Uncharted Waters - Bassas Da India The Film

[JAT]

Afraid not, might do in the future but it's is very expensive for the production.

[Fryfly]

Hey sushiyummy, as JT says there's no bluray BUT you'll be pleased to know it is filmed in HD so you get the best quality possible without bluray. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the film.

Glynn

[Fryfly]

The god awful persistent wind was rocking the boat. Still the sun was shining so we loaded up the tender to explore the next part of the atoll. As you'll see from the pics, the points that we had found access to flats so far, were challenging to say the least. So much coral and no nice sandy expanses. We entered a channel and pushed through the chop - the tender full to the gunwales of water. Silence befell the boat - all around us magnificent flats. Pure white miles of excitement - proper sand flats. We jumped onto them securing the tender and hands shaking we split up. A huge trigger moved up in front of us as we waded. Like a clown he played with the fly pinning it to the sand - the hook set failed and he flew off to the distance leaving us a mangled fly. Finally we saw the familiar shape of the ghost of the flats... Bonefish ENORMOUS bonefish. In a pair these 15lb plus fish swam up a channel. 2 minutes later and 3 more, the largest around 20lb. "Good god Tomo, this is going to be good!" "Yes mate, yes it is!"

So we stared at the moving shadows and got into position... the only angle where we could see into the chop to spot the fish and make a cast. The angle that made the awesome turn into gutting disappointment. There was simply no way we would reach these fish straight into this headwind. We couldn't believe the bad luck of it. Sadly this was the case for the rest of the couple hours we had before the wind and tide made it dangerous to stay away from the main boat. We spent a lot of days learning and exploring and finally we had found some truly epic sand flats and perfect fly fishing ground. The cursed wind was heartbreaking, we just had to console ourselves catching yellowfin off the back on the 14weights. :rolleyes:

We had found a pretty special flat, it was an expedition and there are no local guides so that's the way it is. We have the knowledge now and when we return we will spend our hours back in this place. The wind relentless kept us from the flats again until our last morning. Brent could see it in our faces that there was no way he was heading back to the mainland without giving us at least an hour or two on the flat. Sadly because of the logistics of long journey home and timings etc we couldn't fish the flat at the full tide scope but made the most of it. We played in the rips and currents and caught a multitude of species. The garfish were monsters and would chase down the fly from more than 50 meters away and from the water clarity we could see them coming. It was simply great fun and when its been tough nailing fish anyone will tell you that rats and mice are strangely fulfilling. We had minutes to go and the predators were just starting to move in with the tide.

Brian got smashed by a monster GT! Our camera guys had been working hard to get shots and he was right on his shoulder. I love watching the footage of Brian being taken to the cleaners with the change being nicked out his back pocket. That fish smashed him and showed the potential of the GTs we had been chasing. I recon he still wakes up in the middle of the night with cold sweats. I have no doubt that that fish will bring him back to blue water and the tropics again and again. The power is just shocking. Tomo and I had found a little cove where we were species bashing and as we saw the tender approaching the atoll to collect us, a school of blue spots moved in. We left the atoll for the last time. It was like a mill pond I couldn't believe that the wind had been so cruel, but hey that's just how it works out sometimes.

My experience of Bassas still had one last card to play! Half way back to the mainland our lures went over a sea mound and I tucked into my largest fish of the trip. It took over two hours before the monster would show its colour meters below the surface. We thought we may have picked up a swordfish but the guys from the top deck got the view first. It was a GT - an absolutely monstrous one. My nemesis, over the years the battles have weighed in its favour and this would be no different. We would never get to touch or see the fish in its glory. Just its massive shape. The big one that got away would have easily broken the record books as it literally sunk back out of sight as the hook lost its seat. I was physically exhausted having got to watch the sun set and moon rise surounded by nothing but water.

All the way home and not a breath of wind - we had got the weather window wrong by just 3 days BUT it didn't really matter, we had achieved something so special. As best mates we journeyed to one of the remotest places on the planet. We had managed to capture the magnificence of the place both above and below the water with some of the latest technology and a little innovation. We took a massive gamble and huge risks but man what a reward. Life back home will never be the same as I think back to those days and nights on our little catamaran. We did our best to fly-fish as much as possible and achieved some real proud moments with our "fairy wands" but more importantly we learnt lessons everyday. Hard lessons some of them, but all insightful. We will return to Bassas and our arrangements have already began. We will do a lot differently but would be just as happy if the experience turns out to be half as good.

I would like to thank you all for your comments and encouragement through this thread - it's been hugely appreciated! It's been a tough few months for my father and family as he fights cancer and I keep returning to my memories of this Place and its so fulfilling. They will last me a lifetime. My number one priority with this trip has been to share the experience - the positive moments and the failures. Our oceans are going through a devastating time and places like this are still out there and highlight the wonders that need to be protected for ours and others futures. I hoped it would provide encouragement for others that there are still truly epic places out there to be experienced and that anyone can do it with a little effort and research. Of course there is so much I have not covered and so many things that will pop up in my mind over time.

We had an awesome camera crew with us and they were unbelievably tolerant of us armatures who were clearly more interested in our screaming reels than getting the shot. They did, in my opinion, a fantastic job of capturing not only a honest account of a true adventure but also the beauty and remoteness of Basses Da India in full high definition.. not just above the waves but below it - Sharks eating the cameras and all!! They have filmed around the world but I'm confident that Bassas Da India will remain forever a firm place in their top spot lists.

If you've enjoyed the report hopefully you will get yourself a copy of :

Uncharted Waters - Bassas Da India

and please do let us know what you think!
The trailer : Uncharted Waters - Bassas Da India (official trailer 2012) on Vimeo
Order from: Uncharted Waters

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UnchartedWatersBassasDaIndia

Tight Lines,
Glynn


Stuart Rigs The Shark Cam



Chappers "Where's the wind dude?!"



Finally finding some epic flats !





Wishing I had this view out my bedroom window!



So much flat, so little time :




2 hours of hanging on!


My lasting memory of Bassas Da India, would you go back?