Sunday, April 30th
THE MASSIVE CORALS ......porites
 These giant coral formations are a barometer illustrating just healthy a coral reef might be. They first to suffer on sick, slowly dying reef’s. Low Isles (off busy Port Douglas) is an easy example to check. The remains of these huge corals exist, now covered with soft coral growths - which are more plants than hard corals. Hundreds of years old, these hemispherical piorites corals are the underwater equivalent of ancient or giant trees on land. Tipped to become more appreciated as they become increasingly rare. Each mound the size of a small car, were photographed on the outer reef edge, off Townsville, when these pictures were made in October 1983. Worthwhile collecting new pictures now, especially if you have an interest in documenting the rapidly changing world of marine natural history.
JH on 30.04.06 @ 10:46 AM AEST [ porites">link]
Saturday, April 29th
FROGMAN HELMET.......
 Made by Don Linklater's Undersee Products this one-size-fits-all rubber helmet amazed Dr Hans Hass.......(below).
JH on 29.04.06 @ 05:22 PM AEST [ link]
HANS & LOTTE HASS ....."Australia leads the world" (1953)
 Veteran spearman and author, Hans Hass, passing rapidly through Sydney, en route to the Barrier (Reef) paused just long enough to have a club badge pinned on his chest by Dick Charles.
Dick got around to pinning a badge on the (chest of) photogenic Mrs (Lotte) Hass at the December (1952) Sunday outing.
The Dr (of zoology not medicine) commented that he had believed France to lead the world in spear fishing technique and development, but is convinced that Australia leads both France and America.The reasons given for Australia leading the world in 1953 were: a helmet with attached face mask, the large shoulder-type spear guns of Wally Gibbins design, flippers incorporated into gloves, and a wrap-around rubber sheet - the forerunner to wet suits. Hans Hass’ project during this visit was to dive on the outer edge of coral reefs (the weather side), use a flashlight or strobe on underwater cameras, and scuba to 120 feet depth. All high adventure pursuits in territory then considered no man’s land. On sharks and spear fishing he advocated fishing be restricted to hand spears only – to conserve reef fish stocks. (Later, in 1972-73 his manifesto to this effect was signed by hundreds, possibly thousands of noted experts world wide endorsing this proposal – which didn’t get off the ground). Sharks were his hobby. "Their beauty and symmetry of movement in the water is particularly fascinating." (This was in an era when all divers were scared shitless to some extent by these active maneating creatures. Except perhaps Wally Gibbins). It was also a time when large bull sharks were common in Sydney Harbour and surrounding beaches. The interview ended with a plug for his latest book and a feature length documentary movie both with the same title, Under the Red Sea. Source: Underwater Spear Fishermens Association's SPEARFISHING NEWS January 1953
JH on 29.04.06 @ 08:03 AM AEST [ "Australia leads the world" (1953)">link]
Friday, April 28th
JOCELYN EDWARDS & CHRISTINE DANAHER.....uw models
 There has been an evolution of divers making contact with marine residents. Feeding the animals being the nucleus and inspired by the pioneering work of Valerie Taylor. Seemingly vicious creatures have been tamed or conditioned to respond to the handouts, not always with the best results. The large moray at The Cod Hole did what any eel would do when confused by a divers fingers smelling like food – it made a bite! After a New Zealand lady diver had her arm very severely bitten by the same eel (the arm later being amputated) the marine park authority was forced to relocate both large moray’s to other reefs. Christine Danaher (blond) was fearless with the big eel’s – in one 16mm sequence she briefly hugs a creature slightly larger than herself. Not such a brilliant plan in hindsight, but she got away with it at the time. Eventually we’ll learn just how potentially friendly all marine life could have been if the spears, nets and traps had not been used so enthusiastically by us pioneers of the underwater world. Jocelyn Edwards appears in the documentary film Australian Seafari in two important sequences – a slow motion bubble swim (in the very clear waters of Saumarez Reef) and on the way home, The Swain Reefs with venomeous sea snakes. Christine appeares in the same film and other material, including the unfinished Cape York Safari - an ordinary V8 Ford Falcon attempting to be a 4X4.
