To say that we have been waiting with bated breath for this comp would be an understatement. Right from the formation of our club we have been trying to have this comp but mother nature would have nothing of it. It threw gale force wind, rain you name it at us! The planets however did align for us on the 29 October 2011 and we finally had the opportunity to get into the water on a Saturday morning.
There were reports of decent viz along the Wild side (the western area of Port Elizabeth as its called but the locals) and temperatures of between 18 and 20 degrees. Everything looked perfect for our first club comp and the first of 6 Eastern Province trials. We had a great turn out with 15 divers and 7 boats, so after the slightly delayed briefing we were all more than a little excited to get into the water and set some club records. Although the records were not the only thing keeping us going that day, we had some awesome prizes for the top 10 divers, with sponsorship from all the local manufacturers – Freedivers, Rob Allen, Mikes Dive Shop, Rabitech and One Fish.
Even with the favorable conditions it would seem the fish had somewhere else they had to be. Most of the regular reefs were barren of anything bigger then a Hottie, not that this was a problem as it forced the divers to show some skill in finding the fish, a skill that we need on our Eastern Province team. And with the Gully Challenge doubling up as a trial for the EP team it was a great opportunity to see some skills in action.
Sadly many of the divers blanked on the day, not being able to find the fish. So it was up to the experienced and skilled divers to show their brawn and that they did, with one of the boats bringing in a humbling catch, one that ended up taking 1st and 2nd place with some max weigher Musslecracker, Poenskop and Cape Knifejaw.
The highlight of the day however, had to be a 5kg Cape Yellow Tail taken by Max Harrington. Not only was it the biggest tail of the day, it was also his first and for a new diver we know the excitement he must have felt! Best of all was the skill shown in bringing in this notoriously challenging catch without being reefed. So a huge WELL DONE to Max! This feat earned him the prize of “Most Improved Diver” a beautiful Rob Allen rail gun!
Even though the fish were sparse everyone had a great time with some of us even being graced with sightings of Humpback Whales mere meters from our boat, and after a few morning showers some of the best weather PE has on offer. So thank you to everyone that made this competition possible, and a special thank you to the sponsors for their generosity in providing the amazing prizes!
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| Prep'ing for the day |
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| Some exposure for our sponsors |
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| Briefing |
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| The Divers |
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| The launch |
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| The launch |
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| Charl weighing in his catch |
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| Max Harrington assisting with weigh in |
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| Charl Blignaut - First place |
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| 2nd place winner Martin van Niekerk receiving his prize |
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| Lohan Geel receiving his prize |
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| Max Harrington receiving his prize |
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| Eugene van Wyngaard receiving his prize |
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| Gert Jordaan receiving his prize |
