John Harding

Saturday, July 26th

UNDERWATER ..... Gorgonian fan coral - Kapingamarangi Atoll

Diving on the outside on an atoll has a few positives. Very clear and warm water, an ocean floor like the side of a conical volcano.

Charles Darwin first stated that he believed an atoll was a submerged volcano slowly sinking with growing corals keeping pace with the sinking. What would then happen if the corals ceased growing, as per global warming and other issues such as rising sea levels?

The islands might begin to wash away. The people would need new homes provided elsewhere. All much the same as it once was when the coral eating starfish (Acanthaster planci) were first noticed on coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean and then elsewhere.

Copyright2008 on 26.07.08 @ 09:29 PM AEST [Gorgonian fan coral - Kapingamarangi Atoll">link]

MY DESTINATION .... Polynesian islands

Caroline Islands, Federated States of Micronesia

Here are some of my favorite pictures taken during a memorable expedition to a true Polynesian culture almost on the equator.

Transport was courtesy of a US Navy seaplane which departed Guam, made a refueling stop and proceeded to a pair of isolated atolls. These are Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi.

It is now believed (via DNA testing) the original inhabitants of these and other Polynesian islands immigrated from Taiwan many hundreds of years ago.

I'm booked to attend a conference (as a guest) on this subject in Taiwan next week.

Maybe able to add a postscript or two, and comments on these favorite pictures which are now quite probably very rare images.

Copyright2008 on 26.07.08 @ 09:15 PM AEST [Polynesian islands">link]

POLYNESIAN PORK

THE HIGH TIDE TAKES CARE OF EVERYTHING

FRESHLY ROASTED BREADFRUIT Polynesian Atoll culture

POLYNESIAN ATOLL CULTURE

SEA PLANE Hu-16 against a Polynesian sunset

NUKUORO ATOLL ..... "Balabala"

Story to follow (click Refresh next week)

Copyright2008 on 26.07.08 @ 08:41 PM AEST ["Balabala"">link]

POLYNESIAN CANOE at Kapingamarangi Atoll

Friday, July 25th

LOSING THE PLOT? ...... Giant Groper vs Blue Groper (satire)

The Giant Blue Groper is a tropical terror that has been known to swallow divers whole.
By SnapperGonza

Especially vulnerable are pearl divers working the murky waters off Broome, West Australia.

In USA these fish are known as groupers due to their habit of swimming in groups of four or more.

This great fish feeds like a vacuum cleaner.

They wait out of sight in underwater caves and then dart out to suck up unsuspecting prey, and divers.

Scuba divers stand a better chance of survival if they keep breathing and don't faint from shock.

Eventually the exhaust bubbles being exhaled will tickle the throat of this giant creature causing it to hick-cough and spit-out the intended victim.

Often caught with explosives, (which is illegal due to damage of surrounding corals and small fish) but authorities seem to tolerate the form of capture for several reasons.

There is no waste with this species as every portion has an essential use from being an ice cream thickener (no milk required), cordial coloring, growth enhancer for chicken farms, antibiotics for beef herds, felt tip pen inks, drain cleaners, eye drops and contraceptives.

Unfortunately the fish are slow growing, an adult requiring between two and three hundred years to reach maturity.

The declining population world-wide presents serious problems and the day may not be too distant when other sources for the products will need to be found.

The value of the fish per kilo is pegged at ten times that of West Texas crude per barrel.

Footnote: "Save the Giant Blue Groper" fund accepts donations gladly and can be contacted via me.

(They have a party every Saturday).

Footnote: SnappperGonza is confusing habits of the Giant Queensland groper with the southern blue groper a much smaller and harmless fish.

The deliberate confusion is sufficiently entertaining to warrant this posting.

Copyright2008 on 25.07.08 @ 07:55 PM AEST [Giant Groper vs Blue Groper (satire)">link]

ABALONE A satirical history of these shellfish.

Canned abalone - cheaper than fresh variety. Chilean Locos is an inferior substitute.

Abalone are single-sided shellfish which inhabit shallow cold waters around the world.

The shells grow to the size of dinner plates but mostly are the size of saucers. They contain a rubbery meat which leaks purple blood.

If the abalone were to leak bright red blood they would not be quite as popular as seafood.

They are in fact the first secret genetically modified seafood from a Japanese experiment 65 years ago released and spread world-wide.

