I Thought You Went Diving?

So we are heading out to a dive site, Jo is driving and myself, Jeanie and Richard are getting our gear ready.

All of a sudden a yellowfin leaps from the water in a dramatic slow motion arch, and I find myself watching in awe, then another and another. And within split seconds the small dive boat has spun around and Jo is frantically unwinding a handline at the rear of the boat while Richard is giving direction towards the silver jumpers.

And in all this time all I have managed to do is keep breathing. Adrenaline rush!

'Whats going on' I tell myself  'Im pretty sure I don't even like fishing!'. But it was to late to reason with myself, I was already standing on the seat in the middle of the boat screaming with excitement that Jo had hooked the Yellowfin Tuna... On a hand line!

So as the experienced fisherman play the game they know so well, I watch like a spectator at a game where I still havn't decided who I want to win.

All this time I keep saying to  myself 'I didn't even know fishing was fun!'

Soon the game ends and indeed Jo has one this round, with his fingers bleeding from the line and the fact there was no gaf on the dive boat (naturally) meant him and richard had to use there brute strength to pull the beautiful fish from the water... and we still have the dive to go!

Lucy, the resort cat, suprised to see the dive boat return with fish.

Kate the Kiwi Diving Instructor at Mad Fish Dive Centre

It's not all about the diving...

It's not all about the diving here at Matava. Sure we dive every day and diving is discussed over meals and most people will dream about diving but there are plenty of other things to do here.

One of the most popular activities - nothing - quite hard for some, but after a few days most people get the hang of it.

The local village isn't far to walk to and there is a beautiful waterfall if the salt gets too much.

There's fishing trips and kayak trips and my all time favourite - touch at sunset.

Come check it out for yourself

Kate the Kiwi instructor

More Fiji National Records fall to Bite Me

This week I had the pleasure of that renown angler, author and editor of BlueWater magazine, Tim Simpson fishing aboard Bite Me.

Tim and I get together every July and troll ultra-light 4kg line class for Kadavu's annual run of big wahoo and Pacific sailfish fish that gather along the barrier reef slopes. This ultra light fun fest is timed to coincide with the start of the season thought this year we were a few days early and the bite was just firing up at the end of the week. Its what I call 'my annual week off' and we just go out there to have some fun and target a couple of IGFA World Records.I run Avet SX reels on custom Stickfacewrangler all roller 4kg rods and Tim brought a couple of his Shimano TLD15s on Daiwa and Custom rods.

This year we were trying out the new orange Platypus Lo-Stretch IGFA line which proved to be excellent for visibility and sensitivity.Tim brought a bag full of Halco minnows and Williamson skirted lures which we took great delight in sacrificing to the hungry yellowfin that plagued our every move. The small schooling fish of about 15-20lbs were hours of entertainment but we finally skirted the little ones and Tim hooked up a more respectable yellowfin that dived for the depths and challenged us with a stubbourness that only yellowfin do so well.Calling for some investigative boat manoevering to find the direction the tuna was happiest with and 50 minutes of gaining line inch by inch only to watch it screem off again, we finally boated a new M-04kg Fiji National Record Yellowfin Tuna. Weighing in at 14.6kg (32lbs) it was not a massive tuna by any standards but significant on 4 kilo line class and tastey to boot !

Not content with a yellowfin record, we then proceeded to hook up some lively little mahi mahi which cavorted across the ocean waves in typical mahi fashion. The largest of which weighed in at 7.2kg (16lbs) setting a new record for Fiji mahi on 4 kilo line class. Fishing 4 kilo line class in Fiji waters is entirely beyong the comprehention of most local anglers. Fish are generally caught here for food not for sport. Most local anglers consider 10 kilo line class to be 'light tackle' and look on in horror when I pitch up at the Pacific Harbour 3 day International tournament with a plethora of 4,6 and 8kg outfits. Last year we took 2 National light tackle Records and our anglers walked away with thousands of dollard in prizes, much to the chagrin of some of the 'old guard'!


This week, the yellowfin were so prolific that it was common to have multiple hook-ups, even when trolling right beside the barrier reef. Deckie Joe frequently found himself clearing second and third rods with yellowfin attached. I often had to run down from the bridge to clear rods as Tim and Joe had their hands full of speeding tuna.

