Oman 2024 – Ras Al Hadd – Fishing with Grezzolo
We decide to make good use of our last day in Oman and we book a boat trip with Grezzolo.
The boat trip includes dolphins (possibly) fishing (almost certainly) and cooking and eating your catch.
The driver drops us on Al-Batin beach, where Grezzolo has his boat and his warehouse.
I jump from the car, walk toward him and say:
« Hallo Hamad. Do you remember me? »
« Oh, you were here. Many many years ago ».
« Yes, it is me. It is Abu Capelli ».
« Now I am back ».
It is 8 am in the morning, we take place on the boat. Grezzolo jumps on a rusty tractor – everybody is surprised to see the engine still works, from outside you could not tell it – and uses it to push the boat to the water. Then he takes the rudder and we go. It is a nice motorboat and again, it is just the two of us. We look for dolphins while enjoying the ride, more than one hours, but that day, the dolphins are shy and thy don’t want to be seen from us.
So we pass to the stage two: fishing. Grezzolo gives each of us a fishing line with two plastic baits and we put them in the water and just let them go. While we are navigating, I feel that something is pulling the line. I start to pull back. Towards the end I need help to pull the fish out of the water.
I’m all excited and happy as I caught my first fish. Actually I had tried in the past once, while I was in Cape Verde, but I felt so sorry for the fish that I released it into the water. This time, instead, I am very proud that I am able to provide lunch. At the second attempt, I catch two small tunas. My friend also got her prey, so it is clear lunch will be abundant today.
The third step of the tour is the snorkeling. Grezzolo stops the boat in a small bay and we go to the water. We recognize the place as we were there to dive two days earlier: it is the so called Nudi Garden, because the bottom is covered with so many nudibranchs that it really resembles a garden. But there are also other animals: cuttlefishes for example. Grezzolo sees them and joins us in the water, trying to catch them and increase the assortment for lunch but he does not have the right equipment (a kind of arpon) so all that we get is black ink.
Turtles seems to understand we are about to leave, because they show and stay with us for a good while. Finally we tell them « Goodbye » and go back to the beach as we still need to clean and grill the fishes.
To get the boat out of the sea, Grezzolo has a special technique: he accelerates getting closer to the shore and in the end the boat takes off and lands on the sand.
We take place under the wooden roof on the beach, which is equipped with the charcoal, the grill, chairs and tables. In the meantime, someone brings salad, rice and bread. Once the fish is grilled, Grezzolo serves it on the dishes and we start eating it. With our hands, of course.
It was my last meal organized by Casa Oman.
We go back to pack as we planned a quick tour in Muscat before the return flight. The Capital is waiting for us.