Before this, abalone leaked red blood like most other things.

The new version abalone soon reached near plague numbers which threatened the habitat of sea urchin, seaweed and exotic reef fish like red rock cod.

So many abalone populated rocky reef's these reef fish were forced from their crevice dwellings and entered the brink of extinction classification.

To reverse the damage a consortium of governments has subsidized the elimination of this shellfish pest from our reefs by paying divers to collect this almost un-chew able lump of gristle under the disguise that it was an exotic food enjoyed in Asia.

Australian's who knew better didn't eat it.

Consequently abalone has been exported to Asia at silly prices where it is then treated by boiling for hours to make it edible.

This is all part of an elaborate hoax to justify the expense of cleaning-up the marine environment that was almost destroyed by the shellfish plagues.

Clever advertising and marketing abalone as an aphrodisiac has tricked many into believing this rubbery item is a delicacy thereby preventing an inquiry into the now tens of millions of dollars is paid annually to divers for it's removal.

Eradication of abalone plagues has been successful in California and Mexico, South America still requires help.

The red rock cod and sea urchins are gradually returning to normal levels and weed eating fish happily graze on seaweed pastures once threatened by this slimy, purple-blooded pest.
by SnapperGonza

Footnote: A 10-year old live abalone in-the-shell, sold for US$265 in a South Korean fish shop this week. Grim news for the Australian divers paid about $3 (adjusted) for the same item in 1965.

The pioneering price being 2/6 (.25 cents) per pound weight for abalone out of the shell Thirty cents which is about thirty cents per kilo in the shell. Thirty cents back then is about $3 today. Compare that with almost $300 landed and retailed in South Korea.

The diving for abalone today is highly regulated. A mystery disease effects stocks in areas of New South Wales which are now temporary no-take zones.

Copyright2008 on 25.07.08 @ 04:24 AM AEST [A satirical history of these shellfish.">link]

Thursday, July 24th

FRESHWATER CREEK ...... Rainforest - Sea

Clump Point, Mission Beach area, North Queensland

I camped here overnight, getting an early start before any council ranger might have spotted me

Locals refer to the Cairns region as being Far North Queensland - in reality there is a heck of a lot more land to the north before reaching the tip of Queensland, which is of course Cape York.

The very far north is a must to be experienced, if only to realize how much uninhabited country there still is.

Just like in the old days, the best method of travel is still by sea.

Some ships were an economical method until recently.

See www.queenoftheisles.com (for the way it was and may be again one day)?

Copyright2008 on 24.07.08 @ 06:23 PM AEST [Rainforest - Sea">link]

CORAL GARDEN ...... Beaver Cay (circa 1995)

The only thing missing here is coral trout. Before spear fishing made an impact there would have been at least six coral trout (all 5kg) in the area this picture shows. Plus another six behind and to to left and to the right.

Researchers of fish stocks today, can't believe such information.

Copyright2008 on 24.07.08 @ 02:03 AM AEST [Beaver Cay (circa 1995)">link]

Wednesday, July 23rd

"GIBBO" ....... by SnapperGonza

THE HISTORY OF A REAL LEGENDARY DIVER

Gibbo is a Kiwi who migrated accidentally to Tasmania in the 1940's by clinging to a large Kauri tree that had washed downstream from Wellington, New Zealand during a flood.>/font> (ha ha)

His survival at sea while floating on a 40 meter long tree so greatly impressed the US Navy they wrote of many of his skills in their publication Handbook for Survival. (Contrary to the title, it is not about doing crossword puzzles when bored).

Gibbo changed his name from Wally upon arrival at Hobart. His un-planned voyage had taken six weeks and remained a secret for many years.

When washed ashore at a lonely island in Bass Strait he used his limited materials at hand to survive.

With simply a pocket knife and a box of matches he constructed a cabin out of the log he had ridden from New Zealand.

For some months he survived on mutton birds and tiger snakes - which he later found an export market for.

The tiger snake venom was exported to pygmies in South America for use on poison-tipped blow darts.

He imported freshwater shells with bright colors and built up an international mail order business.

Glands from the mutton birds were traded with French perfume manufacturers for their outdated products which Gibbo in turn traded to Queensland rum makers (before sugar cane tops were found to be cheaper and safer ingredients for their product).

