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18/06/2008: "THE CORAL SEA ..... French territory"
My father had adventures in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as a young soldier during the war. However he often said the best trips of his life were aboard Coralita especially this trip to the Chesterfield's.
It was a three-day voyage at 10 knots from the Queensland coast. The charter was shared between professional sea shell collectors (seeking the rare volute thatcheri, which was found) and diving photographers like us.
I documented the expedition for ABC TV news and a Sydney morning newspaper which ran reports and pictures over five weekday issues in exchange for paying my fare, which was substantial in those times.
Fathom (TM) magazine number six ran a several page report.
We had a lot of anxious shark activity underwater. Interesting as the grey reef sharks were territorial in that they protected home territory keenly, something that does not happen at regularly visited dive sites close to the coast these days.
Sharks are smart, they learn fast and have good memories.
