hours instructions over three occasions.
Next day a huge grouper five-six kilos in 27 minutes which I made Iki Mata perfectly with in Bryan’s bathroom. (The bathroom looked like a crime scene.)
Lovely bigger grouper in one minute the next day. Only catching one per day so to not waste fish. Besides, anything’s better than resort food. Decided to give this away to Rob and Kate and kept going. Bryan hooked a beast and got wasted and lost my best rapala.
Nothing the next day- although gained some local knowledge for the following and final day of fishing. Bryan threatened to censure this blog if I mentioned that he ran out of juice and had to borrow some from Rob to get home, but I’m sure he wouldn’t do that.
We set off earlier than usual at stupid-O’clock five thirty am on the last day, to a troll around a couple of factory fish boats anchored nearby. We did about 88 figure eight trolls around the two rusting hulks before heading back to the opposite side of our usual channel spot. The bumpy ride was worth it, as within a couple of minutes of dropping a replacement rapala in, Bryan’d landed a six-seven kilo blue fin trevally, and I it’s five-six kilo kin just a few minutes after.
The smaller one will keep Bryan fed for the next few days, and Bryan gave the bigger one to a local who’s previously invited him and his mum to his house for lunch. When he turned up to collect it he complained that he didn’t have a big enough plastic bag. So he carried it away in one hand, driving his scooter with the other.
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