Other mutton birds were used as food and aroma enhancers for candles which were still in common use at the time.

Gibbo began diving when he fell off a bridge and knocked himself unconscious on rocks below.

Although unconscious he still managed to hold onto his breath while submerged.

A team of visiting navy divers witnessed the fall but mistook it for a dive and were wrongly informed by schoolboys it was an attempt to break the world breath-holding record.

When Gibbo regained consciousness he was still underwater. He surfaced and found he had established a new world breath-holding record of 15 minutes.

From then on his career exploded by salvaging war time shipwrecks in the Solomon Islands.

Gunpowder from the live ammunition was sold to Chinese firecracker factories seeking extra bang.

Brass shell casings went to Egypt for their famous currency being minted into the brass razoo.

Inspired by TRUE adventures by our friend, the late Wally Gibbins (1930-2006)

Copyright2008 on 23.07.08 @ 05:53 PM AEST [SnapperGonza">link]

SHARK ATTACKS DINGHY..... from fathomOZ.com

(Above)Large shark chews on an inflatable boat, aka The Batt Reef Drama
When a nine foot tiger or lemon shark bit into the inflatable boat of Ben Cropp and myself it made news for a few days on the east coast and New Zealand.

The filming team escaped with a ruined boat and some still pictures, but no injuries.

We were: 1. following a shark 2. in a red boat 3. with dog aboard. Three dont's if you wish to avoid a shark turning nasty on you - eventually.

The incident raises a serious doubt as to the effectiveness of inflatable lifeboats. OK in the short term, but dangerous in a case of a long delay in rescue.
Avoid red also, a proven color which attracts sharks faster than other colors, we believe.

All lifeboats would therefore be advised to carry a hand spear and a power head for protection. Of course this message will fall on deaf ears. We feel some pity for the yachtsmen and women who will vanish each few seasons, like clockwork, into The Coral Sea somewhere between Australia and New Caledonia. Beyond New Cal it doesn't make the news in Australia.

Close to a coral reef and their main worry will be grey reef whalers. Tiger sharks may watch a lifeboat for hours before doing anything. Eventually they will do something. Hope this isn't in the dark.
This is a true warning.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Fiction: Satire from fathomOZ.com
A recent attack by a starving shark on an inflatable dinghy was a grim reminder they enjoy the roughage offered by rubber. Some called this a CRAZY SHARK but 'it knew' that roughage is necessary in every diet. (ha ha)

Modern observers have recorded this species to be sluggish at times. Every creature is docile when it has a full mouth. Getting to have that full mouth can involve a very different situation.

When feeding upon large meals the shark is so focused upon not damaging it's teeth it can forget where it is and will therefore tolerate others holding onto it's body, patting it's head and so on. This does not mean the shark would not eat them if they were the only food in the sea, it simply means it is thinking about what to swallow next.

We can be thankful sport fishermen, long-line fishing boats and shark-fining enterprises have greatly reduced their numbers as it is one of the most dreadful sea creatures on the planet.

Feeding mostly by twilight the tiger shark has been blamed for the disappearance of many divers and swimmers who have possibly drowned during the day, but not always. This shark has a very wide mouth capable of making a complete meal of a swimmer with a few bites.

Natural food are stingrays found sleeping on the sandy floor of tropical reef lagoons.

Captured tiger sharks often have many broken-off stingray spines embedded within their mouth which has caused the shark incredible and maddening pain.

The maddened shark will attack anything and everything that swims in a vain attempt to eliminate pain by creating additional pain; (in much the same way we scratch and itch to prevent the itch spot itching).

With tiger sharks that 'itch' is a mouthful of agonizing and venomous barbs causing the worst pain known. Yet overlooked by Quentin Tarantino movies to date, but was considered during the writing of Reservoir Dogs as a substitute to the ear-cutting scene.

For the shark in pain, their temporary relief comes only through killing everything in sight. They will charge through schools of marine life snapping wildly and thereby increasing the already high level of heavy metal poisoning in their brain even further.

(The mercury in swordfish and marlin would have already sent them slightly mad).

The only true defense against a tiger shark charging a diver with mouth open wide is: the TS defense stick .

With the mouth open wide the diver inserts the rod into the shark's mouth thereby preventing it's closure.

