SUNRISE & MOBILE PHONES ...... Today's picture perfect morning

6:20am, Coffs Harbour Feb 1st 2008

YOUR MOBILE PHONE CAN DO THE FOLLOWING

Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

Locked keys in car

If your car have remote key less entry this may be handy to know. If you lock your keys in the car and the wife or girlfriend has spare keys, call mobile phone to mobile or house phone. Hold your phone about 12 inches from the locked car door. Have the person elsewhere press the unlock button (while holding it near the phone at their end). Your car should then unlock. Saves a lot of trouble.


Reserve Battery Power

When your mobile battery is low. To activate, press the keys star 3370 hash. Your mobile will restart on reserve power with a 50% increase in battery power.

How to stuff-up any stolen phone

To check your phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phon! e: star hash 0 6 hash.

A 15 digit code should appear on the screen. This number is unique to your phone. If the phone get's knocked-off, you can try phoning the service provider and pass on this code while your put a freeze of your account.

They might be able to block use of the handset regardless of the new owner changing the SIM card. This would cost them money in lost phone calls. Maybe they won't do it in Australia?

If everybody deactivated their lost phones, there would be little point in anyone stealing a phone. Less would be sold too, and more would be in the garbage sooner, so maybe it will never happen. Probably better to let the new owner keep using it (if you lost the phone) and slow down the land-fill rate. If the phone was taken during a robbery of course stop future use of it.







Copyright2008 on 31.01.08 @ 04:21 PM AEST [Today's picture perfect morning">link]

Copyright2008 on 29.01.08 @ 06:12 PM AEST [link]

CORAL CLOSE-UP PHOTOGRAPHY ...... underwater

For anyone starting out in underwater photography, close-ups of soft corals is easy and visually rewarding.

These shots are from a film camera. Digital makes it even easier. Some people spend most of their underwater lives looking at and photographing things no larger than a coin. Others enjoy making a library of fish pictures.

The most boring (and therefore the easiest) subject of all, is another diver with a camera pointed at you.

If there is a shark or something exciting between both of you, that is a different matter!







Copyright2008 on 28.01.08 @ 09:49 PM AEST [underwater">link]

MARINE DIVING CAMERAMAN ..... JHH promotional picture

1988 at Flat Rock, Queensland.

A promotional picture for use in magazines and newspapers - was never used. Picture was taken by Christine Danaher a petite blonde who was to assist in making Queensland my principle place of residence.

Christine was to become one of the best Australian underwater models of all time.

When we say "one of the best" in this field I acknowledge Valerie Taylor is the undisputed all-time Queen of the Sea. Valerie has devoted her life to a better understanding of all aspects underwater. Encouraged enormously by the technical and innovative thoughts of her husband, Ron.

In this blog we are currently showcasing the other girls who did well over a shorter time span. Jocelyn Edwards, Kathy Troutt, Christine Danaher, Lynn Roberts etc.

Within our archives are many references to Ron and Valerie.








Copyright2008 on 27.01.08 @ 05:09 PM AEST [JHH promotional picture">link]

ACTUAL FILM FRAME OF TITLE ..... Queensland Seafari

The Rolleimarin still camera housing had the title taped against the inside of the glass.

The housing was hung on a rotary clothes lines (a popular Australian invention) and moved slowly and carefully by Jocelyn into the filming camera's point of view.

The best title ever, yet I didn't know it and swapped the title for something more ordinary and simple.









Copyright2008 on 27.01.08 @ 02:32 AM AEST [Queensland Seafari">link]

UNDERWATER MODEL ...... in the tropics

Jocelyn Edwards

Joss had much more than the usual fifteen minutes of fame. She was the star human amongst a cast of potentially dangerous marine creatures in several documentary adventure films. Her TV interviews may have inspired others, especially when she promoted crocodiles as a greater risk than sharks.

Her specialty was venomous sea snakes of which she knew no fear.

When Jocelyn returned home to New Zealand for a visit, the leading newspaper gave her a page one picture and interview which acknowledged her fame in Australia.

Jocelyn has a twin sister. Born Pisces in Year of the Tiger.

"Rebel with magnetic charm, loves taking risks" the characteristics for this Chinese astro sign.








Copyright2008 on 27.01.08 @ 01:51 AM AEST [in the tropics">link]

FISH FEEDING FRENZY ...... Yellow throat sweetlip

Once, a long time ago, these were considered inferior table quality to their cousins the red throat sweetlip

A non-diving fisherman friend once commented on "how these fish could be caught one after the other for hours, then suddenly they'd stop taking the bait".

