With all lingering signs of a passing winter now fading into obscurity I hit the water with one less body-layer today, opting to leave the Drytop behind. I'd only planned a short trip today but with such nice conditions I was on the water longer than planned, launching at around 10AM and finishing up just after 4PM. In that time I caught a bunch of fish, letting most go unharmed. Action was fairly quiet on the sounder so I spent some time scanning the water with binoculars, looking for signs of bird activity. I found it to, in exactly the same place I saw it last week, about 3km out from shore. I was tossing up whether or not head out to take a look when I started sounding fish. So instead I concentrated fishing about 1.5km off shore, over reefy ground where I'd been finding snapper recently.
Not long after I deployed a couple of lines I caught movement at the corner of my eye. A splashing noise drew my attention and looking over I spotted a black fin slice the waters surface, then quickly submerge again. Could have been a dolphin, but I have to admit, it did look like a shark fin. But with my new Shark Shield silently shielding away I really wasn't concerned at all and of course, that was the last I saw of it. Indeed, I was easily distracted from it as I started getting bites there and then. And the biting just went on and on and on. It turned out to be one of those days.
Most fish were pretty small and all but 2 were returned. Among the species caught were flathead, bream, cod, wrasse, pike and snapper. One of the snapper gave a hell of a fight, taking a small sliver of chicken rigged onto a soft-plastic jighead on a light line. A couple more snapper fell for the very same trick, one of which was also kept for the table, another smaller one released to fight another day.
Towards the end of the day - right when I was thinking of giving up for the day - a trolled lure was hit hard and taken for a high-speed swim. As I started reeling it in I knew immediately this wasn't a snapper. For sure, it felt much more like a tuna (bigger than any I'd caught before) or maybe a shark. Unable to gain any amount of line on it, the fish was towing me along at an average of 3km an hour, heading east and towards NZ. After about 10 minutes my shoulder started to ache and I wasn't having any success taming the fish. So I decided to pedal towards it and bring in some line the easy way and in doing so, soon got my first glimpse of my quarry. A reef shark by the looks of it, about 5' long at a guess. I was starting to get pretty excited because I was interested to see what it would do when in range of the shark shield, but was unable to get it any closer than where I caught my 1st glimpse. It went for another run, which was quite discouraging to my shoulder and several minutes later I had to cut the line.
Josh has already gone through some of the benefits of trampolines on the Adventure Island, but for me they fill another need - carrying my 2 sons while sailing. In the past my sons have ridden, the eldest in the back and the youngest on my lap, this was never ideal and always led to shortened outings. So when the tramps were available I saw immediately how good they would be for my situation and sure enough, after getting them they have made group yakking a very pleasurable experience.
Installation and usage is simple (no manual required) and I was impressed by the quality and integrity of the tramps. Suddenly there was all that new space - 12 square foot per tramp! This weekend was the main test, taking the boys sailing so as usual I started off in the safe mode hitting Teemburra Dam in light winds. Straight away the boys were at home standing up, sitting and laying down as well as moving around. I was surprised to find it was quite easy pedaling in the light breeze and after setting up each one with a rod we made for the sticks.
Fishing was short lived but both were kept busy splashing around, checking out local wildlife and general mucking around and this allowed us to stay out for over 3 hours a new record. So enjoyable was the experience that they both agreed to hit the saltwater the following day, something unheard of in the past.
Arriving at Cape Hillsborough before lunch we found very light winds, clear skies and calm seas, tacking to get out of the bay we searched for the wind. The winds stayed light and with pedaling we maintained an easy and steady pace heading around one of the headlands exploring the rocky coastline. Both lads had a heap of fun and would have stayed longer had they not got so wet early and were now chilling down in the increasing breeze.
These tramps have made a big improvement in how the boys enjoy sailing and are well worth it for that reason alone, they now want to get out with the wind and waves. These are a great investment and will mean that my time on the water will be even more and once the boys hook into some fish we will be a house full of addicts.
I took delivery of a brand-spanking Shark Shield unit today, as well as a pair of high-quality waterproof binoculars. My kayak fishing endeavours just got that little bit safer... and more interesting. The SS unit is pretty discreet and I can already think of several mounting options that would work, but as suggested to me from Byron Bay based yak fisho, Dan (AKA Spooled1), the Islands aka & ama combo makes for an ideal mounting solution. I'll be experimenting with various configurations to see what works for me in whatever style I choose to use the kayak in (monohull, outrigger/trimaran). It's a pretty sturdy looking thing and looks like it'll hold up to the abuse I plan to give it over the coming years. Jolly good.
I'm really very curious to see what kind of difference this is going to make for my kayak fishing experience, both in the absence of sharks and in their presence. Prior to the weekends experience, I never really felt a need to achieve 'peace of mind' (although I always understood why others might) but obviously I feel a bit differently now. I do have a lot of faith in the ability of this thing to do it's job, so I doubt I'll ever get those dark-shadow jitters again, whether sharks are around or not.