This will kill the shark in time and it can never close it's mouth or feed again. Other sharks see what has happened so the procedure will only require repeating a few times before these sharks get the message at any dive site on the Great Barrier Reef and avoid divers completely.

Footnote: This tongue-in-cheek report was an attempt at underwater humor and should not be confused with the real thing. A true report on the shark-dinghy episode exists in our ARCHIVES.

Copyright2008 on 23.07.08 @ 04:13 AM AEST [from fathomOZ.com">link]

Tuesday, July 22nd

TRADITIONAL TURTLE HUNTERS ...... Batt Reef, Port Douglas

Batt Reef is a lonely place 26 km from popular Port Douglas in Queensland's north. Few boats visit Batt Reef due to how shallow and sandy it is. No beautiful coral formations here - nothing except a big underwater desert with associated wildlife.

Turtle, stingray and occasional dugong. And of course sharks who search in very shallow water, at ease from humans as few boats are ever seen there.

Batt Reef was the destination selected by TV's Crocodile Hunter for filming and the location where he made the mistake of getting close to a large black stingray. The rest is well documented history.

This picture was taken the day we had our memorable (and later well publicized) encounter with a large shark which chewed the side out of our inflatable dinghy!

The original fathomOZ report and pictures tomorrow.

Copyright2008 on 22.07.08 @ 05:29 PM AEST [Batt Reef, Port Douglas">link]

GREEN SEA TURTLE ....... stranded, Ellison Reef low tide

(Slightly larger than a 'medium-size' turtle as mentioned in text yesterday).

Copyright2008 on 22.07.08 @ 04:59 PM AEST [stranded, Ellison Reef low tide">link]

GREEN TURTLE HATCHLING ...... the mystery of their travels

A ray of hope for this little fellow just a few hours old, at Lady Musgrave Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef.

The mystery with them is where the little one's disappear to, so soon after hatching.

On 'the reef' there are these miniature turtles, then months later considerably larger ones, but no sizes in-between.

Obviously or apparently they swim out to sea, away from reef fish that might swallow them. Returning when larger. A mystery of the sea.
(fathomOZ.com)

Copyright2008 on 22.07.08 @ 12:11 AM AEST [the mystery of their travels">link]

Saturday, July 19th

BEAUTIFUL EX-CORAL REEF ...... off Mission Beach, Queensland

A cyclone plus the Crown-of-Thorns starfish has completely destroyed this reef

This is a real picture that would be expensive to replicate. How can you tell? The snorkeler is not a model posing in position for the camera. The ripples on the surface show he is moving. A posed model would not have water movement near him or her.

Does it matter? Not a bit. But in this case it is a REAL picture, not staged for advertising purposes.

If this picture were on a travel brochure it would not say, as I will here, and with 100% honesty, that ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL CORAL (IS TODAY), DEAD AS DOOR-NAILS.

Just after the picture was taken, the Crown of Thorns starfish had a great feed here. This is/was Ellison Reef near Mission Beach, south of Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

It did not effect tourists at all - they go to different locations. Nobody speaks about dead reefs.

"Anyway, there's plenty of coral in Queensland". the skeptics have said.

An 'expert' might comment that coral reefs regenerate - indicating everything will return to how it was, eventually.

These are just words we like to hear - distorted words they certainly are.

The coral pictured at Ellison Reef will never look like this again, never ever. It's too close to civilization.
That reef is finished in this form.

Something else, a poorer version, will replace it. Not as beautiful, but nobody will know the difference. That's the way it is.

Don't be fooled that everything (the coral reef ecology) is OK and will stay like this forever.

It won't and it can't. Learn to live with the changes. (from fathomOZ.com)

Copyright2008 on 19.07.08 @ 10:55 PM AEST [off Mission Beach, Queensland">link]

MOTOR VESSEL FRIENDSHIP ..... A very low tide, offshore reef.

Mission Beach was put on the national map in the 1960's when our then Prime Minister Harold Holt had his holidays at Bingle Bay. The whole region of Mission Beach, Clump Point and Bingle Bay is rain forest by the sea.

Harold Holt was said to have a red phone, a hot line to Canberra installed.

I was shocked to be in town and witness his former holiday residence being quietly demolished.

Harold Holt was an active spear fisherman and free diver. He vanished in Victoria in the sea he loved, December 1967 while still in office as Prime Minister.

