Spring in The Air
Spring is in the air, or at least it is supposed to be.
For those of us living in the northern half of the United States it was
a long winter, with record snowfalls everywhere.
Spring marks the beginning of the outdoor adventure
season. Time to start planning what mountain, river, trail you are going
to conquer this year and make it happen!
All the best
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Ft. Lauderdale Shark Hunting
The group was coming in from various places across the United States.
A small contingent for this go-round, which would me less heavy lifting
on my part.
The destination was Ft. Lauderdale. I little bit north of Miami, I
describe it as more of a Jimmy Buffet feel, as opposed to the bright
lights and beautiful people that jam the streets of South Beach.
I came in the day before to soak up some sun as my friend owns a
condo right on A1A Blvd. He was in Amsterdam on business, so I had the
place to myself. The weather was great throughout the trip, as you can
see from the pictures.
The crew arrived and after meeting up at the Embassy Suites we were
off to the beach for some sun. These were all northerners so they needed
a quick base layer to smooth out those farmer's tans. We walked down A1A
and showed some classic spots. One picture on the left is from Elbo
Room, a destination spot for spring breakers going back to the days of
Beach Blanket Bingo.
After doing some tourist shopping we landed on the beach and settled
in for a good burn. The great thing about A1A and Ft Lauderdale is that
the beach is about 10 feet from the bars and restaurants along the
strip.
Once the sun went down, it was off to the Riverfront Area for dinner
at The Palms. This area is a bit more traditional, with bars and
restaurants you find across the US. One exception being a cool little
place called Tarpon Bend. They have live music and really bring out that
Jimmy Buffet vibe I referenced earlier. The night was not too late as we
had fishing the next day.
In the morning I scheduled the fishing to start around 12pm so
everyone had time to shake the cobwebs off and enjoy some beach time.
Once the private Sport Fishing began we were all smiles with visions of
Hammerheads and Sailfish tugging on the lines.
What I failed to remind the group was that it is key to take your
motion sickness medicine 1 hour before departure. They popped there
pills alright, but it was not until we were underway, which ain't gonna
cut it.
About 2 hours into the ride, we had a couple guys who helped to chum
the waters around our boat. It is amazing the dedication they had,
willing to sacrifice their own well-being in hopes of landing a sea
monster.
We picked up some fresh Bonita as bait on our way out to sea, and got
some bites but were unable to land the big sharks we all had our hearts
set on.
When we pulled back into dock, I saw that the boat next to us had
landed a huge Hammerhead. Although shark was in season this time of
year, it was definitely rare to see one. Those fish are the most alien
thing in the sea with those flat heads and black eyes sticking out from
either side.
The group was still getting their land legs back and a little color
in their face. Once we had an appetite worked up we walked over to Bahia
Cabana to enjoy the sunset. Although we did not land a shark the group
had a good time and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.
That evening everyone checked into a hotel on the beach and walked up
and down A1A seeing the sights and bouncing around some of the watering
holes.
Sunday came and it was time to head back to the airport for our
chosen destination.
Until Next time.
Darren Hitz
