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Sinbad Classic Fishing Competition
It's fun, thrilling and you can cook what you get at the end of the day. That's deep-sea fishing for you

Last year, Oman saw it's first large scale international sport fishing competition. This year, going by the number of people who had registered for the Sinbad Classic Fishing Competition that is also the regional qualification round of the International Game Fishing Association's (IGFA) Rolex IGFA World Championship, clearly sport fishing is not only a popular hobby in Oman but all over the Gulf region. The rules of the competition were simple. The four-member teams, many of which were from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Lebanon, had to register on Wednesday evening. The teams would then go out into the seas for no less than 12 hours each day and try to catch the biggest tuna or, if they got lucky, a blue marlin (worth 500 points). Points were awarded on the basis of the type of fish caught and the weight of the catch. At the end of three days the team with the maximum accumulated points would emerge winner. One of the two teams from Petroleum Development Oman, PDO RC1, eventually walked away with the first prize and the invitation to participate in the World Championship. The team had managed to bag 825 points over the three days. Pascal Richard, the captain of the team and PDO fishing captain, said that this was the first time that the individual members had worked together as a group. They qualified for the Eighth Rolex/ IGFA Annual Offshore Championship Tournament to be held in Mexico in 2007.

The rules also required a neutral observer to be on board each boat to make sure that the teams were competing fairly. On the final day of the event we were to play that significant role on board the boat Escape II from Dubai. The team included Ali, a Kenyan sailor and captain of the boat, Marlin, who was a sailor from Philippines, Qiti, another Kenyan, and Fahdy, a Lebanese friend of the boat’s owner and keen angler. Bin Hendi, the owner of the boat, was also on board albeit not as a team-member. The boat, 50ft from bow to stern, was equipped with six fishing rods. With powerful twin caterpillar engines pumping out 1,400hp, air-conditioned lobby and two cabins, a fridge, a cooling box for the catch, a box for storing live bait that can be flushed with saltwater and an open bridge, it seemed built for the purpose.

Heading out of the Marina Bandar al Rowdha at half past six in the morning one can see scores of fish swimming under the emerald green glassy surface of the water. "You should see this place at noon, when the sun is overhead. That's when you can really see right down to the bottom of the marina and see all the fish you want," informed Marlin. With a strong wind – about 20 knots (37kmph) – blowing in from the west as the boat headed out of the protected marina, the team set sail in an easterly direction. "We haven't had much luck the last two days," said Fahdy. He believed that the competition was taking place at the wrong time of the year. "This is neither the season for tuna or marlin," he said, with an air of disapproval. While the season for the former had just gone by, the season for the latter had not begun yet. Nevertheless, a team from Saudi Arabia managed to catch a tuna weighing more than 56kg, making it the biggest catch of the competition. Last year, however, the biggest catch of the event weighed more than 80kg.

As the boat headed out further into the sea, the propellers of its powerful engines leaving a frothy trail of churned seawater behind it, the colour of the sea changed from the earlier emerald to an impenetrable blue. The choppy sea had the boat rolling and pitching so that standing in the boat without grabbing on to something for support was difficult. "Hope you don't get seasick. Yesterday was good. The sea was completely calm. It's just bad luck that you are getting a rough ride," Ali told us. "But this boat is big. You don't want to be out in a small boat today," he added significantly. Although one does feel a little anxious about being tossed overboard with the boat rolling and pitching about, the real danger lies in being caught off balance and cracking one's head against a guard rail but usually the sea is not so rough as to render it unenjoyable. About 18 nautical miles (the equivalent of 34km on land), the crew put out the fishing gear. A combination of live and artificial bait was cast out at the end of strong nylon lines that can withstand the strain of up to 125kg. The lines were then attached to support rods that grew out like huge antennae, in addition to the primary fishing rods, on the sides of the craft. "To keep the lines from fouling up," explained Fahdy. After nearly an hour of cruising the team had had no luck. So the boat was turned around, this time into the waves and the wind. At an average speed of 12 to 13 knots (22 to 24kmph), the bow of the boat rose into the air with each wave and then hit the water with each trough, spraying all on board with a shower of saltwater. Soon enough we were coated with a thin white layer of salt – probably the least enjoyable part of the adventure trip. About half an hour later at about half past ten, the team had its first catch. The catch is indicated by the snapping of the rubber band that attaches the line to one of the support rods. Suddenly, there was an outburst of activity on board. While Marlin hollered at Ali to slow the boat down, Fahdy reeled the fish in. The first catch of the day was a dorado. A few more hours of cruising later and a big tuna was also on board, alongside the dorado in the concealed cooling box of the boat.

But how does one know where to fish when there are no obvious signs? "Of course there are signs. We look out for dolphins, and the presence of birds. They usually indicate the presence of fish. You just need to be able to read the signs. There is a bit of luck involved as well. You'll find yourself waiting for hours on end with not a
single catch and then suddenly you'll discover this school of fish and you end up with what might be your biggest catch in as little as 20 minutes," explained Fahdy. "That's what makes the sport exciting and satisfying – the anticipation that comes along with the wait, and the satisfaction of the catch that follows." Indeed, the team that won the competition found all their luck on the second day of the event when they were able to amass as much as 600 points, as compared to the first day's return to the marina without a single point. The perfect sport for those with a sense of adventure, a love for the open sea and oodles of patience.