Copyright2008 on 19.07.08 @ 05:36 PM AEST [FRIENDSHIP ..... A very low tide, offshore reef.">link]

HAND-FEEDING QUEENSLAND GROPER ...... Beaver Reef

(Top picture) Perry Harvey at Beaver Reef

When Friendship departed Clump Point, Mission Beach with day trip passengers for a Barrier Reef trip, it wasn't long before a trolling line was put out to catch a fish.

Spanish mackerel would be ideal. The fish would be for one of the giant groper at Beaver Cay and reef.

Skipper and owner Perry Harvey would provide an energetic and informative commentary over his PA system during the day and especially when something interesting suddenly appeared on the surface.

A whale, a manta ray, a school of dolphin. Something was always to be seen during the 40 minute journey to "the reef".

This kind of personalized day-trip service has since vanished as larger boats with temporary staff are more likely to exist today.

Perry Harvey was a local celebrity and for many years had the only regular, every day, boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Consequently he became outspoken when issues like crown-of-thorns starfish threatened the reef he loved.

Other commercial reef tour businesses in Queensland "buried heads in the sand" and pretended the problem didn't exist. None would speak to the media - except Perry.

(I was touring the Queensland coast with underwater films at this time, showing the starfish plagues, and spoke with some of these 'silent locals.' They feared negative publicity more than wanting to understand the long term inevitable consequences if nothing was done. That's what exists today with dead reef everywhere. The positive side of this is - there is still sufficient live reef to satisfy demand).

Space does not permit the whole story - global warming and coral bleaching having replaced starfish who eat coral as the key problems of coral reef ecology. Is there a connection?

Copyright2008 on 19.07.08 @ 05:01 PM AEST [Beaver Reef">link]

Friday, July 18th

RED EMPEROR ............... Rare subject with diver

Diver Mike Tinker at Beaver Reef, Mission Beach, Queensland

Mission Beach was where regular reef trips could be guaranteed. Perry Harvey was the pioneering charter boat skipper who ran daily trips to Dunk Island and then Beaver Cay.

"Off the deep ledge on the southern side of Beaver Cay I had a few trained fish that would come up to the glass-bottom boat when they heard the engine" Perry told me on the phone today.

"There were four tame red emperor, two coral trout and a spotted barramundi cod. When I sold my charter boat MV Friendship the new owners neglected feeding the fish at Beaver Reef and thereby lost an important and entertaining asset."

Also neglected was the giant Queensland groper, a 250 kilo fish Perry and his crew were hand-feeding on the surface.

I exposed some 16mm film of the red emperor and giant groper. It has yet to be included in a production.

Crown-of-Thorns starfish by the hundreds of thousands and a cyclone have been through Beaver Cay recently. Perry estimates that the quality of the surviving reef is about one-quarter as good as it once was.

Copyright2008 on 18.07.08 @ 06:01 PM AEST [Rare subject with diver">link]

'NEMO' CLOWN FISH ... Great Barrier Reef(s)

Why an 's' on Great Barrier Reef?

Because the G B R is not a single unbroken reef. It's 2 500 separate reefs.

We are using an out-of-date name courtesy of the discoverer Captain James Cook (Royal Navy).

Don't hold your breath waiting for a correction of the name.

Copyright2008 on 18.07.08 @ 02:18 AM AEST [Great Barrier Reef(s)">link]

Thursday, July 17th

PORTRAIT: ..... Byron Bay Beauty

'Honey' makes appearance in our video-released Sea Safari (1984)

Honey (aka Maria Tasoulis) was ahead of mainstream fashion by years. Last seen designing metallic evening gowns.

Honey did a few underwater scenes for us and attended the Melbourne Oceans festival as a promotion.

US cinematographer Jack McKenney was equally impressed.

Later the little lady became discouraged with diving after the first of two fatal shark attacks occurring at Byron Bay, one on the same day she was being filmed underwater by us.

Copyright2008 on 17.07.08 @ 06:55 PM AEST [Byron Bay Beauty">link]

UNDERWATER PHOTO ART ..... "The Night Dive"

Copyright by John Harding, fathom® (Australia)

I believe that night diving off charter boats in the Cairns area and further north was discontinued due to the big sharks being a little too curious.

Other factors would involve rescuing anyone in trouble, in the dark. So it's not just the big sharks that is the worry.

