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24/10/2006: "CATCHING PORT JACKSON SHARKS ....... picture"
It was that day in November 1963, when earlier that morning we learned of JFK being killed in Texas.
Later that morning Bob Grounds (pictured above) and I launched the 14 foot aluminium boat at Rose Bay and drove down to Wedding Cake Island off Coogee.
We were free-lancing for Marineland at Manly who were desperate for sharks and fish such as blue groper to re-fill their aquarium after an accident.
Port Jackson sharks were fetching the same money as any of the dangerous species and were a whole lot easier to handle.
These sluggish prehistoric remnants could survive for hours out of the water – and did in some cases, with nothing better than a wet bag over them.
As young divers we were anxious for any marine income that would help cover our costs. We dreamed of becoming professional divers, and Bob Grounds achieved that ambition better than most.
He held various state abalone licenses, worked on an SE Asian oil platform as a diver, trained other oil rig divers at his school, and today heads his company seacoatings.com
He travels more often by Lear jet rather than a 14 foot tinnie with 40 HP outboard motor.