Those binoculars are going to come in handy to, not just for increasing my range of vision for watching aquatic wildlife, but also for spying the activities of birds in the distance. These would have been very handy during that shark encounter as well, because I certainly had time enough to sit back and watch the shark from a distance. The problem was, I couldn't really see much from a distance. Using binoculars, I think I would have had a much better chance of figuring out that it was probably a bit too big and bad to be messing with at all. I chose a 7 x 50 Plastimo model, featuring BAK 4 optics, great low-light performance and glare reducing ruby lens. Not small, but really quite good. Now I can do my shark watching at a safe distance :-)
Some of you may be asking yourselves (like my collegue did today) where am I going to fit these extra appendages. My kayak is already kitted out to the max as it is, though I have found what I think is an excellent solution. The most obvious spot of real estate left on my yak is on the very back of my seat. Sure... there's that little bumbag pocket there, but that doesn't hold a hell of a lot, nor is it terribly water-resistant. Recently I started experimenting with an alternative rear of backrest storage solution and it's turned out to be ideal. And it is the perfect size to house the Shark Shield unit as well as the binoculars, storing them securely and within arms reach.
Using 4mm bungee cord, I worked out an ideal way to attach the Black Wolf deck bag to the rear of the Hobie seat backrest, and it is the perfect size for my needs. Whilst it is actually made to be fitted to the bow of a sea kayak, it fits perfectly behind the backrest - or at least it does for me, because I have enough room there to get away with it (I use the forward seat mounting holes, unlike most people who use the rear)., It's made of 100% waterproof fabric (though the seams do need to be sealed), has a (so called) waterproof zipper opening on it's fat end. It's also got a mesh pocket on the outside, as well as a bungee lacing system, making it useful for external storage as well. I stuff a small sized 'Tek Towel' (lightweight hiking towel) into the bottom - highly absorbent towels can be a godsend on a kayak - which absorbs any moisture that may get in some way. This creates a soft, relatively dry platform for anything else that gets shoved in there and insures that nothing ends up actually submerged in a puddle. That, and it's accommodating size make it perfect for storing these two items. I'll write a post in the coming days with a photo of the modified seat pack in use, with an explanation of how I've rigged it to the backrest. I'm pretty happy with it's utility so far, so it's worth elaborating on.
The beast in question swims up alongside the kayak
As you'd expect, my mind has been replaying the events of Sunday afternoon, when I had a precarious brush with a Great White Shark while kayak fishing at Woody Head. It's fortunate that I filmed the incident from a couple of angles because the ability to rewatch the event provides 20/20 hindsight and I've had quite a few thoughts that have reached conclusion. The first and most obvious of these is that it's really pretty stupid to approach a shark and as clearly demonstrated in this encounter, such an act simply invites potential disaster. On that note, another conclusion I have also reached is that it's really pretty difficult to gauge the size of a shark when observing from near the waterline (say, from a kayak) from a distance... especially if it's choppy and green.
Partly for this reason, I ordered myself a set of high-quality marine-grade waterproof binoculars today. From now on I'll be using them to recon certain areas (patches of water being worked by birds for example) from a distance before moving in. Whenever I see birds working the water I approach with anticipation of fish. Now I know that I should probably also anticipate the possibility of shark presence in my local fishing grounds as well particularly at this time of year. So these should help to let me scan an area before moving in, as well as to help ID any species that may be present. A nice side benefit is that binocs will also be handy to have for whale watching, etc.
This episode has also convinced me - once and for all - that being armed with a genuine Shark Shield (not just my stake-out pole 'shark jabber' concept) is an excellent idea. Whilst I do still think encounters are rare, obviously its not out of the realm of possibility. Knowing the guys who are using the Shark Shields and hearing them comment on how much safer they feel because of it, I now feel as if I should be joining their ranks, so I will be. I did continue fishing for a while after the incident and believe me, it was somewhat nerve-wracking to do it. Choppy water was creating too many shadows and after a while, all of those shadows became sharks - my mind started playing tricks on me. That's not a feeling I want to have again and I now feel that the best way to prevent that from happening is to have a proven 'fire & forget' form of defence. I'll keep taking the stake out pole as a back-up, but the Shield will be my primary defensive measure.
The more I read - not just about these devices, but also of sharks themselves, the more confident I have become in the integrity of the Shark Shield units. I am pretty well convinced that they do work (the Australian navy seem to have taken to the idea) and I don't think it'll take long for me to prove to myself conclusively that they do indeed work as advertised. At the very least I'll hook a few more sharks within the coming months I'm sure, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I pull them towards the yak.
