Far Bank Did the Earth move for you?
Seeking clear waters and the colourful fish of Zante, Greece, Dom Garnett finds himself rocked by the island’s biggest earthquake in 30 years...
AS ANYONE familiar with the Greek islands will tell you, the waters of the Mediterranean are some of the clearest and most magical on the planet. Whether you pack a rod or snorkelling gear, a whole galaxy of strange and beautiful fish awaits you.
The trip began in a relaxed fashion. Packing light lure fishing gear, I was spoiled from the very first cast by the vivid residents of local harbours and rocky beaches.
There’s a lot to be said for packing your drop shot gear on any family trip to the Med. While the wife soaks up some sun, you can catch a dozen or more new and unfamiliar species.
I was in my element. Tiny scented lures on barbless hooks yielded bites galore and the most vivid of catches, from strange sea bream to colourful characters like rainbow wrasse, painted comber and red mullet.
I watched with amazement as a large moray eel emerged from a hole in the harbour wall at Keri Beach... next day a group of sinister gar or ‘needle fish’ could be seen terrorising fry in Zante Town. Little did I know that these would be eclipsed by far greater drama.
It began late in the evening as we playing cards over a beer. There was a sudden slight tremor. “Did you feel that?” asked my brother. The wife thought it was the beer talking. If only!
An hour later there was a sinister rumble in our room at Blue Lake Hotel. In the space of around 15 seconds, the whole place shook violently. Objects fell from shelves and furniture came alive as we scrambled to the doorway, wondering whether the whole building would collapse!
Seconds later we were still shaken, wondering what had just happened. A cacophony of noise erupted as every dog on the island went crazy! Even our laid-back Greek hosts, accustomed to smaller tremors, were visibly shaken as they made sure we were okay. The quake measured 6.8, the biggest in some three decades.
We struggled to sleep and instead took a walk to the sea, which bizarrely had ‘jumped’ several feet backwards! The local shopkeeper, who had seen me with a rod each morning, joked that I should try fishing. For once it was the last thing on my mind.
That said, sport was even better the next morning. My species count reached double figures as we looked in awe at smashed goods and huge cracks in the harbour of Zante Town. At the end of literally a ‘moving’ week in Greece, I was both sad and relieved to be homeward bound.