One morning, whilst trolling a mixed spread for wahoo and sailfish, we got jumped by yellowfin in the usual manner. (lots of shouting and screeming reels). Tim selected a rod and Joe then selected the next. Out on the rigger however, the skipbait garfish with Pakula Fluzy rigged on the nose simply sat quietly and slowly began to sink as I nudged Bite Me to a stop. No problem there I thought, these were only very small tuna and Tim was already making headway with his fish coming under control. Jut leave the skipbait out there - its well clear of the props and the anglers lines.Suddenly the rigger clip pops and the reel gives a short sharp ratchet blast. Tim starts yelling "Strike on the rigger" but I'm not so sure. Its not that deep here and that skipbait might just have sunk deep enough to snag coral. (Oops..Darn). A second later the reel starts to tick over and Tim calls me down from the bridge to grab the rod. I'm still not convinced its a fish....

By now the two little tuna are coming on board and Tim pops up to the bridge to drive on the fish I don't think I have. Moments later all doubts are dispelled as the bit of coral I envisage on the end of my line barrels off seaward in a long thumping run.Hmmm... What eats a sinking skipbait in 40 meters of water right next to the reef....Dogtooth tuna ? shark ? Oh oh, was that skipbait rigged on wire leader for wahoo or mono for a sail ?Sinking feeling...I can see this all ending in tears...but after 10 minutes, I am still connected (Phew! wire rig)So, anyhoo, long story short...from gain a bit / lose a lot to gain a lot / lose a bit we finally get colour and all eyes are on the fish to try to see what it is just in case it busts us off on the home stretch and we don't identify it. (Don't go there - its a painful experience) Lo and behold up comes a very grumpy Giant Trevally. Now, we normally release GTS but this one turns out to be a new Fiji National Record on 4 kilo line. I have to say I was quite chuffed at landing a GT on 4kg line after an hour long fight so close to the reef as these bruisers are notorious for spooling or 'reefing' anglers even on heavy tackle so I elected to weigh the fish which set a new Fiji record of 10.20kg (22.5lbs).Very nice, Thank you. Beers all round !

The wahoo and sails just didn't cooperate with us this week as the water temperature hovered at 26.6 but all the other species here kept us busy with screaming reels and busted lines. Tim had a definite world record wahoo on but the line mysteriously parted about 15 minutes into the fight. Probably got bit by another fish.

He also fought a sailfish for over 5 hours and my colleague Richard fought a yellowfin for over 4 hours. Mor on that later.To all you heavy tackle anglers out there, the next time you skull drag a mahi or wahoo in on your 130lb marlin gear, imagine how much fun it would have been to fight that fish on 8lb line.....4 hour chair fight on a big blue marlin ? Pah. Try a 50lb yellowfin on 8 pound line. Now thats what I call a fight.Any takers ?

Undersea Productions: Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga, video identification guide

Undersea Productions: Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga, video identification guide

Marine Life of Fiji and Tonga: A Video Identification Guide

Created for divers, snorkellers, aquarists and all underwater enthusiasts.

Includes 2 DVD videos that you can play on your TV or computer PLUS a 16-page reference booklet with line drawings, descriptions and helpful information.

This "V.I.D." Guide (Video ID) covers the incredible marine biodiversity of this fantastic corner of the South Pacific. Beautifully filmed and visually engaging, Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga

contains pretty much every species you are likely to see, catch or hear about when getting wet in this part of the world. Three years and more than 3000 dives in the making, this is both an essential tool and exotic entertainment.

• 77 intuitive and easy-to-navigate DVD chapters
• 3.5 hours of gorgeous underwater footage
• 1739 video clips
• 1272 different species, including over 800 species of fish!
• common names and scientific names
• juveniles, males, females — plus endemic species and local colour variations
• video allows you to study behaviour: how species swim, feed, court, fight, clean, hunt
• tight macro shots show fine details, markings and texture normally impossible to see
• soothing ambient music by award-winning composer Bjorn Lynne
• filmed with utmost care and respect for the underwater environment
• downloadable checklist to keep a record of the species you've seen yourself (PDF format)

Disc One: FISH including sharks, lionfish, gobies, angelfish, ghost pipefish, rays, eels, butterflyfish, dragonets, seahorses, barracudas, parrotfish...

