Arm Girl (Continued)

 “GO NOW” and I found my self in the water. In the exact place I saw the three sharks only 5 seconds ago! My brain raced and instead of freaking out because I was in the water with sharks, I faced the responsibilities of being the arm girl. Readily I climbed up on the rocks and pulled the rope till the arm and float line hugged the shore.

Dad and Ashield completed the round. Putting on his mask, fins and snorkel dad slipped into the water checked the arm on his end and then started swimming along the inside of the net towards me. Hesitantly I got back in the water and started swimming along the net. Thankfully Ashield threw the net with no turns and I quickly met up with dad. 

He asked if I saw any fish and I confirmed nothing yet. He was confident the fish was hiding under the bait ball on the shoreline. We wanted them to stay there while we worked the nets into a better position and to release the sharks.

Getting in the boat I helped Ashield pull in some of the net as dad cleared it from the rocks below. The goal was to start closing the size of the round and to eventually bring both ends of the net together. Another option is to bring another piece of net into play and make a smaller circle around the fish inside the bigger corral.

Dad came close to the boat and when he raised his head up out of the water I asked “are the sharks still inside”? He smiled knowing it was only a matter of time before I inquired. He suggested I gear up and help him let them out. Having never done this before I was both thrilled and scared. Staying close behind I followed his lead. Going to the deepest part of the round which was about midway of the corral he explained we are going to work together and raise the footline high enough to allow the sharks to swim under and out. 

 Sharks when trapped in nets usually swim the parameters looking for a way out. Knowing this we positioned ourselves where we have the best chances of keeping the school of fish in while providing an escape spot for the sharks. 

Staying on the surface we slowly pulled the net upward one handful at a time.  With the footline about one third of way off the bottom we waited for the sharks to circle back. Paying close attention we knew at any time the school of fish could attempt to find a way out too and we may need to lower it to keep them in.  Holding the net in our hands we could easily release it to lower it or continue pulling more to raise it to increase the size of the escape spot for the sharks.

Fortunately the fish stayed ashore under the bait ball while the footline was raised.  My heart rate jumped a few paces as the sharks approached. Passing right below us, only a few feet away,  I was amazed by the grace of such a large animal. One after the other they disappeared into the blue of the big ocean.  

With the sharks gone we lowered the footline and continued working the net, formed a smaller corral, made the tuck and filled the boat with fish.

We worked hard and today it paid off. The boat was filled with fish and we were heading home to ice and prepare for selling at the market.

My website is under development and will soon have pieces of my art posted.  Stay tuned for more fishing stories.