"Maybe you caught all of them?" I suggested.

Such thoughts don't occur to people with little personal knowledge of what happens below the surface.






Copyright2008 on 26.01.08 @ 01:47 AM AEST [Yellow throat sweetlip">link]

CORAL BOMMIE CAVE ..... Fitzroy Reef, Southern GBR

Coral Cod



Copyright2008 on 26.01.08 @ 01:23 AM AEST [Fitzroy Reef, Southern GBR">link]

CORAL CAVE ...... within a bommie

The girls were a bit cautious in the dim light - hazards might be stinging butterfly cod, a sleeping carpet shark camouflaged to some extent. Here's the black coral tree mentioned below. A protected species.

A marine naturalist might wish to spend hours here, snapping away at many macro subjects. Other people dive elsewhere looking for larger life to enjoy.









Copyright2008 on 26.01.08 @ 01:06 AM AEST [within a bommie">link]

FITZROY BOMMIE .... Two underwater models

Jocelyn & Christine Danaher

The same bommie where we found the giant CoT starfish. Below was a cave housing some nice black coral formations. It was a productive dive pin pointed to us by our skipper Ron Isbell.

This soft coral colony looks like it would be a very old example if size has anything to do with it. Nothing brilliant in the color department, would be hard-pressed to make a promotional picture. A pity. If it were bright pink or red such formations would be all over magazine covers and posters.

Such is the appeal of color.

Underwater there is limited color visible to our eyes. The flash/strobe illuminates (and in same cases colorizes) the subject.

A false impression. Many tourists are therefore disappointed when they first snorkel in coral country - seeing a blue grey panorama of coral reef instead of the brilliant artificial colors selected for promotions.

It's a miracle some lawyer has not tried suing tourist bureau's, airlines etc. for false advertising. After all, the bright red colors do not exist (except in shallow water) without a light/strobe/flash.







Copyright2008 on 26.01.08 @ 12:21 AM AEST [Two underwater models">link]

CROWN OF THORNS STARFISH ...100's collected in The Swains

Jocelyn shows a few hundred starfish to Captain Wally Muller of Coralita fame

Shown about 250 Crown of Thorns starfish - part of 1000 strung onto two spear lines by a couple of divers using a single tank of air each.

This was the infestation near Mystery Cay that shocked those on that dive.

Many thousands or coral eating starfish covered the reef - impossible to guesstimate their numbers in the short time we had there.

Our last dive after 14 days at sea before returning to the port of Yeppoon, 12 hours travel time away.




Copyright2008 on 25.01.08 @ 12:55 AM AEST [100's collected in The Swains">link]

SCUBA DIVE BOAT HOSTESS ......

Jocelyn aboard TSMV Coralita - Saumarez Reef



Copyright2008 on 24.01.08 @ 03:00 AM AEST [link]

MISS JOCELYN EDWARDS ..... Her underwater shark swim

Memo: Often UPDATED. Please RELOAD CURRENT PAGE

Jocelyn has fans everywhere. 'Tiger Sharrk' often emails requesting more, more, more. This month will see all the favorite shots.

Some have been improved repeats. This brings most, (not all) pictures together into a one month folder.

The above pictures are from a single dive at Big Seal Rock(s). A local fisherman loaned us a small boat, Dennis Kemp (Tuncurry Dive Shop) provided the tanks. Valerie T. gave Joss a Lycra suit and we were set.

It proves you don't need to dive every week. As soon as we hit the water it was just like the last dive was just days ago - instead of years and months.

Jocelyn is at home underwater. Her slender shape (in color shot) proves her appeal as a diving model.


REMEMBER TO REFRESH



Copyright2008 on 23.01.08 @ 12:36 AM AEST [Her underwater shark swim">link]

JOCELYN EDWARDS...... Fathom magazine, Sydney beach HQ

An ocean view from every window at the northern beach headquarters for Fathom (our former marine magazine).

Further up the coast Tracks the surfing newspaper had a spectacular office site at Whale Beach.

Cheap housing by the sea was once possible in Sydney. Not anymore.

Our lawn (above) was not a priority.

It went wild when we were away on frequent trips to The Coral Sea and with traveling film showings.

My plan to launch a diving newspaper based on the success of Tracks led to the breaking up of the very popular and successful Fathom magazine.

