We were nearly shot by illegal hunters today, but they did manage to kill three honey buzzards. I will drag this out, but if you don't want to get upset don't read on, or look at the photos.
The plan was to decend a trad route of mine, think about turning it into a more accessible sport route and look at others by a pleasant swim. The sea was limpid, and the viz was the best I have had this year perhaps 40 meters!
So I am rarely happy, its a fault of mine, but this day, this sublime day, I was as happy as I get, fucking Cloud 9 to the Nth power.
After a few dives were I was seriously in trouble because I kept going down, because the viz was champagne, or as cave divers say "Gin clear". No matter what words you used, I was in danger of being intoxicated with pure 22 carrat happiness.
After swimming under a route called Moushi, we saw some Egrets, white Egrets, nice we thought. Under the water we saw a couple of Groupers and Parrot fish, and swarms of bait fish. Then ….. a very large band of Honey Buzzards flew next to us and we were nearly shot. Two hunters were firing at the Buzzards without care for us. Buzzards are protected, but so theoretically are swimmers!
I swum hard trying to stay safe but then went for a bird I saw flapping around. I hoped that the jerk above would stop shooting.
We climbed the cliff with the bird, which was too complicated in the end and took too long. Anyway the bird died.
She was a little Honey.
We made a report to the police, they will try their best. I chased the young man, but he got away on a dirt bike. In retrospect I am glad I didn't catch him. There were maybe 10 hunters shooting birds over the sea on this section of cliff. The two near us who shot without due consideration for us were targeting Honey Buzzards. The others even if shooting legal birds were shooting for fun, and sadism, as you can't collect birds from the bottom of 50 -60 meer cliffs. The best day I have had for years was exploded by Remington multiple illegal shot guns.
