THE LAST OF THE REAL PEARL DIVERS
Copyright2008 on 30.06.08 @ 09:41 PM AEST [link]
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Monday, June 30th Copyright2008 on 30.06.08 @ 09:41 PM AEST [link] DUGONG ...... Underwater picture
 Copyright2008 on 30.06.08 @ 04:13 AM AEST [Underwater picture">link] Saturday, June 28th PRAWN TRAWLERS DISCOVER AIRCRAFT WRECKS
 All along the coast trawlers are hooking-up with things, including WW2 aircraft. This example shows a lot of lost and expensive gear wrapped around the remains of a RAAF Hudson WW2 aircraft first dived on by Dean Cropp with his famous film making father Ben. Aircraft wrecks are yet to be included in the strict legislation which protects historic shipwrecks. Copyright2008 on 28.06.08 @ 08:22 PM AEST [link] WHERE G.B.R. MEETS THE CORAL SEA
 Here's a famous shipwreck site on the outside edge of the Great Barrier Reef(s). The Fatima went up on the weather side of Great Detached Reef and left a couple of anchors partially exposed as the wreck, or part of it, was washed across the top of the reef and presumably into the lagoon on the other side. Here on the ocean side or weather-side of this coral reef are unusual coral lumps or mounds which I have a gut-feeling might be now coral-encrusted parts of the original ship. A metal detector here could be interesting. The shape of the coral here, especially near an established wreck site is the clue. Working in the surf zone would be difficult. Just getting there is far from being easy. It might be a while before anyone does anything, or maybe never? Copyright2008 on 28.06.08 @ 08:05 PM AEST [link] CATALOGUE OF AUSTRALIAN SHIPWRECK POSTCARDS
 Sample pages from the self-published booklet by John Sumner, a diver with sincere passion for shipwreck knowledge. Some people collect postcards relating to shipwrecks. How interesting and different. I had no idea such things existed. The booklet sells for $7 from PO Box 48 Canterbury NSW 2193 Mobile phone +61 409 435 586 email: johnsumner911 (AT) gmail.com Copyright2008 on 28.06.08 @ 07:32 PM AEST [link] SHIPWRECK DISCOVERED IN THE CORAL SEA. The 'Sun'
 Wrecked on Ashmore or perhaps on Eastern Fields Reef 1st June 1826 was a ship called Sun. In the National Shipwrecks Data Base the location is given as Eastern Fields Reef which is some 50-100 km from Ashmore Reef where experts believe the Sun came to grief. Ben Cropp confirmed that we were diving at Ashmore Reef, not Eastern Fields Reef. This was during a voyage to Murray Island. We'd stopped at Ashmore Reef especially for Ben to have a new filming opportunity at what he believes from his research is the Sun wreck. As very few divers have been here, it is a very exciting dive with a major discovery always possible. Wreckage is strewn around a northern section of reef. With a drop-off nearby just meters from a pair of Admiralty-style iron anchors, cannon, and iron remnants such as the L-shaped iron beam with a growing brain coral now cementing it to the reef. Surf washed across this site although some relief is offered by the depth, about 10-15 meters. What exists in the 30-meter or more depth zone nearby would be interesting. Time did not allow our penetration deeper. Several big pelagic fish cruised by and a juvenile maori wrasse. It's an exciting location where anything could suddenly appear from a minke whale to a tiger shark, such is the nature of distant Coral Sea reefs where reef fishing pressure is different to that close to the mainland. "Much shipwreck data contains mistakes (says historical shipwreck expert and diver John Sumner) this continues to be repeated". This reminded me of the once commonly quoted 36.5 foot long great white shark caught at Port Fairy, South Australia a long time ago. Those shark jaws are now kept in a British museum "and more likely from a 16.5 foot specimen" said Dr Walter Starck after he visited the museum. A typographical error (from 16.5 to 36.5 feet) was quoted by various 'authoritative' publications for decades and may still appear from time to time. Errors with shipwreck data is a much more common distortion. Few people have the necessary passion and ability in government departments to correct these mistakes which get perpetuated in new publications and eventually become accepted 'facts'. We know that a large shipwreck, believed by experts to be the Sun exists at Ashmore Reef. The yet-to-be found ship's bell would confirm the identity. A tentative 'discovery' might be considered listing instead of the current 'yes' or 'no' system. Any experienced diver will spot the Admiralty anchor in the top picture. The round "eye" for attaching rope is at the opposite end. For untrained divers this may seem just another lump of coral. Ben believes this anchor may have been a spare carried on the deck. When all of the surrounding timber rotted and washed away except for that preserved below the anchor which now appears raised above the surrounding flat coral reef. Copyright2008 on 28.06.08 @ 06:24 PM AEST [The 'Sun'">link] Monday, June 23rd NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY UNDERWATER ... Page One (1967)