It's pretty evident from the video clip that I'm fairly confident on the water and I wouldn't argue that in this case at least, I was exceedingly over-confident. I wouldn't say that this event has dampened that confidence but it has certainly been a reality check and has really made me determined to be even better prepared for all scenarios. So whilst re-watching the footage I started thinking of things that I could and should have done differently (leaving aside for a moment that all I really had to do was avoid the shark).
Smile :-)
I was a bit like a determined photographer in a war zone there, going that extra mile to get that one magic photo - that one shot that National Geographic would pay millions for. That's what it takes. And that's why I held onto the camera instead of reaching for my stake out pole earlier, and looking back, I wish I'd handled that differently. I do actually have a RAM ball for a camera mount on that stake out pole (if you look closely you will see this in the clip) and being as determined to get the footage as I was, I probably should have taken the time to mount the camera onto the pole before approaching. 'Shark-jabber pole' cam would have been awesome! More importantly, it would have given me the chance to fend the shark off if it did try to attack me directly. I could have given that shark a stiff jab in the snout as it swam up and underneath me. Occupying my hands with a camera at that precise moment the way I did was a massive, questionable leap of faith. For sure, it was also pretty dumb having my trolling line out as well. There were other fish there - maybe tuna - and had I inadvertently hooked one while being harassed, well... what then?
Pedalling the hell out of there, I do think was the right thing to do. This is worth talking about for a few reasons. Firstly, a few have commented to me that they would have not tried to move away, and instead just wait out the shark's curiosity. Would this be a better strategy? I don't know... but I did feet somewhat vulnerable, knowing how far those things have been known to leap out of the water. I simply felt that sitting still was making it too easy for the shark, practically inviting it. So in getting going I had two choices. I could use a paddle or the miragedrive pedals (had I been using the full Island with sail, I'd have simply reefed the sail and sailed away). I chose to pedal away, for several reasons.
Firstly, I was not at all comfortable with the thought of dipping a paddle into the water. In the event the shark grabbed the thing, it would probably rip it out of my hands anyway, or otherwise pull me into the water along with it. No thanks. I really felt like pedalling was a far better option, not just because I could maintain a good speed longer, but also because I could have my hands free to hold onto the pole. When one is paddling, the paddle is pretty much the only defence... and also the only propulsion. On a Hobie mirage kayak, the paddle is a secondary propulsion solution. In my opinion, there's no reason why that should be any different if being pursued by a shark.
It's been suggested that the motion of the mirage fins act as an attractant to sharks, and it's also been suggested that this particular incident proves it. No, it doesn't. This event doesn't prove that mirage fins attract a shark at all. All it proves is that kayakers should not approach big sharks at sea. The only thing we know for sure about GWS is that they are unpredictable. If you want my opinion, they are likely to show interest in anything that is foreign to them and I don't think a pedal drive is any more of an attractant than the paddle, and visa versa. Who knows what goes on in their pea-sized brains? We don't, thats for sure.
If anything the shark took most interest in 3 particular things, in this order: 1: me 2: ama 3: rudder. My movement (and perhaps colour) got the sharks undivided attention to begin with. It did sniff out the ama, which isn't surprising considering it's seal-like profile. I actually hoped it would munch on it, as it would likely have soon given up after doing so. It was most persistent on the rudder (the clip doesn't do this justice, but polaroid sunnies did). It was clearly sniffing out the rudder and I think it gave up when it realised how odourless it was. When the shark gave up on the rudder and then swam up past me and then down into the depths was the last I saw of it.
One encounter with a GWS does not an expert make, but I reckon a shark, as unpredictable as they are, are likely to show interest in pretty much anything hanging off a kayak. If I had to go through that again and had to choose between paddle or pedal, trust me... it's a no brainer. Pedal drive please. I'd rather keep my hands free for shark-jabbing, thanks very much.
Disclaimer: What occurred today most likely wouldn't have happened if not for my own curiosity. The shark I encountered today was simply minding it's own business when I paddled right up to it. I was attracted there by birds that were working the area - a patch of water some 3km out to sea. When I got there I spotted the shark well before it spotted me and I could tell - even from a distance - that it was a big one. I pedalled up from behind and I think giving it a bit of a surprise. When it did notice me, however, it went from being a lethargic mass near the surface to a very curious, if not agressive shark. I'm not an expert on shark species, but it looked very much like a great white to me. And it wasn't happy. I could have and should have left it alone, but I didn't. The Steve Irwin in me just couldn't help itself.
After having this experience, and then reliving it by watching the footage, I reckon it's an absolute miracle that my kayak rudder lived to tell the tale - the shark took a strong interest in that. Indeed, it took a very strong interest in me as well and in the following clip, you'll see that for yourself. What it didn't seem to take any notice of was the mirage fins, which is somewhat of a relief, because they are what I used to hightail it out of there.
