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10/06/2008: "CAPTAIN WALLY ..... W G Muller (November 1983)"

Nineteen years after he took us to Saumarez Reef, now the owner of one of the world's "best by reputation" dive boats TSMV Coralita.

Wally collected sea shells as a hobby, rare and valuable ones found only at certain reefs in The Coral Sea.

Shells are nocturnal feeders. With his failing eyesight, a bright underwater movie light did the trick. The voluta perplicata was common out there. A single shell might be worth a few hundred dollars to a collector.

Another volute (thatcheri) from Chesterfield Reef (French Coral Sea territory) was equally valuable.

Live shells were collected. The dead shell loses luster.

Night diving in coral lagoons is not without risk of meeting a tiger shark, although more tigers seem to be on the Great Barrier Reef than The Coral Sea, perhaps due to long line fishing for marlin and tuna with sharks being the by-catch.

The last information I had was that night diving off Cairns on dive boats has ceased due to tiger sharks becoming too friendly.