 http://www.whaleshark.org/encounters/encounter.jsp?number=2162008235356 Copyright2008 on 23.06.08 @ 09:48 PM AEST [Page One (1967)">link] LOST OPPORTUNITY...... almost an ideal advertising shot
 Top picture shows three subjects. Diver on a then rare whale shark (this was 40 years ago). Subject three is the most popular underwater 35mm still camera in diver's hands. Lower picture shows my friend above the whale shark. Look carefully at the top picture in the top right hand corner, the same diver's arm barely shows in the frame, If only the entire diver could be seen it would have made a special advertising picture for the camera company. How much is a good picture worth? For advertising purposes - unlimited use for say three years should earn about AUD $10,000 - depending upon the budget of the client of course. After three years all rights could revert back to the copyright owner of the picture. Whoever clicks the shutter is the copyright owner, regardless of who owns the camera/film. Surf companies are paying around $10,000 for a special action picture which they then like to own all copyright - if the owns agrees and signs away such copyright. This isn't a problem with surfing 'snappers' with a motor drive as there will be heaps of similar frames. Magazines with a small circulation (under say 25,000 paid sales) are obviously on a different budget to international surfing companies. A few hundred for a cover shot at best as they are doing us a favor. The last word. A wide-angle 20mm or 15mm lens would have captured and framed all the diver in the top picture over the shark - at the expense of creating a smaller-looking shark. Copyright2008 on 23.06.08 @ 01:22 AM AEST [almost an ideal advertising shot">link] THE CORAL SEA (1971) Chesterfield Reef-gannet guards nest
 Copyright2008 on 23.06.08 @ 12:54 AM AEST [Chesterfield Reef-gannet guards nest">link] Saturday, June 21st EASTERN ROCK LOBSTER ...... Forster, New South Wales
 Copyright2008 on 21.06.08 @ 02:58 AM AEST [Forster, New South Wales">link] Friday, June 20th ADULT GREEN LOBSTER ..... New South Wales variety
 Adult east coast lobsters are protected. It took decades for the penny to drop and for recognition that these big ones are the main breeding stock. So, very small lobsters are protected, the middle sized ones can be caught, very large adults are to be left in the sea. Also the use of scuba is illegal to take lobster. OK to hold them for a picture like this one with petite model Christine Danaher showing a couple of pets located previously by Dennis Kemp near Forster on the mid north coast of New South Wales. Copyright2008 on 20.06.08 @ 06:27 PM AEST [New South Wales variety">link] TROPICAL LOBSTER ...... and eating healthier tip
 A recent photo example of tropical lobster (called 'crays' by divers) found in the harbor at Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Rick Trippe has a recipe for mud crab which probably works for lobster. Cracked pepper and butter, fry in a wok. Black pepper is not a healthy product to make a habit of, then neither is lobster. A naturopath and friend warned me many years ago that eating 'rich foods' (lobster, crab, champagne) will cause problems with bones, such as in the hip joints. Commercial diver and friend Dennis Kemp agreed that this warning could be correct. Dennis had hip replacement surgery and had lived on such 'rich foods' for years. Sorry to post this grim news, never say you were not warned. A little bit is probably OK. If you win the lottery, be extra careful. In the news this week, Australia has the fattest (most obese) people in the world. You might not get fat eating lobster - just turn in to a cripple sooner. Copyright2008 on 20.06.08 @ 05:42 PM AEST [and eating healthier tip">link] LOBSTERS ......at Australia's Coral Sea island outpost
 Copyright2008 on 20.06.08 @ 12:10 AM AEST [at Australia's Coral Sea island outpost">link] MURRAY ISLAND ...... Live triton shells
 Copyright2008 on 20.06.08 @ 12:05 AM AEST [Live triton shells">link] Thursday, June 19th TIGER SHARK ....... Murray Island, The Coral Sea
 Locals with Tiger shark caught overnight on a set line. Murray Island (also known as Mer Island) is near the Australian border with Papua New Guinea. There is an airstrip with flights to Cairns. Accommodation is available and is not cheap. Locals rely on a diet of turtles to keep them going, although fish is preferred. Tropical Reef Lobster are common on nearby reefs where they are dived for. This is a northern outpost of Australian territory in The Coral Sea. Copyright2008 on 19.06.08 @ 05:32 PM AEST [Murray Island, The Coral Sea">link] Wednesday, June 18th FIRST CHESTERFIELD REEFS EXPEDITION