Richard Weir was the deckhand on Coralita and his hobby7 was collecting exotic live sea shells on night dives, in The Coral Sea.

With just a small torch he'd dive alone in the lagoon area which were the preferred anchored. Water depth rarely exceeding 15 meters.

A scary time was the night he was confused by a rising near-full moon thinking it was the lights of the charter boat nearby. Water visibility was crystal clear, about 50 meters.

A big shark found Richard and began circling. He decided to surface and swim to Coralita.

Horror. The charter boat was 200 meters away. He'd been swimming toward the full moon by mistake.

Then his torch (flashlight) battery went flat. In the dark with a big shark somewhere nearby.

Not a good situation to be in. It ended OK and he made it back to the boat.

Copyright2008 on 17.07.08 @ 03:50 AM AEST ["The Night Dive"">link]

Monday, July 14th

TIGER ......... Hooked on set-line, Mer Island

Adam Cropp. The shark was still potentially active (i.e. not dead)
Copyright2008 on 14.07.08 @ 01:14 AM AEST [Hooked on set-line, Mer Island">link]

Sunday, July 13th

THE SWAIN REEFS............ (1971)

EXOTIC CORAL FORMATION ...............in B&W

120 km offshore, The Swain Reefs, (1971)

Copyright2008 on 13.07.08 @ 03:08 AM AEST [in B&W">link]

Saturday, July 12th

VAST MANGROVE JUNGLE ..... of Cape York, Queensland

From an aircraft the mangrove forest appears as a green carpet. A closer inspection will show a jungle that is impenetrable. A haven for mud crabs, crocodile and the elusive barramundi. No shortage of mosquitoes and sand flies either.

Copyright2008 on 12.07.08 @ 04:08 AM AEST [of Cape York, Queensland">link]

OLIVE RIVER AT DUSK ..... Far North Queensland

Wilderness, yet the fish can be scarce

Copyright2008 on 12.07.08 @ 04:01 AM AEST [Far North Queensland">link]

Friday, July 11th

UNDERWATER REEF SCENE ...... Tridacna gigas

Twin giant clam are especially nice to see, near Lizard Island

Copyright2008 on 11.07.08 @ 05:58 AM AEST [Tridacna gigas">link]

FISH ....... Coastal North Queensland

GIANT GROPER ...... Coastal North Queensland

Wednesday, July 9th

GIANT QUEENSLAND GROPER .......(Overseas, a Grouper)

Have been known to swallow then spit out small divers. Approach them with some caution when they are in a cave.

Copyright2008 on 09.07.08 @ 03:37 AM AEST [Grouper)">link]

Tuesday, July 8th

TSMV CORALITA ...... No longer cruising The Coral Sea

VOLUTES ...... Collected live in The Coral Sea

Christine Danaher and I found these volutes

Captain Wally Muller had staked out a location well away from the charter boat where he'd look for shells. To his amazement (and probably disgust) the prize shells were to be found directly where the charter boat was, underneath and in shallow water, and by Christine.

Each shell is worth $300 or more, depending upon size and perfection.

Copyright2008 on 08.07.08 @ 08:47 PM AEST [Collected live in The Coral Sea">link]

A RARE VOLUTE ...... Perplicata

Christine D. with a large volute - not for sale

Copyright2008 on 08.07.08 @ 08:45 PM AEST [Perplicata">link]

NIGHT DIVE FOR LIVE SEA SHELLS

Christine Danaher, John McLennan with flash

Copyright2008 on 08.07.08 @ 08:43 PM AEST [link]

WILSON ISLAND ...... Capricorn Group near Heron Is.

In the 1960's a diving holiday on Heron Island probably included a day-trip over to Wilson Island for a snorkel around the beautiful coral formations and a picnic lunch ashore.

Today it's more exclusive, overnight (or longer) boutique camping for international visitors, only several hundred dollars per night each.

Copyright2008 on 08.07.08 @ 03:46 AM AEST [Capricorn Group near Heron Is.">link]

HERON ISLAND..... Scuttled ship "Protector"

I need to check this with shipwreck authority John SUmner. It's possibly the most photographed wreck on the Great Barrier Reef, although this picture is from 1983 so how it looks today is a guess. The story they told was this vessel belonged to the colony of South Australia (pre 1901) and was The Protector. The Poulson family of Heron Island may have placed it in position to offer some protection from the weather, failing that it was the turtle canning company many years ago.

