“...I dwell closed to the bottom, gliding as if I was part of it...the gun tucked under the shadow of my body...from rock to rock, hidden by the coral forest…the left hand does its job pulling me forward instead of the fins for these as they move betray the hunter leading them to run long before we can even see them…
…hours before, standing in front of the bench grinder, I sharpened the tricut tip until all edges cut, added more silicone between the foot pocket and the blade, silencing those small little friction noises e tuned the “clutch” on the reel, tightening the dyneema in order to flow smoothly without jams…
…all this ritual calmed me down in some sort of meditation condition reaching emptiness witch I attain in these moments while going through the gear, abstracting myself from anxiety as I prepare for the battle that follows…today, its Red Snapper day!
The Two Spot Red Snapper, or Lutjanus bohar, is one of the most outstanding creatures we can hunt in these waters…sun of the Indic ocean, born with an African spirit, it’s a wild animal, of pure energy, explosive character and very skittish behavior , with an intelligence out of the ordinary with which not so many fish can compare, joining it with a certain superiority and uninterested personality that keeps him at distance e eliminates all that natural curiosity that betrays most fish…I’ve chased Dentex in Europe, Djabar’s in Senegal, Cubera’s in S. Thomas and Prince but with these ones…you put your technique to a trial…stretching the lungs to the limit…while testing all the weakness of your gear!
…back to the bottom and after several dives, this was just one more in order to make them leave the boilers of the wreck and lead them to the small coral valley a few meters north…
…in there I know I can stand a chance…plenty of rocks and corals, ledges and caves, where I can hide and make use of the dark to surprise them…
…I hide…glide…and make myself notice, causing some discomfort leading the bigger ones to move into the deeper zone, seeking protection in the natural landscape of the valley…the rest of the shoal follows…the first battle is won!
Descending slowly I can see them from afar…reaching the bottom the body follows the path the mind as set on the surface…the gentle approach begins…in a game of patience, like some sort of underwater chess where calm and smoothness set the rules… reaching a coral ledge with the current behind my back, I hide under its shadow…two brief throat grunts and its complete silence…my eyes are down…the gun is hidden…the body in total relaxation…
…the first ones come in…between 4 to 7 kg, in those orange and bright red tones like small goblins of fire with their sharp fangs coming out typical of their scary look…slowly I lower my head in a gesture of submission which triggers their instinct leaving them to stay close to me…a few meters behind them I can feel him…I can hear the strong runs he makes…still nervous he makes himself notice with fast clashes of the tail, as gunshots that eco like music to my ears…he’s there, my Red Devil!
…run after run he gains his trust…coming in vigorously one last time, almost on top of me, turning like a lightning in the final second to gain distance once again…it’s now or never …as he backs away I level the gun pushing the body backwards while making one strong throat grunt…the Devil stops, turns around e comes in strongly…I wait…one more meter…one more…the finger presses the trigger and as the spear flies to its target hitting it on the head all hell breaks loose…the fish explodes and I let him run in order not to tear the spear out…as soon as it caves I lock the reel and initiate the ascend…the bottom time is long…the air is short…surface calls…
Now it’s the rush, I ventilate as well as I can, controlling the fish bellow me, I know that with all the fighting sharks will soon come claiming what belongs to Neptune…going down fast on top of the fish that lays partially caved I try to lower my heart rate…reaching it, one hand untangles the dyneema as the other takes the fish out…pressing him against my chest I look around for bad neighbors …they’re there but at a distance…reaching the surface I know…this one is mine!
This is the story of my first Bohar of the year, and also my personal best…a magnificent creature, and maybe the fish which poses me more challenges to its capture, testing me to the limit e never ceasing to amaze me…
Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it…
Safe diving to you all…
ND