 Copyright2008 on 18.06.08 @ 02:16 AM AEST [link] 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. Copyright2008 on 18.06.08 @ 02:03 AM AEST [French territory">link] THE CORAL SEA France. Iles Chesterfield Et Depencances
 Low sandy islands without trees and inhabited by sea birds, (gannet, frigate, tropic bird). Typical for many large islands in the Coral Sea of the western Pacific. Copyright2008 on 18.06.08 @ 01:45 AM AEST [ France. Iles Chesterfield Et Depencances">link] Tuesday, June 17th DIVE BOAT ACCIDENT ON HIGHWAY ..... A memoir (1971)
 We were heading to Yeppoon to join a Coralita expedition to the remote Chesterfield Reef in The Coral Sea. It was the era of Fathom ® magazine (Australia). Traveling in our station sedan were visiting USA divers Richard Ibara, Alan Murayama, my dad (John M) and I. 8pm at night, it was a dark night, no moon. BANG. A vehicle crashed into the rear of us. One of the scuba tank valves in the boat bumped on full blast, my first thoughts seemed as if a tank had exploded! The high pressure air escaping noise spooked the offending driver. Our new dive boat also had a brand new 30 HP outboard. The outboard was completely destroyed when the driver of the offending vehicle panicked and continued some four kilometers further down the highway with the now snapped off motor jammed under his car. The motor was 'worn in half'. Only the spark plugs could be salvaged. The driver stopped when his radiator ran dry and his car engine overheated. Such is the response by a person faced with sudden stress. It can happen with anyone. The boat had a few holes in the stern and damage to the bow, nothing too serious. Our car and boat trailer would require repairs that would take a week. There were no injuries. A phone call later that night and our best friend very kindly arrived from Yeppoon with his vehicle and empty boat trailer to collect us and all our gear. Each time I pass that lonely piece of highway south of Rockhampton, Queensland, memories return of that near miss, when we were pushed off the highway, narrowly missing tree stumps. I mentally thank our friend for his courtesy and help. Richard and Alan must have been horrified of the Australian highway conditions as compared with what they were used to at home. We borrowed another outboard for the trip to Chesterfield and taped up the holes in the boat with waterproof sticking plaster! Given that no one was hurt and everything worked out fine, it’s a great story. Right after the accident, both Allan and I were thinking the same thing independently. Once we found that no one was hurt – we thought, after all the traveling and driving – does this mean that the Chesterfield trip is out? How are we going to get the gear back to Sydney? Thank you Ron for rescuing us and the boat. And, wasn’t that your outboard we used? Before the crash, I was thinking, I’m tired, we’re almost there and soon we can rest. Then, boom – shower of glass – what happened? Ron, you must have been tired as well. Thanks for picking us up. Richard Ibara 2008 Copyright2008 on 17.06.08 @ 04:33 PM AEST [A memoir (1971)">link] ISLAND GIRL ...... Great Keppel Is. Queensland
 Copyright2008 on 17.06.08 @ 12:47 AM AEST [Great Keppel Is. Queensland">link] Sunday, June 15th BLUE WATER - WEATHER SIDE, CORAL SEA REEF
 Copyright2008 on 15.06.08 @ 10:32 PM AEST [link] WEATHER SIDE OF CORAL REEF ...... The Swain Reefs
 Copyright2008 on 15.06.08 @ 10:25 PM AEST [The Swain Reefs">link] BLUE SPOT
 On the weather side (ocean side) of Great Detached Reef we met this 10 kg trout that was completely fearless of us. Too remote a region to have been a feed-trained fish. Some of these blue spot trout have ciguatera poisoning. It's not such a good idea to eat them anymore. I wonder how many people in western Queensland got ill with ciguatera, went to a local GP for treatment and were mis-diagnosed? It would take a very skilled doctor to recognize the symptoms in the 1960's when professional spearmen and fishermen caught tons of this species at Saumarez Reef and throughout The Swains. Not the nicest fish either, they will eat their own kind. When you approach a wild one they may show teeth while finning slowly backwards away from you. Educated versions won't allow anyone to get close easily. Copyright2008 on 15.06.08 @ 10:17 PM AEST [link] Saturday, June 14th FISH TAIL
 Copyright2008 on 14.06.08 @ 10:59 PM AEST [link] Friday, June 13th PERILS OF BEING A POPULAR FISH EXPLAINED