This change of direction allowed more time for interesting new things and an escape from deadlines imposed by magazine work.







Copyright2008 on 22.01.08 @ 02:04 AM AEST [ Fathom magazine, Sydney beach HQ">link]

CAPTAIN C.WEED .....tests shark repelling coat on Jocelyn

Ron Isbell devised the Captain C.Weed character, Jocelyn was his assistant in this 16mm featurette produced especially for the former Melbourne underwater film festival, Oceans.

Re-edited to a shorter version for general audiences it now appears in Australian Seafari as a comedy sequence showing a rubber sea snake attacking (tomato sauce for blood) and this shark repelling coat that actually works - with trick film editing.



Inspirational credit to:
Dick Anderson (R.I.P.) who made several comedy films for underwater film festivals. Narrated personally in huge auditoriums, they were often the highlight of the evening, surpassing other action adventure and measured by laughter and applause.



Copyright2008 on 19.01.08 @ 05:23 AM AEST [tests shark repelling coat on Jocelyn">link]

CAPTAIN C.WEED ..... Improvised diving helmet

Ron Isbell - the plastic bucket example of early dive gear he used**



Copyright2008 on 19.01.08 @ 05:07 AM AEST [Improvised diving helmet">link]

HAND FEEDING A MORAY ..... or feeding hand to a moray?

(left) Jocelyn finds a young moray eel, Heron Island area, Qld.
(right) Three live cowrie shells - not collected



Copyright2008 on 18.01.08 @ 07:07 PM AEST [or feeding hand to a moray?">link]

STARFISH DISCOVERED ...... 200 years old, largest ever seen

Jocelyn Edwards (left and also in red suit) helped with the finding of this Crown of Thorns starfish.

The coral killing starfish was on a bommie just outside Fitzroy Reef lagoon, south of Heron Island where it had been seen by our skipper Ron Isbell for years. This is the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, offshore from Gladstone, Queensland.

We were on a private charter aboard Ron's motor-sailer.

Dr Robert Endean (formerly of University of Queensland) confirmed it was the largest CoT he had ever seen and probably 200 or more years old.

"It was probably a juvenile when Captain James Cook sailed past that reef more than 200 years ago" said our distinguished friend Dr. Endean.

A similar picture became a postcard promoting the Great Barrier Reef. We were lucky to slip that one past the publisher as anything to do with starfish was anti-tourism.

With much delight, I addressed and mailed one of the first cards to Dr Robert Endean, for years a campaigner for more research into these mysterious starfish plagues. He considered them a serious problem being brushed under the carpet by the Queensland Government under Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. (RIP)

The postcard would have been something of future historical interest and value.

For example: The first Crown of Thorns postcard, mailed from Cairns (where the problem was first noticed off Green Island), addressed to the leading CoT scientist.

Guess what? The postcard never arrived. Whoever has it today is therefore a thief or a person in possession of a stolen item. (I hope karma catches up with whoever it is).






Copyright2008 on 17.01.08 @ 11:58 PM AEST [200 years old, largest ever seen">link]

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF DR. ROBERT ENDEAN

"A champion of justice and Australia's first true Crusader for Coral Reefs."

Copyright2008 on 17.01.08 @ 11:49 PM AEST [link]

CLOSE CORAL ENCOUNTER .....Bommies

Some charter boat skippers remain hundreds of meters from coral formations like these, for safety.

Not our Wally Muller who had exceptional confidence and capabilities.

Wally was a former professional fisherman turned spear fisherman, then diver charter boat owner. For a while he was a real life King of the Coral Sea. Rum became his worst enemy combined with boredom.

Wally wasn't cut out to entertain masses of people. He'd lived a mostly solitary existence beforehand.

Here he navigates Coralita into shallow waters giving guests a thrill and close encounter with corals.

A small sand cay well in the distance. Water visibility is usually about 60 meters in The Coral Sea where this picture was made.

Few trips venture that far offshore today due to fuel costs.









Copyright2008 on 17.01.08 @ 02:42 AM AEST [Bommies">link]

TROUBLE IN CORAL COUNTRY ..... The Swain Reefs

Jocelyn, part of the team diving east of Mystery Cay

It's still the largest infestation of Crown of Thorns starfish I've seen. Known as Acanthaster planci it's the spiny and poisonous stinging starfish which feeds upon living corals, leaving a bleached skeleton behind. Tens of thousands of starfish were seen by our team. Impossible to count them.