Although I've always maintained that shark sightings are surprisingly rare and that the likilehood of being harassed by one even rarer again, one does increase their chances by paddling out to sea as often as I do. Especially when one actually goes out of their way to have the close encounter. I always knew this would happen one day and have prepared for it in my head a thousand times. It went down similarly to the way I imagined it would, although the agressive response of the shark did surprise me. Will I continue to fish off shore in the same waters? Yes. Will I ever approach a big shark like that again? Not without a Shark Shield, no.
Saturday was a very quiet day out at sea, which was fitting, as today was the day I was to take my mate Roger out kayak fishing. With such good conditions I figured he'd be OK at Woody Head, which is usually fairly easy going, as it was this day. I arranged for him to use the shop's (Maclean Outdoors) demo island to use, lending him one of my amas and tramps to use with it. We both took to the water outrigger style, both of us using tramps. Despite the extra stability and platform space offered by these, Rog wasn't terribly keen on going very far out. And he was straight up honest about it - he was pretty damned nervous about the possibility of seeing a shark. 'It'll be OK', I told him. 'There are sharks here, but the chances of seeing one are very slim. And the chances of being harassed even slimmer'.
But he ignored my suggestion that he should paddle out a little further, and hung in closer instead, which I thought fair enough (especially so when I neglected to give him a paddle). It was his first time out after all, so it was a good idea for him to stay where he felt comfortable. And just like I said would happen, we did see turtles, we did see dolphins, we did even see a few fish - a sting ray even... but no sharks. A big *phew* on that one for Rog, although we both left the water a little disappointed with our results. I'd caught a handful of cod, and Rog managed a sting ray. Not a fish worth keeping was taken, although I did get a couple of solid bites. Solid enough to inspire me to try again Sunday.
It was a completely different picture on Sunday. Nth west winds rolled in at around 10 - 15 knots and the water was pretty sloppy. Good thing I'm using my yak as an outrigger I told myself as I slid it into the water. I was determined to catch snapper today and to that end armed myself with 3 rods. I hadn't had any success at the point where I spotted birds working in the distance, some 500 metres away. Thinking that they may be onto something of interest, I pedalled forth to investigate. Sure enough they were indeed attracted to something of interest, as was a fairly large dark mass that I immediately knew was a fairly chunky shark. I spotted it from about 50 metres away - well before it spotted me - and continued to move closer to get a better look, and hopefully a photo.
As I got within 10 metres I guessed it's size to be about 3 metres, but didn't have a clue of it's species. When it noticed me approach it became even more curious than me, and instantly swung around towards the yak. It came directly towards me, right up to the side of the kayak. There and then I could see that it was both big and bold enough to jump right in and grab me, so I quickly jumped out on to the tramp. Then it went underneath the yak, and then spun around aggressively as I leapt back into the deck. It gave the ama a nudge and at that point my feet had already found position and were pedalling steadily. The shark went underneath again and then circled around behind the kayak where it took special interest in the rudder.
It followed the rudder for tense seconds that seemed like eternity at the time, at one point practically rubbing it's nose on it. Right when I thought it was lights out for my rudder it swung back around and then up along side me. This was when I managed to get a good look at its colour and shape, instantly calling it to be a white pointer. At 3 metres length, not a terribly big one... but big enough to be rather intimidating.
I did get footage of the event and I can imagine how it might be cause for alarm with some viewers. As mentioned in the disclaimer to begin with, it was my actions that made this happen. I could have avoided the situation but I chose not to. Considering how many hours I've spent out at sea on kayaks, I still believe that sightings like this are rare, and remain confident that when foolhardy mung beans don't do what I did here (I call myself 'Yakass' for a reason) that being harassed by one is going to be even rarer still.
I'll accept the notion that I did the wrong thing leading up to the encounter, but I do believe my actions were the right ones getting myself out of it. Pedalling towards it was probably pretty stupid, yes. But pedalling the hell away from it was precisely the right thing to do (I say that on the basis that I'm still here). I lost sight of it eventually and did start fishing again, setting myself on a drift that pushed me further away from where I saw it, and towards the landing destination. I didn't last terribly long, however, because it was pretty choppy out there and this created a lot of shadows. Eventually those shadows started to bug me, for obvious reasons. That the fishing was quiet didn't help. It was time to call it a day.
I took delivery of a brand-spanking 
I'm really very curious to see what kind of difference this is going to make for my kayak fishing experience, both in the absence of sharks and in their presence. Prior to the weekends experience, I never really felt a need to achieve 'peace of mind' (although I always understood why others might) but obviously I feel a bit differently now. I do have a lot of faith in the ability of this thing to do it's job, so I doubt I'll ever get those dark-shadow jitters again, whether sharks are around or not. 
Using 4mm bungee cord, I worked out an ideal way to attach the 
