Straya

[Coss]

I was wondering if anyone could provide a contact in ::

Augfuss

I have my own towel.

[bust]

7 hours ago, Coss said:

I was wondering if anyone could provide a contact in ::

Augfuss

I have my own towel.

OH is usually the best source of contacts and protocol for anything involving steam rooms, soap, open doors and reckless behavior

[Old Hippie]

16 hours ago, bust said:

OH is usually the best source of contacts and protocol for anything involving steam rooms, soap, open doors and reckless behavior

Oddly, I often find your name and phone number scribbled on the bathroom walls…

[bust]

3 hours ago, Old Hippie said:

Oddly, I often find your name and phone number scribbled on the bathroom walls…

True but in your handwriting. And you always misspell my alias. Cha Cha Gonzales has an "e" not an "a" before the s. 

[bust]

We've had for shark attacks in 48 hours here in Sydney. Two of the four encounters have resulted in people being hospitalized in a critical condition, while those involved in the other two have been described as "lucky" to have escaped serious injury. One 11 year old boy lost both his legs and his chances of survival are pretty slim.

Perfect conditions for them. Decent amount of rain and the perfect season. The storm-water makes the water murky and hard to spot them.

 

[Old Hippie]

On 1/17/2026 at 4:07 PM, bust said:

True but in your handwriting. And you always misspell my alias. Cha Cha Gonzales has an "e" not an "a" before the s. 

I recall replying to this, yet it is now, not showing. Anyway, I did see your number on the wall, not my handwriting, at the new place that just opened over on 19th and Castro, think it is called Dave thong shop and Daiquiri Bar, decent drink, bit pricy for the neighborhood but good tapas. But be warned, some of the clientele appears gay. 

[My Penis is hungry]

I was bitten by a shark as a youth on my arm, so I always tell people I've been vaccinated against shark attack and show them the scary.

[bust]

Seeing a Great White up close is on my bucket list. Was working in Adelaide once and looked into driving to Port Lincoln and going to Neptune Islands but you really need a couple of days and I only had one. Did have a reef shark swim past me once close enough to touch.

[Old Hippie]

5 hours ago, bust said:

Seeing a Great White up close is on my bucket list. Was working in Adelaide once and looked into driving to Port Lincoln and going to Neptune Islands but you really need a couple of days and I only had one. Did have a reef shark swim past me once close enough to touch.

I have seen many different types of sharks up close while scuba diving. ALL were, obviously, the Vegetarian kind as I’m still here. I was in Monterey Bay on a dive boat years back and a Great White was spotted maybe 50 meters away, estimated to be a baby at about 3 meters in length. A larger shark was encountered by another dive group, a little closer. We cancelled our 3rd scheduled dive and went for beers. I have seen Whale up close and that is an amazing experience! 

[Coss]

If in Middle Earth, one takes a charter fishing trip on a little fishing boat from Pahia in the Bay of Islands, (about 6 folk per boat) one is not only rewarded with lotsa big eating Snapper, but when you get back to the wharf, the skipper, skins and fillets the catch and discards the frames and such over the side.

There are Bronze Whalers, who know this, some quite big, in the 3~4m range, who assemble to feed on the free snacks.

Tourists also find this appealing and photographs and videos  of the assembled, 10 or so sharks, brawling at the wharf are popular.

___

Another: whilst technically the largest member of the Dolphin family, Killer Whales or Orca:

In my youth I used to sail a lot, Lasers , Paper Tigers and A Class Cats, even a C class Cat..

Any hoo, in the Hauraki Gulf there are numerous opportunities for sailing and I was often out there.

On 6 separate occasions over the years I've sailed with Orca.

I say with, because, they would possibly be seen in the distance and then 'nek minnit' I'd be in the middle of a Pod of 6 or 10 of them, they, gliding alongside of me, interested enough, to roll a little so their eyes would break the water and see what I was.

Great encounters, the first two times I was concerned about becoming lunch, but they exhibited no aggression, only curiosity and then lost interest after about 5 minutes and went on their way.

Beautiful creatures, the males are huge, dorsal fin taller than me.

___

I may have posted this before. After my 2017 stroke, which was a doozy, I determined to become active and fit and "the same" as before.

So I had the idea of Kayak fishing, (also Bow hunting) and spent lots of my time in a kayak down here in Auckland Harbour, reasonably successfully catching fish and accoutring my self with all the latest you tube gadgetry...

One day I was hauling in a Conger Eel and had cut its throat and let it bleed out over the side.

I was anchored, stern first in the current in about 50 ft of water, I saw, down current a small triangular fin, zig zagging its way up the current towards me. It was about 6 inches tall, so I got my big rod ready, thinking I might catch a shark of some 5 or 6 foot long.

Then as it got to me, the fin got to be about a foot tall... Sphincter clenching time. I whipped the Eel out of the water and put it in a bag so as not to excite this shark any more than it was.

It was a Bronze Whaler and it circled my Kayak about 4 times, on one pass I noted, that when it's tail was level with my stern, it's head was more or less level with my bow. My Kayak measured 14 ft in length. It also must have been a pregnant female in the harbour to pup, as it's belly was huge, fat like a bulldozer.

___

Apologies for the word rush above, I thank Bust and OH, for reminding me of these occasions, with their posts, as after my stroke, I find that whilst I still have these memories, I do not remember them unless prodded.

Cheers

only about 2,200 km as the Kayak paddles - from Straya