The location was two reefs east of Mystery Cay, in The Swain Reefs. It probably has a name or at least a number today.

A long way offshore in that great southern maze of once uncharted reefs, where few people venture even today.




Copyright2008 on 17.01.08 @ 02:25 AM AEST [The Swain Reefs">link]

TWO TIGERS GAFFED BY DECKHANDS .... Great Barrier Reefs

Tiger sharks caught by Captain Peter Bristow's deckhands

A motion picture film sequence included in Australian Seafari shows Australian big game marlin fishing. Several large tigers feed on the catch.

A pole camera recorded this unique action shown in the former documentary featuring Jocelyn Edwards. (Not available on DVD).



Copyright2008 on 16.01.08 @ 02:43 PM AEST [Great Barrier Reefs">link]

JOCELYN'S REPTILIAN 'PETS'......venomeous sea snakes

(left) Reflections Under a Clear Surface (JHH art house film)
(right) Sea Snake returning to 35 meters, Wal's Bommie Saumarez Reef




Copyright2008 on 16.01.08 @ 02:23 PM AEST [link]

CORALITA RUNS AGROUND ...... Marion Reef, The Coral Sea

(top) Wally Muller, owner-skipper of TSMV Coralita
(below) Jocelyn with prop - after Coralita struck the reef

Wally Muller didn't make many mistakes. On this day, overcast with no breeze, he mis-calculated the depth of water under Coralita.

I woke up when in the water, seeing he had anchored the big boat with just three meters of water under the keel.

While shifting the boat in reverse, one prop hit coral. An example that running a large boat requires deep pockets filled with heaps of cash.




Copyright2008 on 15.01.08 @ 10:16 PM AEST [Marion Reef, The Coral Sea">link]

Queensland Seafari poster (G)

Copyright2008 on 14.01.08 @ 11:55 PM AEST [link]

AQUARIUS - People of the Sea .... movie poster 1970

This was the last show dates for Aquarius. Looking back at the text today shows the simple attitude we had then.

The public was largely ignorant of anything underwater. The most simple tabloid terms were required.

Anything of an environmental description probably would have gone over the head of even university professors in those times. At least that's I how recall it. You'd go broke trying to show pretty fish films.

Killer whales of San Diego was, in reality part of an oceanarium show using captive killer whales. It was a good sequence which I used in other films for many years. Today it would draw sympathy for tiny tank two large whales lived and performed jumps in. The same oceanarium today is vastly different.

The 'Hawaiian hippy surfers' was a brief scene from a deserted beach on Maui - before development of resorts. New Zealand film censors objected to a few frames of frontal nudity. The "banning" proved to be free government advertising - the screenings did very well as a result, establishing a theatre attendance record for a 16mm film.

The "Lost island paradise" is Kapingamarangi Atoll- (Eastern Caroline Islands) fully covered elsewhere in these archives. Rare pictures today.

"Beatiful mermaids" was a mistake, it was intended to read beautiful mermaids.

If the poster was a postage stamp or a coin, any mistake would make it extra valuable. The print run for this poster was maybe 1,000 copies. Few survive today.

Jocelyn appeared in the re-edited version with extra footage which became Queensland Seafari.

I dropped the dramatic (reconstructed) shark picture from the next poster!



Copyright2008 on 14.01.08 @ 04:21 PM AEST [movie poster 1970">link]

WHAT SHARK IS THIS?

THE SHARK

"A guided missile of terror with murder in its heart that can smell blood from miles away."

What shark is this? Note the snout, different to a grey nurse.

That's how a Sydney newspaper journalist re-wrote my text to "jazz it up" a little. After that incident I stopped contributing shark educational material to that newspaper. A written apology was given, but not in print.

The traveling film shows did well to correct a lot of mis-understandings with the sea. Queenslander's were starved for good information. They had the Great Barrier Reef at their front door yet few got to see it.

As mentioned previously, we had many thousand people attend the film shows every week. They were so successful after just a few weeks of work we did not need to do any more for another 12 months.