Disc Two: EVERYTHING ELSE including whales, nudibranchs, corals, octopus, crustaceans, sponges, jellyfish, sea stars, sea snakes, cuttlefish...

More information here...

Coral Reef Fishes (Indo Pacific and Caribbean) – Edward Liesk and Robert Myers

Edward Liesk and Robert Myers
ISBN 0-00-711111-8

• small and very handy to use
  
• extremely detailed list of species, descriptions and habitats.
• This book uses illustrations rather than photos which highlight the species differences very well

Indo Pacific – CORAL REEF – Field Guide – Gerald R. Allen / Roger Steene

Gerald R. Allen / Roger Steene
ISBN 981-00-5687-7





This book covers not just fish but the full spectrum of underwater natural history.
As a field guide it is not detailed and is for use as a quick photo reference.
The great thing is that the pages are water resistant so you can take it out on the boat or kayak for instant reference

Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific

John E. Randal

ISBN 0-8248-2698-1

• A great coffee table book
  
• huge with thousands of photos
• very detailed fish descriptions with behaviours and habitats

Must have books for self confessed ‘Fish Geeks’ ad other natural history lovers

A lot of us divers take great pleasure in identifying the things we see underwater. For me, it is mainly fish id which interests me and I am always hoping to spot the unusual or maybe even discover something new!

Even after 5 years of diving in Fiji I rarely dive without seeing something new and the great thing is that the more you know, the more you discover. There are some great books available to help with fish id and all give you the basic skills necessary to remember key details about the fish during a dive so you can remember it later on.

There are also some less detailed books but which give you a broader overview on marine and terrestrial natural history. Be aware that the common names for fish in the books vary so look to the Latin name to be sure you are comparing the same species from one book to another.

I am going to try to post some of my favourite fish id books for our region in the next few weeks as posts, and will keep on doing it as I fall in love with them.

More from the ‘Shark Trust’

A campaign has been launched to stop ‘Alibaba’ a Chinese online marketplace, from selling shark fins and other shark products. The decline of shark numbers worldwide is well documented. The ‘Shark Trust’ has gained enormous respect in scientific and political circles buy taking a stance calling for a sustainable shark fishery. Find out more about them at www.sharktrust.org .

The campaign to stop Alibaba is tackling the problem from the other end. There are more than 300 companies selling shark parts on Alibaba’s website – it is hoped that by making Alibaba aware of the vulnerable status of global shark populations they will agree to remove these companies from their site. Why should they listen? Alibaba is after a global market and already trades with over 200 countries and consumer opinion on its products may well affect its profits. As a result of a growing number of emails to the company, Alibaba has already agreed to look at the situation and talk with its suppliers. It is important that the pressure is maintained.

If you are at all concerned over the issues of shark finning, and the massive pressure on global shark populations through over fishing why not tell the company your concerns at www.alibaba.com/trade/servlet/page/help/contact_us_answer

Take a bet on global warming

You know it’s happening when a bookmaker comes up with a series of ‘global warming wagers’! Totesport is offering odds of a measly 25-1 only that a great white shark will be caught off the waters of the UK in 2007, believing that rising sea temperatures could attract the great white to British shores this year.

If it happens, let’s hope the Brit’s don’t develop the all sharks are bad attitude prevalent in many countries in our part of the world!

See full article at Science Daily.

Matava Flickr Photo Group now LIVE

At long last after many requests from past guests we have managed to get a place where we can all share photos from Matava.

As many of you know we have very limited communications out in the resort in Kadavu. In fact if we even have phone lines that we can speak on we are grateful. The internet connection is a very ropey dial-up where we get an average of 9kbps if we're lucky.

Therefore when kind hearted guests send us photos by email, we unfortunately spend hours shouting and swearing (who us?) and trying to remove these 2MB attachments form our servers before picking up email, and/or the line dropping out.

SO... we have found a solution where we can see and share everyone's photos and still remain sane on our dial-up connection.

Cruise on over to www.Flickr.com, (join up and get your free Yahoo! name if you don't have one already) and then post pictures and join our group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/matava/

We hope to see your photos up there soon guys. (send us a small email to say you've joined and we'll surf over and have a look)