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22/07/2004: "PEOPLE OF THE SEA John, Pete, Dale with Ben Cropp"
About to make a mini discovery. Four experienced divers with something like 180 years total underwater experience between them prepare to gear-up.
Below on a sandy floor 32 meters deep was a mystery shipwreck, maybe 80 or more years old, steel structure, but with the masts torn off by the passing nets of prawn trawlers. A few coral trout, brown spotted cod and other tropicals have made the wreck their home.
It was reported as 'a beaut dive' but a typical larger tourist dive group would stir-up too much sediment too soon. It is close to Port Douglas with some potential as an exclusive 'swim'.
A great heap of valueable netting and otter boards was snagged onto the wreck and will probably remain there forever. The purpose of the dive was exploration not salvage. This is a good example of information sharing between the skippers of prawn trawlers and responsible divers (what a terrible term that was, almost as bad a live-aboard dive boats and underwater camera shoot-out for a photo competition)!
Further north are many other noted prawn net snags. The man in the blue suit has dropped in on some of these. Old pearling luggers from the turn of the 19th century would be the prize find. Many have been WWII aircraft that ran out of fuel while returning to base.
Unfortunately the underwater visibility where the prawn nets constantly drag across the sandy floor is always poor, down to 3 meters or less. This curtain of silt hangs some seven meters above the bottom. The surface water may be 15 meters vis but not so down deeper.
If this signed photo of divers were a signed photo of surfers, the original picture would be a serious item at any of the regular surf memorabilia auctions it might fetch $40 unframed. Some long boards from the sixties go for several thousand dollars each. Even clothing from the past has a value as do books, surf movie posters and surf-themed music.
Diving history is much more sensible. Imagine an auction with brass divers helmets ($5000 or more). A speargun used by a world champion, original Tarzan wetsuit, shipwreck artifacts? Maybe not.
It's a thought for the future. The dive industry should look at the sucess of surfing. A dive museum? Scott Dillon has Legends Surf Museum on the highway seven kilometers north of Coffs Harbour, where he lives. The museum has a million dollars worth of boards, posters and collectables within,PLUS DIVING EQUIPMENT FROM THE WALLY GIBBINS COLLECTION.
UPDATE Oct 21st 2004: Pete West added a hi def Sony video camera to his extensive array of (rentable) professional underwater equipment.
