[Previous entry: "LOBSTER"] [Next entry: "RON ISBELL as Captain C.Weed (an underwater comedy film)."]

23/08/2005: "WALLY MULLER"

A commercial hand-line fisherman who became a charter boat captain and owner. Established the first sleep-aboard and air compressor equipped dive boat, Coralita in 1969.

For many years was the only fisherman with navigational knowledge of the Swain Reefs and the only who ventured there on a regular basis. Riversong Cay being named after his first boat.

Wally was contracted by the US company, Gulf Oil to assist with their photographing the first aerial maps/charts of The Swain Reefs. (1964).

Wally Muller supplied a radio base station at Gannet Cay that was a camp for two men in tents for months.

Proceeds from this work enabled him to purchase a larger charter boat Careelah and later build the even larger Coralita.

In 1967 he worked for several months as a pilot with Careelah during the infamous Belgian Expedition which saw 35mm educational films being produced by the University of Leige (by the university's director's son, an underwater cameraman Pierre Dubuisson) - who hired Ron and Valerie Taylor.

Much of the diving and camera equipment was purchased second hand from the movie set of a James Bond film. The Belgian Navy provided their ex British minesweeper De Moor F905 for the expedition with a crew of 70.

In 1971 Dewey Bergman of Sea and Sea dive travel, San Francisco was part of the dive expedition to Chesterfield Reef in The Coral Sea. The journey was featured by Ron Taylor (Taylor's Inerspace - ruby thatcheri) and cinema documentaries Queensland Seafari re-titled John Harding's Australian Seafari.

Fathom magazine sparked the first speciality dive trips. Saumarez Reef in 1972 aboard Coralita. Lord Howe Island and Marion Reef destinations followed.

There were no regulations or rules to follow. Consequently some near accidents occured.

Other intenational dive travel companies then came to Australa. Bay Travel, La Mer Diving Safari (Amos Nachoum in New York) sent their tour groups with celebrity divers as hosts.

In time all the leading marine photographers arrived with Marion Reef comparing favourably with The Red Sea destinations.

Cameramen Al Giddings, Jack McKenney, Chuck Nicklin recorded scenes of savage sharks for various Hollywood films at Marion Reef and helped emphasise that sharks were more valueable alive than not.

Explosive powerheads as a psychologial shark defense were banned on future dive trips, but this did not prevent Captain Wally having an accident himself (see details elsewhere here).

Photographers David Doubilet, Irvin Rockman, writer Hillary Hauser helped promote Coralita with their contacts and work for National Geographic Magazine.

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau dived from Coralita while on an official visit. (John Sumner of Sydney was divemaster on behalf of the Australian Government).

Wally Muller was a great admirer of the navigational skills of Mathew Flinders and attempted to visit all the coral reefs chartered and named by the famous British naval explorer. He succedeed with his quest all in the era before GPS navigational aids. A very difficult ambition to equal today.

The boat and business name Barrier Reef Cruises was sold to former Tasmanian-based abalone diver Alby Ziebell.

More material on Wally Muller and Coralita see files within SEARCH.