A robbery at broad daylight

This morning I spent a couple of hours paddling alone and relaxing. I took a fishing rod, and paddled towards the buoys located just a mile to the west, where I had hopes to find some Dorado fish (they gather around the buoy).
You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that the buoys where gone! Somebody stole them!
I got closer and I saw the thieves in action, it was the electricity company's vessel detaching the buoys and dragging them to shore.

Meanwhile even the Cormorants were surprised and managed to catch a brief moment in the sun before the last buoy will be taken away as well.

I hope they just took it for repair and they'll return soon because besides being a favorite fishing spot, it's also our favorite paddling playground.

Shoot or "Shoot"?

Couple of days ago I went spearfishing at the shore near my house. The sea was amazing - smooth as a mirror and crystal clear (at least near the shore), as you can see the water color was turquoise, Caribbean style:

I wouldn't listen to a good friend of mine and insisted to attach the camera to the speargun and "shoot" the fish while I shoot the fish. Unfortunately, I lost was distracted by the camera and missed all the shots, but I got nice shooting though.
You can see in the video that the scenes end at the most interesting part, that's because the camera stops filming when I shoot, probably because of the recoil of the gun.
Next time I'll have to choose whether I want to catch the fish or just filming them.
Enjoy the video...

 

Ecological disaster at the Yarkon river

Our kayak club, "Daniel rowing center" is located at the mouth of the Yarkon river in Tel Aviv, about 300m from the sea.
Located at the heart of Israel`s urban center, the Yarkon often suffers from chemical and sewage pollutions, and is a potential health hazard.
In 1997, during the Jewish Olympic games (Maccabia), more than a hundred athletes fell into the river when a bridge collapsed. The athletes suffered from various infections, leading to several death cases and paralysis.
Last week, a fire broke up in an industrial zone up river. As a result, one of the chemical plants nearby poured all its detergents to the biological sewage handling facility. The detergents blocked and damaged the facility and some thousands m³ of raw sewage went down the river.
The damage was immense - thousands of fish float dead, and pile up the river banks


I'm sure the pollution did not impact the fish alone, probably some shellfish, crabs and weeds are in danger.
I hope the river will be cleaned soon enough, so at least the animals higher in the food chain such as water birds like the duck below will be saved, and we'll be able to paddle the river again and enjoy its beauty.
 

Patagonia expedition is on it's way

My best friend Yossale and two other friends left yesterday for an ambitious quest - paddling along the Patagonian coast line from the peninsula Chiloe (Puerto Montt) to southern Patagonia (Puerto Natales).
The journey should take approximately 2 months to accomplish during which they will face harsh weather, rough seas and will need all their paddling and survival skills.
The journey will travel through one of the wildest sceneries: glaciers, forests, and an amazing and diverse wildlife.
The journey is supported by friends, family and commercial companies supplying equipment (paddling gear, electronics and camping equipment).
I would like to wish Yossale and his team a safe, but challenging adventure.
Updates and details regarding the expedition can be found on the expedition Blog