Copyright2008 on 13.01.08 @ 07:45 PM AEST [link]

SHARK FILM SHOWS ...... Big hit with Queenslanders

Bundaberg Crest Cinema; after show Jocelyn with fans



Copyright2008 on 13.01.08 @ 07:12 PM AEST [Big hit with Queenslanders">link]

QUEENSLAND SEAFARI........ promoted in schools

John & Jocelyn by unknown artist



Copyright2008 on 13.01.08 @ 07:08 PM AEST [promoted in schools">link]

NATURES HEALTH CENTRE .... and Diving Energy Tucker

Jocelyn meets 'Billy'

The health centre was located at Bruxner Park's rain forest area of Coffs Harbour. A beautiful, cool and relaxing region to begin with.

Deep in the forest was a clearing and two fresh water creeks. Tall tree's and bird calls echoed in the otherwise peaceful environment. A paradise beyond my simple description here.

This was the creation of Drs FJ and Noreen Steed, talented natural healers with many diplomas each.

Jocelyn learned some useful things from NHC: One, that goat's milk is 40 times easier to digest than ordinary cow's milk.

Therefore goat milk is idea for little kids.

(Better than any milk is quality apple juice. (Juice that has not been reconstituted with water).

Sadly, Natures Health Centre no longer exists in Coffs Harbour and following the passing of it's founder in Tasmania recently, has been disbanded there also. Much valuable knowledge is gone.

Dr FJ Steed is credited with devising (from 1966) LSA (linseed, sunflower kernals, ground almond) the fabulous breakfast mix also now known as The Liver Cleansing Diet.

It's diving energy tucker, far surpassing muesli or simple cornflakes.

Details later.




Copyright2008 on 12.01.08 @ 09:18 PM AEST [and Diving Energy Tucker">link]

DESTINATION GREEN ISLAND ..... Cairns, Queensland

A view from Pannawonica (the Sir Garrick Agnew game fishing boat) shows Jocelyn Edwards driving the El Torito dinghy. Denise Travers and I are also aboard. Jocelyn was given her first scuba lesson by National Geographic staff photographer, Bates Littlehales later that day.

Photo courtesy David Rosenbrock collection



Copyright2008 on 11.01.08 @ 04:47 AM AEST [Cairns, Queensland">link]

MAKING MOVIES ....... in the 1970's

My Bolex with 55mm Nikon micro lens, F-C mount adapter

Probably the world's most popular 16mm camera for documentary film makers. Not the most professional, but solid and easy to use. The hand wind spring motor gave about 16 seconds of constant filming. The one hundred foot load of film lasted 2 minutes 44 seconds at the normal speed of 24 frames per second.

Slow motion effects would be 32, 48 or 64 frames per second. The higher the number the slower the action on film.

A roll of film with processing would be more than AUD$100 today. You can see why video is so much more popular - not only with cost.

However, there is still a couple of advantages with film. The big one being you can't accidentally erase the image. That's the positive. The down sides are dust and scratches on the film.

Kodachrome film was used by amateurs, Ektachrome by 'professionals'.

The interesting twist today is most of that 'professional' film has since turned pink whereas the amateur film would have good color close to how it was originally.

A few professionals used Kodachrome. These images might be still OK in one hundred years.





Copyright2008 on 10.01.08 @ 03:39 PM AEST [in the 1970's">link]

FAMILY FILM SHOW ....... Main picture - Jocelyn Edwards

Thousands of these posters appeared in shop windows and power poles along the NSW coast, especially during Christmas - New Year holiday times. Eden to Byron Bay. Return shows each year.

Favourite locations Eden Fisherman's Club, Merimbula RSL, Bermagui Country Club, Nelson Bay RSL, South West Rocks Country Club, Coffs Harbour Civic Centre, Woolgoolga RSL,Wooli Bowling Club, Iluka Bowling Club, Evans Head RSL, Lennox Head Bowling Club, Byron Bay RSL, and a lot more.



Copyright2008 on 10.01.08 @ 03:34 AM AEST [Main picture - Jocelyn Edwards">link]

MIDDLETON REEF SHIPWRECK ..... Long-line fishing vessel

Photography by Jocelyn Edwards



Copyright2008 on 09.01.08 @ 04:09 PM AEST [Long-line fishing vessel">link]

CORALITA SEA SAFARI TO SAUMAREZ REEF

Miss Edwards at the 'Francis Preston Blair', a stranded Liberty ship



Copyright2008 on 09.01.08 @ 04:23 AM AEST [link]

MERCURY IN SEAFOOD - Marine food story continues

This Week in Australia
The Contaminated Fish story which began last Monday in much of the mainstream media, with the warnings given to eating several species of fish that are loaded with excessive mercury and are therefore too dangerous for children. (Shark, sword fish, marlin, catfish, etc).