 Kidnapped by an alien? (aka scuba diver). 'Aliens' in wet suits capture little clown fish and others, take them away for a home aquarium somewhere in a city, perhaps overseas, where it will be lucky if they live 12 months. Thanks to a sudden popularity in a Hollywood movie, children love clown fish more than ever. The reverse might happen. On a far away planet alien children are shown a movie of human beings on earth, and being of larger size than us, begin collecting humans captured on space missions for this purpose, just for home etertainment. Unfortunately the human mind is more complicated than that of a clown fish and soon the captured human frets then expires in the hostile new world. Putrid air and the wrong food. (Similar to bad tank water and stale fish food). If we don't do so well in captivity, maybe the aliens will leave us alone? If we are cheap, then it won't matter. When we die we'll be replaced easily, just like aquarium fish. Or maybe they'll continue to be happy making dissections of us aboard their space ships? Copyright2008 on 13.06.08 @ 03:12 AM AEST [link] Thursday, June 12th A RIBBON REEF PINNACLE ....... Pixie (1991)
 Copyright2008 on 12.06.08 @ 03:22 AM AEST [Pixie (1991)">link] Wednesday, June 11th THE FACE ...... of The Coral Sea
 Copyright2008 on 11.06.08 @ 11:14 PM AEST [of The Coral Sea">link] Tuesday, June 10th LINE FISHING ..... Lihou Reef, The Coral Sea
 Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 11:30 PM AEST [Lihou Reef, The Coral Sea">link] CORAL SEA SURF ..... Underwater at high tide
 Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 11:25 PM AEST [Underwater at high tide">link] INTERNATIONAL FISHING VESSEL ..... leaves trail on reef
 It appears the ship has made a U shaped error of navigation during the night, continuing to steam along the reef instead of across it. Easy to see the proper course that should have been taken, from the air. Aboard a vessel it's a different story. Same ship in picture below. Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 11:17 PM AEST [leaves trail on reef">link] STUCK ON CORAL SEA REEF ...... International long liner
 Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 11:13 PM AEST [International long liner">link] 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. Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 11:10 PM AEST [W G Muller (November 1983)">link] SAUMAREZ REEF ...... in The Coral Sea
 The Great Barrier Reef was incorrectly named. It is not a single reef, it is 2 500 or more reefs. At the southern section the maze of reefs has a common name The Swain Reefs. Beyond the outside edge of The Great Barrier Reefs is The Coral Sea - a crystal clear blue frontier where few people venture - especially today with high fuel prices. Saumarez Reef is therefore not a part of The Great Barrier Reefs. In many respects, especially water clarity and pelagic fish it is superior. Visibility underwater is twice as clear as that commonly seen on the outside edge of the GBR, around 70 meters. Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 12:53 PM AEST [in The Coral Sea">link] SAUMAREZ REEF ...... Skin divers visited reef and wreck
 A 25 minute 16mm color documentary of line fishing, spear fishing, sea snakes, sharks and a visit to the liberty ship Francis Preston Blair was produced showing the 1964 visit which included Captain Wally Muller, Bob Grounds, Ron Zangari and I. Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 12:46 PM AEST [Skin divers visited reef and wreck">link]
 Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 12:39 PM AEST [link]
 Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 12:36 PM AEST [link] SAUMAREZ REEF........... (1964 visitors)
 A very rusty iron ladder inside led to the upper deck. The deck was quite thin and dangerous in places. No cargo was aboard apart from live ammunition left abandoned. A few years later other visitors set this on fire which lasted well into the night with spectacular fireworks they told me recently. Whoever salvaged the bronze prop deserved whatever they received. A lot of heavy and hard work would have been involved. Copyright2008 on 10.06.08 @ 12:32 PM AEST [(1964 visitors)">link] Monday, June 9th SAUMAREZ REEF ....... The Coral Sea
 Copyright2008 on 09.06.08 @ 09:15 PM AEST [The Coral Sea">link] OUR CORAL SEA LIBERTY SHIP ...... 21.51S 153.38E approx
 During WW2 USA was supplying UK and Australia via merchant ships. The American shipbuilding effort was incredible, and worth a good documentary being made. Liberty ships were being constructed at 16 shipyards. A new ship launched every day. At the peak, one ship was built and fitted out in just seven days. The secret was welding the ships together instead of using rivets. 