whats your best "scare"

[butnosplash]

Have read some interesting stuff in here , and it has given me a genuine giggle. Thought to myself I wonder how many "HOLY S%$T" situations have people been in.


EG, I was sitting in my 4.5 mtr savage out on a lovely little reef about 15 k,s offshore, theres ALWAYS something there for fun, however things were really quiet , unusually so.. Well anyway I start a berley trail up, and about 15 mins later these three big long toms roll up in the trail, All about 1mtr in length. I was quite fascinated watching them when.........HOLY MCF**K the world erupts out of the ocean about 10 feet off the back of the boat. A MASSIVE shark is in full twisting torpedo flight nailing one of the long toms, he got half of it ,the other half seriously made about 15 ft into the air before coming down. I didnt exactly get the time to throw a tape measure across the big bitey thing, but it was at least as long as my little boat. Enough said, I pulled anchor and left him to his patch.

[TimiBoy]

I don't have one of my own, but I always like relating this one:

Back in 1982 I lived in a van in Victor Harbour in SA. I had a mate with a few cray pots, and he used to bring me a cray every Monday. One day he turned up quite early, no cray, but needing a beer.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Well," he said, "I was pulling a pot in shark alley," (between Right Island and the Bluff, I think) "and as I was looking down, this black shape went under the boat bow to stern. It was longer than the boat, so I came in. Big Fred." He didn't look too happy...

This boat was a 19 footer. Big Fred was well known down there, probably still is. He's a Great White, a big one. This story is one of the reasons I don't swim in the sea. That was a couple of k's from a popular swimming/surfing spot called Petrel Cove.

Cheers,

Tim

[nigelr]

Great thread, butnosplash!
Not much of a tale to tell, thankfully!
20 years or so ago, I experimented with late afternoon spearfishing. I love my spearing, on the rare ocasions when conditions allow, where I live.
I'd noticed that the fish would start to come back inshore during the late afternoon, so over the course of several afternoons during a rare flat spell, I'd
jump in and go for a look see.
The first afternoon, I saw a shark. Only a little whaler of about 4 foot or so, just cruising about, nothing to worry about.
The next afternoon, same thing, slightly larger whaler, just kept an eye on him, no real drama.
The LAST afternoon, another whaler, this time about 8 foot, quite a solid animal and very inquisitive. Came right up to about 5 metres away and eyeballed me, all I could do was face him off with the gun pointed at his head..........
Fortunately he slowly cruised off, and I quite quickly made my way back to land, all the while looking over my shoulder...........
I've never speared late afternoons again.
There are plenty of whalers in this area, but I've never encountered one during the early mornings, so I figure I'll stick to the early starts.
Respect where respect is due!
Hardcore spearos laugh at sharks, but I am certainly NOT one of those!
Cheers.

[Local_Guy]

was fishing in the tweed river a few years back now and as we were cruising around in the small tinny, every now and again a stingray would jump clear out of the water.. thought that was preety cool.

as we were heading back into the ramp i was at the front of the boat getting ready for the boat ramp when 2m infront of me jumped this big black stingray, i could have almost touched it... a quick check of the underwear and all was good.

Timi i reckon your scare was me controlling your electronic throttle in your boat.... how many times did i almost send you over the stern ;P

[dogsbody]

We hired a houseboat in the Sandy Straits and we had anchored off Kingfisher Resort. This particular night they we're having a beach party at the bar.

So being a younger lad I took some truckies helpers and copiuos amounts of bourbon and proceeded to party like it's 1999. Got absolutely smashed. On the way back to the vessel one of the other guys was already back on board and he grab his rod out of the rod holder and over the side he went. He managed to scramble back on board with rod in hand.

When I climbed (read fell) into the tender the brain was well and truly scrambled. Dragged my sorry arse into the houseboat and laid out on the back. Was feeling crook so I went to sit on the duckboard and spew relentlessly. I had no control whatsoever and the current was moving at a fair pace. Had I had fallen in there was nobody out there and I would have had no chance of swimming back and would have drowned for sure.

Wasn't worried at the time but when I look back it scares the bejeezes out of me that I could have departed this wonderful part of the world we live in.


Dave.

[rockfisho]

I had a beautie ,which scared the living crap out of me at the time. since then i know how to read waves on rocks very well, and my surfing helps with this.

I was rock fishing with a mate down at yamba at the base of the lighthouse headland. Its a typical sort of NSW ledge. with a steep cliff bit, which you can get up, but not in a hurry, and then a ledge about 2.5 metres above the sea. we were fishing a hellishly rough and churned up hole for groper and drummer. we didnt get any bites so we decided to go to the small point type protrusion on the ledge. we left our tackle at the first place and walked to the second spot.
between them was a raging drain hole, where all the water which crashed up went down. On the day it was fairly safe, as the waves were breaking on the vertical bit of rock, and then splashing up to where we were fishing. There was plenty of room where we were standing. However the section near this big drain hole, and where all the water returns to the ocean was like a big rock pool with a few big rocks to stand on. What happend is: I was gathering more bait from the first spot, and making my way to the other spot. I was wading through the rock pool, and watching teh waves intently as there was a set at the time, and i wanted to get out quickly. about 4 waves came in in quick succession, they hit the rock, and reflected back out to sea, then a big wave came in and was jacked right up with the reflected waves. and came over the rocks about 1 metre higher than the ledge. I saw it about 3 seconds in advance, and scrambled up onto a rock and braced myself. It hit and knocked me into the big rock pool, near the savage drain hole. I could feel a current towards it, but it wasn't strong. Because of surfing experience i wasn't too afraid to go in the drink, but that drain hole!!
We checked the spot for at least half an hour, but i think there was a rising tide, and a medium swell being kept offshore by a breeze, which slowly dropped off.

