Belize has still "got it"

[Hank49]

This last weekend was fantastic.

We took my boat out to Turneffe Elbow for the first time in about 5 months.
My friend Travis was the first in the water (we were free diving) and pops up and said, "hey, there's a big snapper right under the boat".
He pops up again and says, "there's another....and another....and a another....Holy S**t, they're EVERYWHERE" !!!!

We happened upon a huge school of cubera snappers. Our estimate? Thousands covering at least an acre. There was also a school of dog snappers (250 or so) and a big school of muttons that had scattered in among the cuberas. A school of about 30 large permit showed up and hung around along with some horse eye jacks and a school of large spadefish.
We would dive down to about 50-60 feet, right among the cuberas who would come in and circle us. Sometimes the whole school (those visible anyway) would spook and you'd hear a loud "whump" sound as they jolted. We dived with them for about 3 1/2 hours.
In all my life, including Sipadan, Tubbataha, West Malaysia....I've never seen anything close to this amount of fish on one spot. Travis (of Thatch Caye) said Gladden Spit gets even more on the whale shark season. Our other buddy is 72 and has been diving for 55 years. He said HE'D never seen that many snappers in his life.
Oh yeah, AND the vis was as good as it gets. You could have read the date on a schilling at 60 feet.
There's a few pics of fish in the underwater hunting forum if anyone's interested.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Wow!!!!!!!
Hank, where do you keep your boat? I thought you lived on the Coastal Road not far north of the Humingbird?
Regards
Ralph

 

[Hank49]

My boat stays under my house here at Paradise. We have a launch built into the supply canal that brings seawater into the pump station.
Ya man. We went back on Sunday and found a bit of a smaller school. Only 1000 or so. hah. Still had the dogs and muttons around. Only saw a few sharks. We figured they must have been full and sleeping somewhere.

The cubera ranged from this size......

 

[Hank49]

to this size.

 

[Gaz]

Niiiiice

Your freezer must be full of filet Hank LOL

Gaz

 

[Hank49]

Gaz, Fillets, heads....the only thing that gets thrown out is the skin, guts and tail. it's already being consumed at a rapid pace. There's 7 kids in my house. And they all love fish. Even the 1 year old. hah.

 

[hpbelize]

Hank, I know the Elbow to be like that year round during the weeks of the full moon. You usually have permit closer to the surface, horse eye jacks below them, dogs around 50', cuberas and black grouper closer to the wall. You get kingfish in the blue water off the wall in schools too. Nothing like the rare treat of seeing a marlin during your safety stop on a recreational dive.

Crazy 8s August Special

 

[Hank49]

I've seen it really good but not like this the weekend of Aug 1. Normally we find a school of dogs, some cuberas (a few strays underneath) and muttons, permit and some horse eyes. Grouper underneath also. And the spade fish. But the number of cuberas was the most I'd ever seen.