Hi James, here is a summary of our recent Bonefishing and Scuba Diving family holiday to New Caledonia
My wife Marianne and I recently returned with our three children from a trip to New Caledonia. The holiday was organised by Fly Odyssey Australia, which was a great adventure combining the opportunity for my son and I to go fly fishing together along with some more family oriented activities.
It was our first visit to New Caledonia and to be honest, it was quite a surprise. Being a French territory, this Pacific Island shows all the hallmarks of a first world country; good infrastructure and a thriving capital for example. This is complimented by the fact that the country still retains the vast majority of its natural heritage. Much of the island beyond Noumea remains free of urbanisation or obvious development with the nations farming activities seemingly limited to the west coast. The implication being that the mountains and forests of the south and the bushland in the north remain largely intact making for very picturesque driving. It really is a beautiful place.
But of course the real attraction of New Caledonia is what lies off shore! The island is surrounded by coral reef and is home to the largest continuous lagoon in the world. This being the case, we made sure that part of our itinerary included some Scuba Diving. For this we travelled to the east coast to Poindimie which is home to some of the best coral to be seen in the waters off the island. Tieti Diving run by Martin Ravana took Marianne, my son Patrick and I on 6 dives over three days. The Tieti dive operation is professionally run with experienced and knowledgeable guides.
We’ve dived in many different locations in Australia and around the world and I have to say that what we saw was world class. The diversity of coral, its condition and the wealth of marine life made for some very memorable experiences for the three of us. And its heartening to know that the reefs of New Caledonia are to some extent shielded from the effects of rising sea temperatures which are so badly affecting coral reefs elsewhere in the world. I gather that this is partly the result of cold water currents that come from the Antarctic and partly a result of the relative lack of pressure from land based activities and their impacts on adjacent marine habitats.
It should be no surprise to your clients though to hear that the other attraction of New Caledonia’s coast was the Trophy Bonefish population and the opportunity to tangle with what are regarded as some of the largest of the species in the world. For this we travelled to the far north of New Caledonia to a small Kanak settlement on the very northern tip of the main island. James lined up three days of fly fishing for Patrick and I on the flats with a local Kanak guide and his French partner who hosted us during our time there.
The two of us had no previous flats fishing experience and so we approached the opportunity eager to learn and excited by what might transpire. The routine each day involved getting out to the huge flats about 2 hours before low tide, of which the local guides have access to around 8 on the main island and surrounding islands to the north. The peak of the action tended to be at slack water and for about the first hour of the incoming tide but fish were certainly active throughout the entire period albeit less obvious.
The fishing isn’t easy and you have to take your chances when you get them, but that said, these fish are something else! The average size was around 6-9lbs with our biggest for the trip estimated by Ben to be 12-13lbs!! The take is very visual and its explosive. Big smoking runs leave you wondering how the hell a fish of that size manages to peel 150m of line off the reel, drag up tight, in the blink of an eye. It was some of the most exciting saltwater fly fishing I’ve encountered. The highlight though, without a doubt was seeing my 15 year old son stuck fast to Bonefish. I will never forget as long as I live the look on his face after he landed his first for the trip, excitement, elation and bewilderment (as if to say what the hell just happened) all wrapped into one. It really was very special.
The whole experience, from the diving and the fishing to the seclusion and peace and quiet of Poingam and Poindimie, was something we’ll remember as a family. New Caledonia is a safe and friendly place where a family can travel with confidence. And for those of you that are wondering, we bought the mother in law along to look after the girls when Mum (and Dad) were unavailable. They do come in handy after all.
Thank-you James and Fly Odyssey Australia for arranging the trip and also for the pre-trip casting clinic. Everything went off without a hitch and we look forward to getting in touch again in the not too distant future for another destination somewhere else in the world for the family to explore.
