Holy Mackerel!

Today was full of excitement. The weather finally settled enough for Andrew to take us out in his boat Blue Sky. He decided that he would take us out for a tour around the outlying islands.

As we headed out it was a bit overcast but it was warm. Once we got out of the harbour Andrew threw out a fishing line in the hope we land a fish. We were also hoping to spot a whale. 


We travelled around the islands taking in the view and the stunning colour of the water. There are lots of islands dotted around and many a very small with the water eroding the base so they almost look like a mushroom. 
Many of the islands have caves and some are big enough to go into. 

One is Swallow Cave where if you are in there at the right time of day you will see a shaft of light come through and light up the cave. It was too far for me to swim but it would be great to have a dinghy or kayak to go in and have a look.

At one stage it started to get a bit choppy as we were heading for an island to stop for a while and poor Karen started to get a bit worried...she still hasn't got totally comfortable about being out on the water. Andrew started heading off to find some calmer water when all of a sudden the ratchet on the reel went off and it took a few seconds for us to realise that we had a fish on the line. Karen soon forgot about the choppy water and started reeling in the line. She leapt into action reeling the line in and as it got closer we realised it was a decent sized fish. As it reached the surface, Andrew was the one to get excited because it was a Spanish Mackerel (the fish must have been on holidays too) and apparently they are a very good fish to eat and they are usually difficult to catch.

Once on the fish was on board the excitement didn't end there. Poor Andrew is the only experienced fisherman on the boat and was left with the task of gaffing the fish and getting it onto the boat. Then unhooked it so that Karen could celebrate her catch. It turned out to be over 7kg...not a bad effort for your first catch.

Once we had a fish on board we decided to focus on trying to spot a whale. Andrew said if we went behind another group of islands there was a place he always saw lots of whales. As we headed toward the area the were lots more interesting islands to see but still no whales. 

We started heading back and just after we passed between two small islands the line went again. This time it was my turn and there were a few times I thought I had lost it. Eventually I got it reeled in enough to hook and this time it was a Dogtooth Tuna. Andrew was thrilled again because this is another good eating fish.

After all that excitement we started heading back to Hakula Lodge still hoping for a last chance glimpse at a whale but no luck.

With another day over and back on the deck of the lodge, eating sashimi and looking out over the harbour while the sun was setting in front of us. We've had an awesome day with fun, relaxation and excitement. Just remember the charter boat Blue Sky if you're ever in Tonga and want a great day out on the water. While they can't guarantee you will see a whale or catch a fish you will have a great time trying and if nothing else the scenery is stunning!

Couldn't resist adding one more photo of our catch!