A point worth making in reply is catfish, is mostly sold under other names, Pacific Dory, Basa being two of these.

Pacific Dory and Basa is Vietnamese freshwater catfish from the Mekong Delta.

A story last year on the SBS Thalassa Sunday night programme showed the impressive production from buying live then filleting, fast freezing of the catfish.

Farmed in cages under 'fish farm' houses built over the water where the people live. They care for and feed the fish with a porridge-like substance mixed in large mechanical mixing tanks.

Many of these new fish farmers are former rice farmers now living a better lifestyle, thanks to the catfish being exported internationally.

It tastes OK. White fillets too, no bones. This doesn't help if they are over-loaded with a heavy metal known to send people mad and slowly do worse things for pregnant ladies and little kids.

The story indicated that tuna was OK by not mentioning it. I'd be a bit doubtful it it was a large tuna. Every large fish is going to be a mercury risk. Other risks are ciguaterra poisoning in tropical species.

The story emphasized small fish only for small kids. The tip applies to adults as well in my opinion.

In reality, a campaign to release big fish and take only small fish would be a good start in these dire times of fish shortages. It's unlikely to happen without a lot of dedicated effort by some one.

Shark is processed into carb sticks, fish balls and other 'fish' products.

The larger or adult fish species produce more eggs and therefore should be left alone.

Yet for decades fisheries inspectors have been after people catching undersized fish - the system ignores damage the prawn trawling does with their by-catch (of tiny fish) which are thrown back.

Double standards.

Footnote. Fathom issue #3 was months ahead of Australian newspapers by announcing high levels of mercury were contained in edible fish and shellfish.





Copyright2008 on 09.01.08 @ 12:00 AM AEST [ Marine food story continues">link]

JOCELYN says: 'SAVE THE BLUE FIN TUNA'

Copyright2008 on 08.01.08 @ 03:13 PM AEST ['SAVE THE BLUE FIN TUNA'">link]

TURTLE SAVED FROM DROWNING IN SHARK MESH NET

Jocelyn with turtle released from Gold Coast shark meshing net.






Copyright2008 on 08.01.08 @ 12:41 AM AEST [link]

JOCELYN EDWARDS .......... magazine poster test shot

A fathom era picture





Copyright2008 on 07.01.08 @ 06:08 AM AEST [magazine poster test shot">link]

GREY NURSE SHARK KEEPS AN EYE ON HIS DINNER

Jocelyn Edwards and I joined John Black (not the abalone diver) for an early swim at Big Seal Rock, when this picture was made. Location: S 32.46 E 152.55

The GNS were rounding-up the school of newly arrived yellowtail into a spiral column for a feed.



Copyright2008 on 06.01.08 @ 11:53 PM AEST [link]

TWO SHARKS ..... Thrill-seeking underwater model

Faster than a speeding bullet... the 2nd GNS turns

These opportunities occurred at Seal Rocks, New South Wales, when virtually overnight, Big Seal Rock (underwater) became the new temporary residence of 100 or more 'possibly migrating' young grey nurse sharks, and a few adults.




Copyright2008 on 06.01.08 @ 11:47 PM AEST [Thrill-seeking underwater model">link]

JOCELYN EDWARDS...... Continued

We swapped camera's, Joss uses the 16mm here



Copyright2008 on 06.01.08 @ 11:31 PM AEST [Continued">link]

JOCELYN AND THE TWO J's ..... Australian divers

Brisbane, Queensland with John H Jr and John H Snr (right)



Copyright2008 on 06.01.08 @ 04:25 PM AEST [Australian divers">link]

GANNET CAY

Jocelyn Edwards @ Gannet Cay, The Swain Reefs



Copyright2008 on 05.01.08 @ 11:57 PM AEST [link]

"REFLECTIONS UNDER A CLEAR SURFACE" ..... 16mm film

Jocelyn meets sea snake 150km offshore in The Swain Reefs

Cinemateque is popular in Sydney where recorded music is played during a re-release of a popular movie, in place of the original soundtrack. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with the movie The Wizard of Oz might be an example.

Years before I experimented with an early version of cinemateque using my art house 16mm film "Reflections Under a Clear Surface"(introducing Jocelyn Edwards.)

We played Tangerine Dream's Phaedra. It was a magical combination at the time when the album was new and largely unknown.

