Lured in joining a trip planned at the last minute!
I went deep sea fishing!
HOW I GOT TO GO
Last night, as I headed home from a relative's 4th of July party, my mom was invited by her cousin and uncle (so, my cousin and.. great uncle?) to join them in deep sea fishing over at Monterey Bay. My mom gave them her phone number and our address, then we bid our goodbyes. I asked my mom if I was going to go, too, and though she waffled between yes and no (leaning more towards a yes), it was finally decided I could go. I was excited because I've never done anything like this before. I'm mostly a stay-at-home-on-the-computer kind of kid, as you could probably imagine! I've also always wanted to fish. I tried once, but it was in a little pool that contained fish for a sure catch.
PREPARATION
I woke up at around 4:40 AM and quickly got dressed. I had set out everything I would bring or wear the night before, or rather, 4 hours beforehand, so I was easily done by 5. Around that time, my mom wanted to stop by her work (it's nearby) to forward phone calls to another employee, since today is not a day-off for people in other countries, such as Canada. My mother fusses over strange things sometimes, and for today, she was unsure whether to have our relatives pick us up from Wal-Mart, or at home. She also started panicking when we received no phone call by 5:30 AM, thinking we had been forgotten. I won't go any further, but all I can say is, sheesh! Mothers!
When we went to pay for each person's fishing gear and "license" to get on the boat, the man was totallig the prices, saying "Three adults and three kids." He had me marked as a child, which is fine, in terms of youthfulness, but it was funny because I haven't been marked as a kid in awhile-- I announce my age truthfully. Well, I revealed my age shortly after, but the man was sure nice. He said he'd give me the kids' price anyway, and that he wished he could look as young as I did, ahah.
ON THE BOAT
At first it was fun. I liked being on the boat, and its buoyancy on undulating waves was a pleasant feeling. I immediately thought it was amazing. I spent most of my years secluded at home with only the computer for my comfort, so I felt being out there was another step in "setting out" for me. I stood by the rails over at the front of the boat and saw seals, gulls, pelicans... At one point we even saw dolphins and maybe and orca, though it was just their fins.
When the boat stopped, everyone scattered to set out their poles. One guy immediately caught two fish on one line, and I was totally jealous. I'm new to fishing, of course, so of course I annoyed the deckhand with problems such as line entanglement and snagged lines, but I got the hang of it after awhile. I felt bad about it, 'cause I could tell he was getting frustrated. Sorry Mr. Tori!
Truthfully, it wasn't all blissful fun. I didn't get totally seasick, but I didn't feel great, either. It turns out that today was a bad day for fishing, so the boat captain would constantly tell us to reel in our lines and try another spot. The traveling part was the hardest part to endure. It was quite dark out, and it was very cold. Eventually I'd retreat to the cabin to shelter myself from the wind, but then I'd feel dizzy. We all felt that way. At one point, my mother asked me if I was all right, but I totally couldn't respond. I couldn't decide if I was feeling okay or not, and I felt if I answered, I'd feel worse. My 11 year old cousin got it so bad, he slept the whole time to avoid seasickness. As my uncle had said, "It was an expensive nap.." The boat would rock back and forth, and that was the hardest part for me to take.
At least I didn't throw up, or feel the need to! I just felt dizzy. On another stop to try a fishing spot, my uncle started throwing up beside me. I wished he didn't, because I felt that I would throw up too. I tried to look away. I wonder about the guy who caught the first pair of fish, though! He was on the other side of my uncle.
I did get to catch some fish! When I caught my first one, I was totally thrilled. I forgot what kind it was, but Uncle Dan, Mom, and whatever cousin that saw me do it were happy for me, too. The last thing I wanted was to end this trip without catching anything! I caught a Copper Rockhead (?) after that, and then some kind of codfish. I think I caught six? I was really, really happy. It was unfortunate for my mom, though. She only managed to catch three small ones, and that was at the very end. I'm glad she caught SOMETHING, though.
I'm jealous of how lucky Uncle Dan was, though! Following the guy who caught two fish on one line, Uncle Dan had three instances similar to that. I wanted to do the same, but it just didn't happen!
Oh well, at least I brought home a catch! Every fish that came up, I couldn't help but wonder what it'd taste like cooked with rice!
In short, I went on a boat that went around various spots in the Pacific Ocean around the Monterey Bay. We went far enough so as to be completely surrounded by water with no land or buildings in sight. The painful parts of this trip included getting up at 5, the cold AM, and possible seasickness. There was also traffic on the way home. I did manage to catch some fish, and I am definitely happy about that!