2300 ships were built in 1942-43. The German U-boats could not sink them fast enough. Plenty survived. Once the keel was laid, sections of the ship fabricated elsewhere would be brought to the site and assembled. The expected life of a liberty ship was five years if not sunk beforehand. Many survived 25 years of service. These merchant ships were fitted with a 4" rear deck gun. The anti-aircraft guns were one 12 pounder, 20mm and 40mm Bofors, and PAC rockets. The Francis Preston Blair wreck was purchased by the Australian government in 1952 for target practice, especially in later years by the RAAF flying F-111's from Amberley air base near Brisbane. We were at Saumarez during one of these missions. Very exciting to have the swing-winged aircraft flying low above Coralita (international dive charter boat) at high speed with wings folded back. The Francis Preston Blair (7 196 tons) was built by Sudden & Christensen, San Francisco. Launched 8 January 1943, grounded on Saumarez Reef at 9:30 am 15 July 1945 while traveling between New Guinea and Sydney. Our captain, Wally Muller, first visited the wreck shortly after the stranding and found a number of empty 4" shell cases near the rear deck gun, summarizing the ship had been firing when it went aground - perhaps being followed by a Japanese submarine. This might have explained an explosion hole in the bow, below the water line. The military has no knowledge of any enemy action having occurred causing the the stranding. Copyright2008 on 09.06.08 @ 09:11 PM AEST [21.51S 153.38E approx">link] Saturday, June 7th ANTIQUE IRON ANCHOR ...... Saved TSMV Coralita
 Middleton Reef has a shallow lagoon especially for a big charter vessel such as Coralita. In ideal circumstances our captain would look for 20 meters of depth and as much anchor chain length as possible to perform like a spring with it's weight. Middleton was shallow. There was no point in trying to out-run the cyclone approaching. Nowhere else to hide. The shipwreck anchor was found by John Sumner and salvaged for the purpose of helping to hold the charter boat. The anchor remains in the lagoon today, an asset for cruising small boats. Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 07:55 PM AEST [Saved TSMV Coralita">link] WRECK OF "RUNIC" ..... Midddleton Reef, Australian territory
 As seen from Coralita during her first visit in 1971. We encountered cyclone Colin on this voyage which departed Port Macquarie and returned to Coffs Harbour due to high seas along the coast. With the cyclone approaching fast, Captain Wally Muller took precautions with his anchorage. An antique iron anchor was removed from a nearby unknown shipwreck and transfered to the sandy lagoon floor where his own anchor and chain were lashed to it. Even so, during the height of the cyclone which passed nearby, Coralita dragged both anchors 150 meters. Two years later we returned to Middleton Reef and had a 2nd and even more powerful cyclone catch us. The same admiralty style iron anchor came in handy as Cyclone Ulan passed by with a whipped up huge sea that tore the stern from Runic as waves broke higher than the ships funnel. Captain Wally later told me he feared for Coralitaand without the cool heads of Ron T. and I (?) the outcome would have been very serious. Maybe my contribution was hearing the hull crunching against the tips of a staghorn type coral on a bommie below, during the wide swing of the ship at anchor. I didn't inquire fully as to what he had implied. Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 07:46 PM AEST [Midddleton Reef, Australian territory">link] THE CORAL SEA....meets the Tasman Sea - Middleton Reef
 Middleton Reef is 8.9km by 6.3km in size, 555 km east of Coffs Harbour New South Wales. It's the southern extremity of The Coral Sea. Many ships have been wrecked here over the recent 250 years. The steamship Runic (above) being the most obvious. The ocean current between the mainland and Middleton Reef and beyond is often very treacherous with both wave heights and especially currents - spiral eddies which played tricks on navigators in the era pre GST instruments. Dive trips to Middleton Reef were known to fail after days of sea travel and not finding the reef. The original lure being semi-commercial spear fishing for Black Cod (Epinephelus daemelli), - a now endangered coastal species that was especially common at Middleton Reef, and Elizabeth Reef further south. Protected by the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, covering 1,880 km². The reserve was proclaimed in 1987 to protect important and fragile ecosystems. Lord Howe Island, is further south being in the Tasman Sea. Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 07:30 PM AEST [meets the Tasman Sea - Middleton Reef">link] A SURF HOLLOW DAY
 Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 03:36 AM AEST [link] RUFUS KING ..... Near Amity Point, 1966
 The ship got stuck on the great sandbar between the islands during WW2, was partially salvaged by cutting in halves. For years the wreck was a good place to find a lobster or two within the wrecks engine room. Eventually the wreck collapsed with nothing visible above water. Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 03:24 AM AEST [Near Amity Point, 1966">link] DUNBAR ..... Famous ship's bell - cargo or a fixture?