JH on 28.04.06 @ 10:35 AM AEST [ link]
Thursday, April 27th
DISCOVERING GIANT .......Crown of Thorns starfish
 Christine Danaher (blonde) and her friend Jocelyn Edwards found this huge Crown ofThorns (CoT) at Fitzroy Lagoon, south of Heron Island. Skipper/guide Ron Isbell had seen this starfish in the same location for twenty years. Dr Robert Endean later told us that such a monster starfish would be over 200 years old. A similar picture from the same dive appeared on the first mass produced postcard to feature such an anti-tourism topic. It proved to be very popular.
JH on 27.04.06 @ 11:50 PM AEST [ link]
JOHN H.
 Deckhand, diving assistant and even a script writer for Tale of a Shark Hunter (a TV documentary)while aboard Ben Cropp's Freedom III. A nice day off Port Douglas shown here.
JH on 27.04.06 @ 01:53 PM AEST [ link]
500 Crown of Thorns
 A moment after this picture was taken, and caught on 16mm film, this entire collection of skewered starfish fell back into the sea when the rope snapped. Another similar number of starfish were lifted aboard. They had been collected by Roy Muller (pictured) and deckhand Richard Weir seperately, using a single cylinder of air each at the reef near Mystery Cay (The Swain Reefs) in May 1974. Story follows below:
JH on 27.04.06 @ 01:12 PM AEST [ Crown of Thorns">link]
CROWN OF THORNS (1974)
 It was our last day at sea in May 1974 before returning to Yeppoon, Queensland, aboard Coralita with Captain Wally Muller guiding us through the Swain Reefs. Captain Wal knew these waters better than any other skipper. He’d fished them commercially from aboard his Riversong for decades. When asked how Mystery Cay was named, he replied: “I worked this area for years without seeing this one particular reef. How I kept missing it, while passing by so close was…… a mystery (to me)”. This infestation of crown of thorns starfish was by far the largest I’d ever seen. We filmed what we saw and reported it in parts of the media and of course to the late Dr Robert Endean at the University of Queensland. Movietone News (a weekly cinema released program) had previously produced a short news coverage from my 16mm footage from Lavers Cay in The Swain Reefs, but this was far worse with many tens of thousands of starfish feeding openly on the corals. Reef fish were being displaced from normal hiding places under coral ledges. It was an awe inspiring and numbing sight. My still pictures were hopeless under-exposed. I’d borrowed a roll of film and the speed was one stop slower than stated. Today with a film scanner and computer the original slides are correctable and of use. In the era the pictures were made there was hostile reaction from the tourist industry toward our discovery of more coral destroying starfish. The attitude seemed to be if the problem could be denied for long enough the problem would go away. It just got worse and more frequent, but has since been replaced by global warming and coral bleaching as more news worthy topics. Clever?
JH on 27.04.06 @ 12:16 PM AEST [ link]
MY DINNER aboard Freedom III
 Mangrove Jack (top) and a coastal version of a Coral Trout (below) Both "A" grade and both in short supply these days.
JH on 27.04.06 @ 11:05 AM AEST [ aboard Freedom III">link]
QUEENSLAND SPEARGUN
 In his book Handbook for Skindivers (1963) Ben Cropp gave the plans on making yourself a speargun. Built along the same lines at the one I’m inspecting here aboard Ben’s boat Freedom III. A piece of silky oak timber, a Sea Hornet trigger mechanism and a pistol grip, etc. I made only three and still use one forty years later. A large whaler shark swam off with the best gun at Flat Rock, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland within a couple of minutes when I first slid into the water there in 1963. The 60 feet of ski line and a plastic buoy never even surfaced. Everything vanished into the depths. Vic Ley witnessing the disappearing float as it raced past him. The ideal sized barramundi (about 6kg) was photographed north of Port Douglas - and was not speared. Divers and fishermen have stopped promoting their exact known fish locations for obvious reasons.
JH on 27.04.06 @ 10:57 AM AEST [ link]
Wednesday, April 26th
WELCOME to Australia?
