Amazing fun dive with buddies

Starting the day, few hour before low tide  payoff for an amazing day spearfishing. The ocean was fill with abandon reef fish to choose from.

I might sound like i am making excuses but we all are affected by how cold the water tempature that day( except for Luc skywalker, he stayed in the water for 4 hour nonstop) me and Wolou couldnt focus or get comfortable with the icy water and we were suffering. Pissing nonstop was very irratating, get in and out the boat was wasting so many precious minute..

I miss several shot, such nice size Maori seaprett! Yellow lip emperor, and giant milkfish.

But we manage to catch some decent fish chip fishy and oven bake snapper.

Overall spottin jumping manta ray, dugong swimming next to you and cruisin next our   boat, and to top it indentify 3 different species of shark put a big smile in all our face. 

Thank you mother ocean for amazing day innour beautiful backyard..

Top Ten Fish you Shouldnt spear in the island of god.

The list is sorted according to rarity of the fish in Bali, Edibility, and endangered:

1. Napoleon Fish(Humphead Wrasse). Javanese fisherman are still targeting smaller napoleon fish and sold in Benoa or Kedongan market for special customers. The Napoleon population in Bali are located in few spot around Bali. They usually in school of 10-15 fish(40-60 kg) To me they are very easy target for spear-fisherman because you can approach them very close. So please DO NOT SHOT THEM!

Rating: Endangered 5/5 Rarity: 5/5 Edibility: 2/5

2. Whitetip Shark (or any shark!).
The last 6 year the population just keep decreasing, just last year alone i only see 1 or 2 shark. Usually i will see few of them.So Please i know is easy target, lots of meat, but common they play an important role to the ecosystem. Respect them and go shoot a surgeon fish instead..

 Rating: Endangered 5/5 Rarity: 5/5 Edibility: 1/5

3. Teira Batfish
The local love to shoot them, i don't understand why. is tasteless, it looks like ur aquarium pets then fish for your dinner. Avoid this fish and enjoy their presences.

 Rating: Endangered 2/5 Rarity: 1/5 Edibility: 2/5

4. surgeonfish
They are everywhere in Bali. Local usually eat as substitute if there is no fish. Again is not worth shooting them because you wont be impress when it goes to your mouth.
 

 Rating: Endangered 1/5 Rarity: 1/5 Edibility: 1/5

5. Murray eel
A lot of meat but do not mistaken with Unagi (Anguilla Bicolor/Anguilla Marmorata) They are not even close in taste or texture. So forget it!


 Rating: Endangered 2/5 Rarity: 3/5 Edibility: 2/5

6. Sting ray
If you visited Singapore u must try  grilled stingray, Is delicious. Shooting stingray is too easy. They have sting on the tail which almost killed my maid. Is best avoid them and shoot fish without a stinger.


 Rating: Endangered 1/5 Rarity: 1/5 Edibility: 3/5

7. Boxfish, pufferfish & porcupinefish
This is our friend Robert and Pak Sate favorite fish. First is poisonous if is not treated properly, second you can close your eye to hunt them and third why you want to risk your life eating fish!! There are so many other choices. The meat look like chicken breast and is very tender so is edible but very dangerous, just leave it to master chef to prepare for you at the Japanese restaurant.

 Rating: Endangered 1/5 Rarity: 3/5 Edibility: 1/5

Rob spent few minute struggling with the poor fugu

8. Sweetlips. Oriental Swetlips and yellowdot sweetlip is are usually very tempting fish to shoot and also many other sweetlips that looks like a snapper. but its has a lot of bone and very poor taste. not recommended to impress friends in BBQ.
 Rating: Endangered 5/5 Rarity: 4/5 Edibility: 2/5

9. Parrotfish.
 Tasty fish for fish and chips, beside to me is to oily and they look to pretty for eating.
 Rating: Endangered 1/5 Rarity: 1/5 Edibility: 2/5

10 Unicornfish
 The local love to make Sate, and pepes with this fish. majority of our boat captain request us to shot one for them. To me there is nothing special about it and i only shoot them if i have no fish and i am very hungry

Rating: Endangered 1/5 Rarity: 1/5 Edibility: 2/5

18/10/2009 north east Banka island

Water visibilty was good, no wind, shallow reef that never end for few km full of reef fish. It was hard to pick the best spot because everywhere i go is rich with coral reef. It was endless. The problem was i was to busy looking for big game fish and ignore the reef fish. Then toward the end i start shooting any reef fish i can find. I am sure there is a very good spot for mackerel mearby but it was too big the area to explore in one day.


Overall i enjoy seing the diversity of coral reef and  fish. I wouldnt mind coming back for second trip.