 Copyright2008 on 07.06.08 @ 03:14 AM AEST [Famous ship's bell - cargo or a fixture?">link] Friday, June 6th AUSSIE BBQ ...... Not a set-up picture, the real thing
 This was a few years ago, an undated picture taken at Brooms Head, New South Wales. The typical BBQ in those days was on a hot plate rather than flame grilled. T-bone steak, thin pork sausages and thicker beef 'snags' as we call them. Years ago when I was a meateater cooking steak often, my system was: coat a thick slab of rump steak with olive oil, place on a flame griller, cook as fast as possible. Light burning on the outside permitted. Slightly pink in the center. Then when a good friend and herbal healer explained the problems and hazards of eating animal flesh I (slowly) took the advice and over a number of years phased out meat consumption. Excess meat consumption plays havoc with our kidneys for example, unless we can sweat excessively and eliminate the uric acid. Difficult to stop eating at a BBQ at first, especially attending other people's with that cooking smell wafting through the air. Presented for readers overseas possibly interested in Australian culture, and others hoping to minimize future problems. Copyright2008 on 06.06.08 @ 02:56 AM AEST [Not a set-up picture, the real thing">link] SOUTH WEST ROCKS ...... Koondooloo stranded
 Listed in John Sumner's Catalogue of Australian Shipwreck Postcards (CASP) booklet the following: "Koondooloo went ashore with the Sydney Queen and Lurgeruna on 9 January 1972 after a tow line broke". John Sumner must surely be the keenest collector of shipwreck information. His dive weight belt was been made from scrap lead found at wreck sites, each weight engraved with the name of the ship. How keen is that? He works tirelessly with his shipwreck information updates and has thus far avoided using the internet for research. Also a partner in a Solomon Islands salvage project with master diver Water Hamilton Gibbins - the project stalled when Wally became ill then departed on his spiritual journey. Copyright2008 on 06.06.08 @ 02:41 AM AEST [Koondooloo stranded">link] PORT HOLE SYDNEY HARBOUR Correct name for port hole is a scuttle
 We've always thought these were called port holes (that is, the windows of a ship). Not so says shipwrecks expert John Sumner. John says: "A PORT HOLE is the large opening in the side of a ship, usually on the port side of a vessel where cargo is loaded. In other words it's a large door. This is the true port hole. The small round, square or oblong windows with glass, often in cabins commonly called a port hole (incorrect) is actually called a SCUTTLE. Copyright2008 on 06.06.08 @ 02:07 AM AEST [Correct name for port hole is a scuttle ">link] SHIPWRECK COINS ..... Sydney Harbour 1965
 The first divers were finding coins within the very scattered remains of colonial shipwrecks. The lucky "friend of a friend" shown here may have I suspect actually recovered these coins from the Dunbar wreck site just outside Sydney Heads. Copyright2008 on 06.06.08 @ 01:56 AM AEST [Sydney Harbour 1965">link] Thursday, June 5th BIRCHGROVE PARK SHIPWRECK .... Marine growth on prop
 Finding the sunken collier, Birchgrove Park miles off a northern Sydney beach and in some 55 meters of depth using just an echo sounder was no mean feat for Wally Gibbins and his partner Ken Bateman. This was when echo sounders were scare in the early 1960's and involved a lot of search time that paid off. The iron propeller would have been a disappointment for Wal which is why it is still there. Copyright2008 on 05.06.08 @ 04:57 PM AEST [Marine growth on prop ">link] SALVAGED TREASURE ...... from WW2 Japanese ship
 A souvenir from the Solomon Islands, now on display in the lounge area of a Coffs Harbour (NSW) hotel. Copyright2008 on 05.06.08 @ 04:52 PM AEST [ from WW2 Japanese ship">link] Wednesday, June 4th YONGALA BELL ...... rare underwater picture
 The bell found it's way to the Maritime Museum of Townsville 42-68 Palmer Street South Townsville 4810 in North Queensland where they spell Wal's name as GIBBONS (sic), which is a common error. Copyright2008 on 04.06.08 @ 10:14 PM AEST [rare underwater picture">link] |