 FLASHBACK. Not all new arrivals in Australia have it easy. This was the detention centre at Port Hedland in the north west of Australian that has since been moth-balled.
I think these were boat people from Vietnam, there was a protest going on at the time. A couple of people were on a roof in the boiling sun refusing to come down. Conditions at the other detention centre Woomera would have been almost as bad as being on the moon. Children are no longer kept in these conditions, fortunately.
JH on 26.04.06 @ 05:58 PM AEST [ link]
TAIPEI MEMOIRS
 A visit to Taipei’s herbal street region was a discovery of exotic animal and ocean products as used in traditional medicine. At this corner store was an impressive window display of deer antler’s or horns, shark jaws and dried fins and other interesting goods. The top picture shows canned and dried abalone (in jars) and what appears to be heaps of dried clam meat. Originally I assumed these to be dried scallops. Maybe they are, but they seem a little too large for that. Elsewhere at Fisherman’s Wharf it was claimed by WildAid environmentalists (in the 2002 Shark Conference) that whale shark meat comprised 30% of the fish consumed at such establishments. This may have changed now that live whale sharks are being caught and sent by air freight to oceanariums. Imagine loading a five meter shark and tank of water aboard any aircraft? The aquarium at Okinawa, (Japan) has two such monsters, plus schooling tuna and manta rays in their huge tank.
JH on 26.04.06 @ 04:39 PM AEST [ link]
Sunday, April 23rd
BEN CROPP BOOK 2006
 A new 240 page large format edition, with a soft cover will cost $39.95 or less. Ben's book begins with his account of the shark biting the side out of his dinghy episode in September 2004 off Port Douglas. ( see archives). Sadly the artist's did not use pictures of Lynn Roberts (the print supplied had been plastic laminated). Lynn was Ben's companion for five years and appears in six of his documentaries. (also see archives). It will make interesting reading for all who have followed Ben's remarkable career and adventures over 50 years or more. He was the first underwater shark hunter amongst many other first things. Chapter titles: How things use-ta be; In the frame; Shark hunter; The shark that changed my life; Million-dollar maybe; Tiger tales; Close encounters; Nasty business; Poacher turned gamekeeper (plus The PM's last letter); Trash or treasure; Needles in a haystack; Ships in the coral; Opening Pandora's box; Pay for play; This is your wives; Trip of a lifetime; Home port; Family adventures; Run aground; Second time around; An adventurer's life; glossary. A quick guide to sharks and nasties.
JH on 23.04.06 @ 01:36 PM AEST [ link]
SYDNEY'S BLUE SKY
 I arrived in Sydney this week to experience a blue autumn sky and fresh clean city air. What a contrast to the last 30 days in cloudy mountainous Taiwan, especially in Sydney's Chinatown, (where I had a couple of hours wait before departing for home). I now see as this Haymarket area as an elite little village of well-dressed and happy young Chinese people who probably realise how lucky they are.The same can't be said for local Australian's on the train north. A bunch a white trash if ever there was. Don't travel by NSW rail if this can be avoided. Security was OK with a pair of guards patrolling carriages. The sale of alcohol aboard could be reconsidered. Nine hours on a train on top of the flight from Taiwan was a mistake.
JH on 23.04.06 @ 01:18 PM AEST [ link]
Friday, April 21st
CHINESE TEXT
 South Australian shark-bite recipient Brian Rodger has a couple of Chinese words nicely framed in his lounge room. The meaning being something to do with travels and thoughts within. This inspired me to photograph and present the above handwriting made by an artist this week. The original was on a large sheet of cheap paper simply taped to the wall of a building, with many more. New works were in progress. Taking a guess that the words were meaningful, I made a photograph. It might even make a nice decoration for your room, thanks to that original thought from Brian Rodger. An approximate translation: "The life have thousand thousand year,
But this human body never again,
Human life but only a hundred,
Today is easy fly away,
Lucky to be alive,
You have to know that,
The joy of life and don't pass life fruitlessly." To read the poem, word by word, is from right to left, top to bottom.