Highlights of the 30minute film were Jocelyn handling sea snakes on The Swain Reefs and her nude bubble dive at 64 frames per second in crystal waters of The Coral Sea. Both would be memories amongst her many fans.

The bubble dive later became an Australian TV commercial for a young woman's skin perfume.

The bubble sequence was shown daily to thousands of Queensland school children attending cinema screening's of Queensland Seafari and created an thunderous uproar from the kids.

A handful of parents and teachers objected, prompting minor editing of just three or four film frames at Townsville, which toned it down.

(However the complaints were to persist for years proving you can't please everyone, in retrospect it was fantastic word-of-mouth advertising).

We then drove south to Bowen, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Yeppoon and Maryborough. Three days in each large city, three sessions per day.

The Department of Education secretly investigated the complaints (fortunately at Maryborough after the edit had been made weeks before) and saw nothing objectionable.

Prior to this, a state government opposition member in "question time" raised the issue of an uncensored film being shown to school children.

It was a storm in a tea cup for a few days during the Joh era, when Queensland was a police state.




Copyright2008 on 05.01.08 @ 02:05 AM AEST [16mm film">link]

JOCELYN EDWARDS ...... Australian underwater model

'Joss' joined a game fishing and documentary filming expedition off Cairns, Queensland.

The film was for a major Hollywood movie requiring action marlin and dolphin scenes.

Captain Peter Bristow at right with Jocelyn and the cameraman.

Additional underwater action was recorded with an improvised pole camera designed by Captain Bristow.

Recorded on film was maybe half a dozen large tiger sharks feeding on a 1006 pound black marlin previously caught by our famous friend 'Brizakka' from his own boat.

An oceanic whaler shark and several other common whalers joined the underwater feast.

Nobody entered the water. The largest tiger shark was guessed at five meters in length.

Most tigers were four meters long and about half the body weight of that big specimen just one meter longer.

That what happens with sharks, the body fills out rather than growing longer, with age.

A pair of four meter tiger sharks were gaffed, at great risk, by Bristow's deckhands, Noel and Ducie.



Copyright2008 on 03.01.08 @ 07:28 PM AEST [Australian underwater model">link]

GOIN' FISHING ...... in style

Jocelyn Edwards & Denise Travers at Cairns, Queensland
Photo courtesy: David Rosenbrock Collection

GONE FISHIN'
Saturday morning I got up early, put on my fishing clothes, dressed quietly, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.

There was hail mixed with the rain, and the wind was blowing 30 knots. I arrived at the boat ramp, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather could be getting even worse. I drove back to the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There I cuddled up to my wife's back now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible".
My loving wife of thirty years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that crap"?

I still don't know if she was joking....or not.





Copyright2008 on 02.01.08 @ 08:35 PM AEST [in style">link]

THE SHARK FISHING-TREASURE HUNTER ..Bass Strait, 1940's

Off the southern end of King Island, (between the Australian mainland and the island State of Tasmania) Doug Collins caught many sharks while working his shark fishing business in the late 1940's. The shark liver was in demand for pharmaceutical products needed for the war.

One memorable day had the deck full of sharks, and being a keen amateur photographer, Doug made these pictures. Larger sharks than what is commonly caught these days.

Doug Collins' home was near to the University of the Sea (aka Terry Morrison's NAUI Scuba School) at Tweed Heads. That's where I met Doug. He was a skilled machinist who played with electric motors from refrigerators turning these into home made air conditioners.

He also invented a device for handicapped lawn bowlers to enable them to pick up their bowling balls without needing to bend their back.

Doug was a friendly man. I wish he'd given us more information about his shark fishing days. He was always side-tracking the conversation onto more interesting thoughts, such as his belief that pirates treasure was hidden at the western entrance to Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay.

Doug had been there several times, digging and drilling with permits into the sandstone cliffs, convinced that below was a lost treasure from the pirate era of Bass Strait. A cave where the roof had collapsed burying the booty.

At one stage there were more pirates in Bass Strait than anywhere in the world, I read somewhere once. Maybe Doug was on the right track?

Doug Collins based his research on fisherman's tales and his own personal observations especially of behavior by an old chap with a secret source of Spanish coins which was traded for a steady income.

It's a bit late now, Doug suddenly passed away in hospital after catching a bad 'flu.

Photo: Estate of Douglas Collins




vortex on 01.01.08 @ 05:30 PM AEST [Bass Strait, 1940's">link]