HOW I GOT TO GO
Last night, as I headed home from a relative's 4th of July party, my mom was invited by her cousin and uncle (so, my cousin and.. great uncle?) to join them in deep sea fishing over at Monterey Bay. My mom gave them her phone number and our address, then we bid our goodbyes. I asked my mom if I was going to go, too, and though she waffled between yes and no (leaning more towards a yes), it was finally decided I could go. I was excited because I've never done anything like this before. I'm mostly a stay-at-home-on-the-computer kind of kid, as you could probably imagine! I've also always wanted to fish. I tried once, but it was in a little pool that contained fish for a sure catch.
PREPARATION
I woke up at around 4:40 AM and quickly got dressed. I had set out everything I would bring or wear the night before, or rather, 4 hours beforehand, so I was easily done by 5. Around that time, my mom wanted to stop by her work (it's nearby) to forward phone calls to another employee, since today is not a day-off for people in other countries, such as Canada. My mother fusses over strange things sometimes, and for today, she was unsure whether to have our relatives pick us up from Wal-Mart, or at home. She also started panicking when we received no phone call by 5:30 AM, thinking we had been forgotten. I won't go any further, but all I can say is, sheesh! Mothers!
When we went to pay for each person's fishing gear and "license" to get on the boat, the man was totallig the prices, saying "Three adults and three kids." He had me marked as a child, which is fine, in terms of youthfulness, but it was funny because I haven't been marked as a kid in awhile-- I announce my age truthfully. Well, I revealed my age shortly after, but the man was sure nice. He said he'd give me the kids' price anyway, and that he wished he could look as young as I did, ahah.
ON THE BOAT
At first it was fun. I liked being on the boat, and its buoyancy on undulating waves was a pleasant feeling. I immediately thought it was amazing. I spent most of my years secluded at home with only the computer for my comfort, so I felt being out there was another step in "setting out" for me. I stood by the rails over at the front of the boat and saw seals, gulls, pelicans... At one point we even saw dolphins and maybe and orca, though it was just their fins.
When the boat stopped, everyone scattered to set out their poles. One guy immediately caught two fish on one line, and I was totally jealous. I'm new to fishing, of course, so of course I annoyed the deckhand with problems such as line entanglement and snagged lines, but I got the hang of it after awhile. I felt bad about it, 'cause I could tell he was getting frustrated. Sorry Mr. Tori!
Truthfully, it wasn't all blissful fun. I didn't get totally seasick, but I didn't feel great, either. It turns out that today was a bad day for fishing, so the boat captain would constantly tell us to reel in our lines and try another spot. The traveling part was the hardest part to endure. It was quite dark out, and it was very cold. Eventually I'd retreat to the cabin to shelter myself from the wind, but then I'd feel dizzy. We all felt that way. At one point, my mother asked me if I was all right, but I totally couldn't respond. I couldn't decide if I was feeling okay or not, and I felt if I answered, I'd feel worse. My 11 year old cousin got it so bad, he slept the whole time to avoid seasickness. As my uncle had said, "It was an expensive nap.." The boat would rock back and forth, and that was the hardest part for me to take.
At least I didn't throw up, or feel the need to! I just felt dizzy. On another stop to try a fishing spot, my uncle started throwing up beside me. I wished he didn't, because I felt that I would throw up too. I tried to look away. I wonder about the guy who caught the first pair of fish, though! He was on the other side of my uncle.
I did get to catch some fish! When I caught my first one, I was totally thrilled. I forgot what kind it was, but Uncle Dan, Mom, and whatever cousin that saw me do it were happy for me, too. The last thing I wanted was to end this trip without catching anything! I caught a Copper Rockhead (?) after that, and then some kind of codfish. I think I caught six? I was really, really happy. It was unfortunate for my mom, though. She only managed to catch three small ones, and that was at the very end. I'm glad she caught SOMETHING, though.
I'm jealous of how lucky Uncle Dan was, though! Following the guy who caught two fish on one line, Uncle Dan had three instances similar to that. I wanted to do the same, but it just didn't happen!
Oh well, at least I brought home a catch! Every fish that came up, I couldn't help but wonder what it'd taste like cooked with rice!
In short, I went on a boat that went around various spots in the Pacific Ocean around the Monterey Bay. We went far enough so as to be completely surrounded by water with no land or buildings in sight. The painful parts of this trip included getting up at 5, the cold AM, and possible seasickness. There was also traffic on the way home. I did manage to catch some fish, and I am definitely happy about that!