JH on 21.04.06 @ 02:36 PM AEST [ link]
Tuesday, April 18th
THE FRESHWATER KING
 Tuesday, Apr 18, 2006 Around 100 underwater photographers taking part in a competition titled "Looking for Fish Stars” in southern Taiwan failed to get shots of any fish longer than 50cm. Rampant over fishing has depleted stocks, organizers said. The event, held from April 8 to yesterday, was sponsored by the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society in conjunction with the coral spawning season in the area around Hengchun. Although the photographers made four dives during the period, none of them managed to photograph any fish over 50cm long. Taiwanese Coral Reef Society president Tsai Yung-chun, was able to use a video camera to record a vague photo of a grouper longer than 80cm at a depth of 34m. The coral reef spawning entered its second day yesterday with two kinds of coral releasing their eggs, Tsai said. Taipei Times
JH on 18.04.06 @ 02:05 AM AEST [ THE FRESHWATER KING">link]
TAIWAN'S KING of FISH
 Freshwater type of gold fish about 3 kg in weight, happy, confident and well fed. APRIL 29. President Chen Shui-bian presided yesterday over a ceremony in Pingtung County marking the opening of the Waters of the World museum -- the third section of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium.
Virtual reality
Delighted and impressed with the virtual reality (VR) presentation of different water worlds around the globe from ancient times to the present, the president said that the museum is another example that not all build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects are rife with flaws and irregularities as some opposition politicians have claimed.
Chen noted that Taipei 101 -- the tallest building in the world -- is another BOT model that was a major project endorsed by him when he was Taipei mayor prior to 2000.
The Waters of the World museum is the first digitalized aquarium with VR presentations in the world.
The museum, which took more than two years to build and cost NT$2.7 billion (US$84.4 million), is a three-story building featuring four theme parks -- the Polar Region, the Kelp Forest, the Deep Sea and the Ancient Oceans.
In the Polar Region park, live penguins of different species are kept in a polar environment.
In the Kelp Forest, real kelp flourishes in giant water tanks. The kelp grows from tiny spores at a speed of 50cm per day in water. The tallest branch of kelp reaches 30m.
Deep sea
In the Deep Sea park, a giant VR sperm whale fights with a VR 18m squid in a deep sea teeming with luminous fish and other creatures.
In the Ancient Ocean park, creatures from 4.5 billion years ago are featured in a marine theater, allowing spectators a close-up experience of an ancient underwater world.
The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, which attracts at least 2 million visitors a year, is the most important center for marine displays and education in Taiwan.
JH on 18.04.06 @ 12:33 AM AEST [link]
Saturday, April 15th
DIVE GEAR ....Taipei World Trade Centre
 Taispo2006 was a sporting goods trade fair at Taipei’s World Trade Center this week.
Hundreds of face masks for diving, 90% not seen in Australia.
If I wanted to buy a box of 50 masks the individual cost was about 1/10th the retail price in Australia, or $8 each, or less.
A good, simple functional snorkel was spotted at the expo. A snorkel like this that doesn’t rotate, (and almost drown divers), fall apart in the surf (I lost two snorkels like this) or have a purge valve that will later leak.
Easy to understand why the Australian large discount shops are selling more and more dive and snorkel gear than the specialist dive shops who now survive with largely useless “put more dollars in” dive courses (written overseas) and dive trips.
Why isn’t gear like this being offered in Australian dive shops? Because the people buying the stuff for Australia do not have a clue, that’s why!
www.kingasia.com.tw
JH on 15.04.06 @ 12:38 PM AEST [ Taipei World Trade Centre">link]
Wednesday, April 12th
DRIED SHARK
 Plenty of fins for sale at Dihua Street in hundreds of shops, along with herbal products galore.
JH on 12.04.06 @ 10:27 PM AEST [ link]
TALLEST IN THE WORLD
 As seen from the outer suburb of Kunyang, the Taipei 101.
