My biggest one!!
| FISH_WEIGHT: |
13 FISH_KG (FISH_ESTIMATED) |
| FISH_DATE: |
25-09-208 |
| FISH_LOCATION: |
Porto Rafti |
| FISH_DESCRIPTION: |
Everything was organized and executed very quickly. I’m there a bit sooner. After a little while Spiros arrives. We push the inflatable boat in the water and after a small course, we are casting anchor.
The sea is at its best. It’s the first days of August and the visibility is magical. After warming up in shallower waters, I follow Spiros to the spot with the white groupers. This spot is located on a headland and the formation is ideal. In the beginning there are a few submerged “steps” from 15 to 25 meters. Afterwards large rocks head all the way to 32meters and after that, clear white sand that leads to a very deep underwater cliff. That is where the large groupers come from in late July and August.
We are talking about great numbers of fish with some exceeding the weight of 15kg! Stories told by a friend who used to fish this spot many years ago, talked of a gigantic fish over 30kg! In early July, when the fish had just come from deeper waters, this specific fish, maybe acting like the leader of the school, would sit in the middle with the other, smaller fish circling it! Actually, sometimes this fish would charge at smaller ones (10-15kg) making a simply unbelievable noise!
Thinking of these amazing stories, I have managed to relax completely and begin my dive to the first, shallower steps. As soon as I land on the bottom, I can see plenty of small golden groupers and a couple of small white groupers hovering a bit deeper. The way we dive in this spot is strategically organized by me and my dive buddy. By applying ambush on the shallower parts of the spot, we patiently wait. Our goal is to calm the smaller fish found in the area (golden groupers, small dusky groupers, silver sea breams) and transfer this calmness to the larger white groupers.
Indeed! After several aspetto’s from Spiro and me and without hitting any smaller fish, the large white groupers appear! They are not as many as other times. Only two fish we believe to be from 12 to 15 kilograms. Our goal now is to set our ambush in deeper waters and take a good, calculated shot.
My turn to dive has come again. As Spiro was executing a long ambush, I was deciding what to do on this dive. There, after the last rock of the sea floor there is one more piece of stone. There, the fish have managed to dig under one side, probably setting their own ambush for the afternoon hunt. My objective was to approach as quietly as possible and take a shot in the open water.
Last strong - deep breath. After some seconds I’m behind the last rock. I don’t prevail, a let a few seconds go by. As soon as I come out of my hiding place, the first white grouper (7-8kg) is hovering over the sand 5-6 meters from me. I lower my glance and act as if scared wanting to evoke it even more. That never happens. It calmly moves to the piece of stone a few meters down. I follow it. My eye catches a large tail that is moving towards there. I hope our courses will meet… the smaller one has already reached the spot and stands still in one corner. The large white grouper nevertheless, seems to have the same course.
I quickly estimate the situation. I am still feeling ok and having told Spiro how I planned my dive, I still might have a chance at this.
I have reached the edge of the rock. The smaller of the fish moves quickly and with a sprint sits beside the large white grouper… It is then that I realize the fact that the big fish is 3 times larger than the small one. Waiting on the edge, I see the smaller one begin its approach towards me! In fragments of a second, the gigantic white grouper with an unbelievable move comes between me and the other fish leading it to deeper waters.
I am out of breath and wondering what caused this reaction. Was this a conscious act? Surely this fish plays a very important role in the area. Is it the same fish my friend was talking about? Where does it go? How will I manage to spear it? Should I? Is it worth it?
I have reached the surface. Spiro asks me after a few second about what happened… I described what I saw down there. He smiles and suggests we leave…
Epilogue: I still have not speared my largest white grouper… and I probably won’t.
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My biggest one!! FISH_CAUGHT_AT Porto Rafti
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