cheers

Owen

[SummerTrance]

Had just picked up my first (and current) boat a few days earlier, and took it up to Noosa to show the oldies. Took my missus, 9 month old son, and my mum out for a cruize on the river. Went up the river and putted around the back of Noosa sound area for a look at the flash houses, then back to the tewantin ramp and dropped off my mum and the little man, then headed back out with the missus to do some fishing.
About 3 hours later we decided it was time to go home. We were just on the other side of the first lake. At that time my missus says 'whats that water at the back?' I looked back and saw water coming up from under the floor, and relised straight away I had forgotten to put the bungs in. No huge drama I thought, switched on the bilge pump, and said if we just head straight back to the ramp, no more water can go in if we're moving.
Punched the throttle and cause there was so much water in the boat, the motor went under and bow in the air, I thought I was going to sink the boat right there and then. Quickly got off the power and glided into the bank. One bung was lost so stuffed my son's hat in the hole and waited for the bilge pump to drain all the water.
Not life threatning, but thought I was going to sink my first boat after 5 days. Needless to say, I always check the bungs twice, and carry a spare set on board.

[onerabbit]

My best scare??

I have a few, in order of occurance,

4 arials in a row, prop & all out of the water, trying to cross Ballina bar....

Crossing the bar in the pitch black & getting about a mile out, then fully running over a Sunfish ( 5 ft crack in keel as a result ).

Pulling up close to a large log ( to look for Dolphinfish ) on the dirty water line (about 3 ks out )just after a big flood, driving down the log to the end where a big branch was sticking out, realising the branch was the tail of an enourmous White shark that was just lolling on the top.....................estimated 22-24 ft........no joking.
Every hair in the boat stood on end when the water exploded.

And the current reigning champion......................

Watching a friend approaching out at sea in 5-6 tonnes of pro crab boat, presumably for a chat, as you do..........
realising as he hits one of the last swells between you that he hasn't seen you,
all you can see is hull & hear the motors roaring...........
me & my mate grabbing my oldest son & preparing to jump...........
getting fully contacted by said boat....thankfully only a glancing blow because of a lucky swell at the time, we thought we were going down the tunnel.

Anyone want to come with me?????

Muzz

[roz]

heading out of Coffs one afternoon, just north of Mutton Bird Is I noticed a whale surfacing about 100 metres away, slowed down to watch from a safe legal distance, then looked over the side and wondered why the water seemed black... there was obviously more than one whale!!! Moved away pretty quickly

Beautiful creatures.

roz.

[Poodroo]

I went "Holy Sh!t" when I looked at my bank balance after purchasing the boat. One year on and I am still saying holy sh!t. Pretty scary stuff.

Poodroo

[tunaticer]

Standing on mangrove roots overhanging the point where two creek meet in central queensland about 10 years ago with a rod in hand ripping a rattling slot lure vertically under my feet for trevally when the water exploded and something hit my lower legs!! I don't know how i did it but i was 8 feet up the spindly thin mangroves behind me before my eyes focused back on the water. To this day I still do not know what hit me and soaked me head to foot at last light of the day. I'm not sure i wanna know either.

My heart still gains speed recalling it after all this time.

Probably the only time in my life I have been terrified I think, scared been there lots of times I got married after all.

Jack.

[Jeremy87]

I've had a few things make me jump while i've been fishing. There's the usual story of rays jumping next to the boat, been hit in the head by a few mullet, big eels at night when paddling in the canoe, crocks doing the mad dash for the water hole your fishing in. A good one was trolling off the goldy, action was slow and i'd gone into a vacant gaze with my elbow resting on the gunnel. Next thing i know about a 15-16ft tiger is eyeballing me. it simply turned around and swam back down into the depths. I don't like whales they freak me out. They're all pretty when they are breeching and fin slapping a couple of hundred metres away but when the decided to pop up ten metres away and dive just quickly enough to go under the boat that their tail beat makes the boat spin you have a new opinion of them.

[butnosplash]

Doesnt this just bring in the memories,

Got two that friends have relayed to me.

One mate whislt out fishing an overnighter, Goes to sleep about 2 am... Only to wake up as a trawler in full drag runs into him....Yes he had his navs on, seems the crew on the boat had the old girl on auto pilot and apparently didnt see him. The only reason he never sunk was the fact that he got tangled up in all the outrigger gear...Now the poor bugger just sits there all night waiting hahaha.

The other was a cracker, up here in the territory you quite often get crocs dashing into the water, not a biggy by any means, however when your in the low tide and the banks are about 2mtrs higher than you and one decides to take flight STRAIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD into the drink .....now thats a pants filler......hahahaha

[onerabbit]

That's classic butnosplash................

Muzz

[stevea]

Mother-in-law suggested to go fishing with me!