Sashimi

*Melissa*

Luckily, the tuna ‘farm’ wasn’t too far outside the Bay, so we didn’t have to suffer so much turbulence, and after a very informative talk about Tuna, we arrived at our destination!

The first thing that hits you as you step onto the dock and look into the blue-green waters is the size of the dark shadows darting around at high speeds. You keep imagining those cat-food looking tins you se

e on grocery store shelves, and that little cartoon fish with the accent and try to compute that those enormous creatures darting around before you are the same fish.

We were shown how to feed them by holding the head of a small sardine under the water from the dock, and immediately, you see a splash and the sardine has disappeared. These tuna are faster than a Porsche, and have a supernatural ability to NOT touch you. I figured I would give it a try. I crouched down on the dock, holding a smelly sardine by the tail, reached out as far as I could, and dipped his head in the water. I waited, the fish’s head bobbing in and out of the water, the wind rocking the dock and causing waves, and the suspense was building. And then – WHAM! Water splashed in my face, and Chad captured the sheer look of terror in my face as I yanked my hand away. And then it stung. The little bugger had nipped my fingers!! The tuna man helpfully advised using a pair of tongs to hold the fish out after that.

After that, it was time to take the plunge – getting into the water and getting up close and personal with what I was hoping would be dinner. So, wetsuits on, goggles down, we dove in.

I will admit I was a bit nervous – much more so than with the sea lions earlier. These creatures were big, and fast, and we were in a confined space with them. They were fidgety and spastic, and that made me uneasy. As I put my face down in the water, entering the fish world, my heart skipped a beat. The tuna were darting everywhere – each one over 3 feet long, flashy yellow along their backs by their dorsal fins.

I swam around, getting more and more comfortable with them, and then a sardine appeared just in front of my face. This barely had time to register before two monstrosities came for it, zooming past my face, and shocking the algae out of me. I popped my head out of the water to see the tuna man chuckling, as he did the same to the others who were swimming face down. This was Chad’s favorite thing- and I ended up spending some time tossing sardines in front of him to test the tuna’s human avoidance skills.

I got a bit nervous about half way through our time with the tuna, when- swimming casually along- I realized that the sardines we were feeding the tunas were shiny, and a silvery gold color. I looked down at my toes, realizing also that my toes were a silvery gold color. And shiny. Too afraid to sound dumb, asking whether the tuna were attracted to the sardines by the smell or the appearance, I kept my lip shut, and began swimming with my toes lifted from the water, concerned they would mistake my little digits for food. I’m sure I looked a bit sillier doing this than I would have asking the question, but hindsight is always 20/20, eh?

As we set off back towards the Port, they concluded our Tuna tour with a sampling of sashimi. Thin, decadent pink slices of raw tuna. A quick dip in a bit of salty soy sauce, and this was easily the tastiest tuna sashimi I have ever eaten! We got back, happily admitting that our day’s tours were well worth the trip.

For the very special “Birthday Dinner” we decided to venture back out to Coffin Bay to get some fresh seafood. With Port Lincoln being the “seafood capital of Australia”, it was incredibly difficult to find a seafood restaurant! We ended up going to a place called “The Oysterbeds” overlooking the Coffin Bay Harbor. The weather was perfect to sit outside on the patio, admiring the gorgeous blue water, the white sails, and the rolling green hills framing it all.

I couldn’t believe the food – we didn’t order a single thing that either of us has ever tried before: Some poached oysters, kingfish sashimi, Port Spencer Bay Bugs, and a tuna escabeche salad. Every single thing was fantastic – and I am officially a Kingfish convert (it was AMAZING!) With belling brimming full of fishy food, we drove home with the sunset – even forgetting for a brief while how bad our muscles were aching.

It was easily my best birthday yet!!