marlin, its identity given away when its
trademark, beautiful dorsal sail-fin rises
victoriously as it wins the race to catch an
elusive sardine.
Out here in the open ocean, there are
two kind of encounters with the baitballs:
static, and running.
When the baitball is static, you can stay
with it for a long time as the predators
pick off the fish one by one.Sometimes the baitball is just a dozen
individuals, sometimes several hundreds,
maybe even thousands. Indeed, I’m often
left silently cursing the sea-lions for
scaring off the marlin!
When the bait is running, however, the
faster marlin have control.
As the days progress, and we become
more aware of the different behaviours,
I grow to prefer the short but dynamicThis page, clockwise from
above: Pure underwater
action as Henley drops in
right in front of the running
baitball and pursuing
marlin; sea-lions seem to
take great pleasure in the
chase; luckily the divers were
able to free this turtle
ensnared in fishing-line.Below, from left: The
whole sea-lion family can be
seen hunting here –mother,
father, and two cubs; a
sailfish joins the fray and
wins the chase for a sardine.marlin get shy, remaining in sight but
deeper down, and without attacking the
fish.
We also enjoy encounters with several
other charismatic marine animals. Turtles
are frequently sighted, but are usually
timid, diving down as soon as we enter
the water.
On one occasion, I get in and am
pleasantly surprised to see that the turtle’s
head remains above the surface as I get
closer. Sadly, the reason for its
approachability soon becomes morbidly
clear: this loggerhead is trapped on the
rope of a fishing-pot, thrashing around in
a vain effort to free itself.
I remove some of the line, but part of
the rope is tightly ensnared around its
flipper. Calling for help, I am joined by
Kim and Mark, who come armed with a
knife and the wherewithal to free the
traumatised turtle.
On another occasion we come across
a small baitball preyed on by dolphinfish,
more commonly known as dorado or
mahi-mahi on restaurant menus.
We even sight a sailfish, artfully
disguising itself as one of a group ofdivEr 66