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11/01/2005: "Heron Island 1963 ............."skindiving paradise"."
As documented elsewhere, in the early days of underwater exploring, there was no thought given to fish conservation.
During the annual November convention, these spearmen from Sydney's eastern suburbs White Water Wanderers and St.George clubs took their own speedboats to Heron Island for the first time and 'cleaned up'. A mixture of reef fish - mainly estuary cod, coral trout, maori wrasse and a huge venus tusk fish are shown strung-up for this now historic and never-to-be repeated picture outside their accomodation hut.
During the same convention Ron Taylor recorded scenes for his future 10 minute 16mm underwater motion picture coverage of these events, his first colour film.
It produced a fine travelogue starring his future wife Valerie Heighes and sold to (the then) Queensland Government Tourist Bureau as SKINDIVING PARADISE. These were the times when few scuba tanks existed and the main recreation was with spearguns. A defense against sharks was paramount in all divers thoughts.
The film ends with Wally Gibbins snorkeling to hitch a ride on a green turtle he awakens from a snooze with a tap on the head. Previously we saw some of the above people spearing fish. It was in mill-pond crystal ocean conditions under a tropical sun with 'water' too warm for wet suits.
Although not entirely a spearfishing film, it is a technical masterpiece and shows 33 year-old Wal Gibbins in his prime as one of the most self-confident of divers.
His 11ft 2" tiger shark was not included in this travel promotion film, obviously.