JH on 12.04.06 @ 10:21 PM AEST [ link]
PARK & HOUSING
 I caught the MRT subway to the end of the blue line track which is the suburb of Kunyang. A sign said hiking trail and I then found Nangang Park. In the distance a city of home units which would be a showpiece having the luxury of surrounding hills and some bush. Far from being in the country around the corner the looming Taipei 101 was seen not far away -being the world's tallest building it a bit hard to miss. From here I went back to the city and wandered the herbal street region of Dihua noted for dried shark fin, also abalone in both dry and canned varieties. It occured to me that this interest in Chinese culture I have probably began in Sydney when I worked near Chinatown at the Number Three fruit market. I was aged 18 to about 23 at the time. It was a fabulous era being surrounded by the freshest fruit in Sydney. We often finished work at noon which allowed a few hours of spearfishing afterwards. My speciality was.....bananas. I now live at Coffs Harbour which was and still is a hub of banana growers. Nearby was Dixon Street, Haymarket, a Cantonese (Hong Kong) style street of shops and cafe's in those days, and here I am today on my fourth visit to Taipei - probably the most preserved of the China cultures in the world, at least that's what a Lonely Planet guidebook reads. Two websites today: www.myu.com.tw (teach English and become a millionaire if you're under 30) www.hoki.com.tw (Local internet advertising - ADSL required)
JH on 12.04.06 @ 10:05 PM AEST [ link]
TAIPEI MAIN STATION
 The middle of the city, the Taipei main railway station and the (hopefully) one of the earthquake proof freeways nearby.
JH on 12.04.06 @ 09:38 PM AEST [ link]
Monday, April 10th
STREET PROMOTIONS .......free entertainment
 I think it was a skin care promotion. The compare did an excellent presentation, apparently she is a TV hostess with the music channel V. I don't know what they were talking about, but it looked nice enough to photograph.
JH on 10.04.06 @ 08:48 PM AEST [ free entertainment">link]
BUSHY TAILED SQUIRREL ......Taipei 228 Peace Park resident
 We don't have these fast little fellows in Australia - which is a pity. They very entertaining.
JH on 10.04.06 @ 08:26 PM AEST [ Taipei 228 Peace Park resident">link]
Friday, April 7th
PEACE PARK 228 MUSEUM
 Beautiful characters here in a poem presented on the wall of Taiwan's first radio station, and aptly titled VOICE.. Lessons in LifeA wise man had four sons. He wanted them to learn not to judge anything quickly. So he sent each on a quest, to go and carefully study a simple pear tree - a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they returned form their mission he asked them to describe what they had seen. The first son described the pear tree that he saw as ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said disagreed saying what he saw was a tree covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; what he saw was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful tree he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all his brothers; he said the tree was laden with ripe fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The wise father then explained to his sons that they were all correct because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. His lesson to them was you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one meeting or one season, Pleasure, joy, and love that exists can only be judged later and not at the first sighting when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the joy and hope of spring, the beauty of summer, fulfillment of fall. Prevent the pain of one poor season destroying the future joy of better times ahead Difficult events will be followed by better times.
JH on 07.04.06 @ 07:20 PM AEST [ link]
Thursday, April 6th
TOMB SWEEPING DAY ....a public holiday
 The streets are quiet and it's 33 degrees at 10am - the start of spring in the northern hemisphere at Taiwan. Later the equivilent of an Australian southerly cools the place off. Note the scooters and big billboards with western style advertising (and model on the left). As families crowded countryside cemeteries to honor their ancestors, many marked the traditional tomb-sweeping festival by visiting their dead pets.
At Merciful Pets Paradise, a pet cemetery in suburban Taipei County, animal lovers stood before rows of cabinets filled with urns containing their dead dogs, cats, parrots and other pets. They lit incense and burned stacks of paper money, intended to ease the burden of the deceased in the afterlife.
Some prayed amid thick incense smoke before a gilded Buddha statue on an altar, flanked by more urns.
Peter He opened a small door to remove the urn containing the ashes of his pot belly pig, Dongdong, before a memorial service.
He placed the urn on a desk alongside a photo of Dongdong and a selection of his favorite foods, including bread and apples.
"I prayed to the Buddha that Dongdong will reincarnate into a man, not another pig who lives a miserable life," He said.
Next to him, Jan Hsia-ping cried for her best friend, Baby, a five-year-old Pomeranian who died last year.
"I brought Baby's favorite noodles and steamed egg," Jan said. "I prayed that she could forgive me for not providing her the best care when she was sick."
Pet owners can honor their dead animals with Christian, Catholic or Buddhist services, he said.AP Taipei
JH on 06.04.06 @ 12:51 AM AEST [ a public holiday">link]
Wednesday, April 5th
DOWNTOWN TAIPEI
 top A popular meeting location is near a pair of life-sized lion cast in bronze. below Canned abalone. The best brand is traditionally from California-Mexico (aptly named Calmex) and was priced in Taipei today at about AUS$104 per can! (NT$2,400). The copy brand below was exactly half that price. Canned abalone is tender and a food few Aussie divers bother with. Nice to keep an eye on the prices though.
JH on 05.04.06 @ 07:15 PM AEST [ link]
SEVEN CANNON.....Taipei 228 Peace Park
 Marine archeology fans will delite in this history.Seven cannon at Taipei 228 Peace Park. Salvaged underwater from the southern Kaohsiung area. With invasions of Taiwan being regular over the centuries, a variety of cannon were used by ships and land fortresses. Most remain around the island in some way or another. Here in a quiet Taipei city park is a collection of Chinese, Russian and German cannon dating back over 200 years. The 228 Peace Park is named after the Feb 28th massacre of tens of thousands of Taiwanese citizens by their own poorly trained troops out of control (and trying to establish some - when dictator Chiang Kai-shek was first handed the island by the allies after WW2).
JH on 05.04.06 @ 01:22 AM AEST [ Taipei 228 Peace Park">link]
Monday, April 3rd
DOLPHIN GIRL
 Matsu, originally named Lin Mo Niang (silent girl) was born in 960 AD near Meizhou Bay in Fujien Province, China.
She is revered by sea faring people in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Matsu has become much more than the patron saint of fishermen, she is one of the most venerated deities in the Chinese pantheon.
Her birthday on the 3rd month, 23rd day of the Chinese calendar is celebrated in Taiwan's hundreds of Matsu temples.
Because she is a powerful female deity and was supposedly visited by Kuan Yin herself, she is often associated with Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy.This model measuring one metre is on the staircase wall at the hotel where I am in Taiwan. It's possibly quite old, perhaps dating back to the Japan administration era which ended 60 years ago. Taiwanese have been celebrating Matsu last week.
JH on 03.04.06 @ 10:01 PM AEST [ link]
Sunday, April 2nd
ANCIENT SEASIDE TREES
 If these trees were in Sydney (or Yeppoon, Queensland) the council would delite in cutting them down in the name of public safety. These at Dansui (Taiwan) are more valueable as shade and grow right over the waters edge, a beautiful and unique site.
JH on 02.04.06 @ 12:21 AM AEST [ link]
Saturday, April 1st
APRIL FOOLS DAY
 Dansui is a seaside holiday town that reminds me of Manly, Sydney combined with the Royal Easter Show - as per the crowds and fun things to see. The difference being the crowds are every weekend. I can understand why Taiwanese in Australia find everything a bit boring. There is so much more to see here. Take today for example. What looked like a young female celebrity being pursued by a pack of paparazzi, turned out to be a photographic model followed by a dozen guys who had each forked out $22 (NT$500) to take pictures of her for a few hours. Someone with a web site thought-up the idea. By now today’s pictures will be posted there. It’s a booming business. With digital cameras ‘film’ costs nothing. But what to photograph and where to put the pictures was the big question – until this opportunity happened. Wa-Wa (translates to Doll) was enjoying the attention. I’m sure someone will give her some nice pictures of herself. I followed the team around for a few minutes. It was good fun. See more shots taken by the guys at: www.pbase.com/pcc0905/wa_wa
JH on 01.04.06 @ 11:39 PM AEST [ link]
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