Copyright2008 on 08.07.08 @ 03:35 AM AEST [Scuttled ship "Protector"">link]

Monday, July 7th

BROWN SPOTTED COD ..... At Nor' West Island August 1963

Vic's largest cod on the first of three hard days work.

Wally Muller was a good whip-cracker on his workers, as we found out.

I missed the second three-day stint some days later while slowly dying from coral poisoning.

It was a tropical skin infection that went deep from either a fish handling wound or coral scratch on my leg. I assumed sea water would cleanse such a problem.

It didn't and got slowly worse to the stage where I could not stand on my feet due to pain. A few more days without treatment and I would have gone home in a box. Wally eventually returned after four days away and had sulfur tablets aboard. Not the best things for kidney's though.

Copyright2008 on 07.07.08 @ 03:23 AM AEST [At Nor' West Island August 1963">link]

REEF FISH ...... Size example at Nor' West Island, 1963

Vic Snowie Ley and myself (JH) 29 August 1963

The sizes are a lot greater than what might be seen in the area today. I'm holding a very large coral trout. Vic has a huge spotted cod.

We'd been spearing a section called The Fish Tail to help pay for the trip to Nor' West Island aboard Wally Muller's fishing boat Riversong. The catch would be filleted, frozen and sold through wholesalers.

For Snowie and I this was our first barrier reef dive trip.

Copyright2008 on 07.07.08 @ 03:09 AM AEST [Size example at Nor' West Island, 1963">link]

FORMER TURTLE CANNERY HUT ..... Nor' West Island 1963

For those in the know, the old hut was often vacant for free use. No bookings required. It was there in good condition some years ago. Further along the beach is a grave and headstone. A reminder of the days when getting here was a lot more difficult.

Copyright2008 on 07.07.08 @ 03:01 AM AEST [Nor' West Island 1963">link]

NORTH REEF LIGHTHOUSE ..... Turtles once hunted here

North Reef lighthouse; Turtle soup (circa. 1970)

Many years ago there were turtle canning factories at Nor' West Island and Heron Island. It's a story that seems to have been lost with the passing times, along with tourist promotion photo's of a swimsuit beauty queen sitting on a turtle on the beach.

Heron Island had huts which became the first accommodation when flying boats ferried tourists to the island leased by the Poulson family.

A good story that has become lost in time. I've not seen a picture of the seaplanes (or flying boats) associated with the island. Six were purchased with five used for spare parts.

The may be still a timber hut from the turtle canning era on Nor' West Island.

The lighthouse in this group of islands is at North Reef.

The shipwreck Cooma is underwater of this reef. (A picture of the Cooma propeller is in our ARCHIVES).

The Capricorn and Bunker Islands are offshore between Yeppoon, south to Gladstone and Bundaberg.

Copyright2008 on 07.07.08 @ 02:15 AM AEST [Turtles once hunted here">link]

CAPRICORN ISLANDS & REEFS .... Queensland's Tropic Zone

Christine Danaher joined green turtles having fun, North Reef

Copyright2008 on 07.07.08 @ 02:05 AM AEST [Queensland's Tropic Zone">link]

Saturday, July 5th

JUANITA FENN ....... shipwreck story and connection

Juanita Fenn and a very large stonefish at Amity Point, Queensland

Inset John Fenn, a Gold Coast former commercial diver (whose specialty was welding) very proud father of Juanita.

Juanita's 'Uncle Des' showed me a couple of letters written to him years ago by the infamous West Australian wreck hunter and some would say plunderer Allan Robinson of the Gilt Dragon Dutch shipwreck fame.

The letters were hilarious and would be a good read for everyone interested in shipwreck history. Not for their shipwreck content - more for describing life in the remote regions of the far north and the escapades of Alan's adolescent son chasing local girls.

The Allan Robinson story seems to have been overlooked by documentary film producers. The would be two versions of course - one being what happens when a cocky person gets on the wrong side of authorities and especially the West Australian police.

His now rare self-published book titled In Australia TREASURE is not for the finder (Allan Robinson 1980)

The book has a curious copyright notice "Commonwealth of Australia" instead of the author's name which would imply the commonwealth owns rights to the book.

Either a gross error or yet another example of Allan's cheeky attitude.

Copyright2008 on 05.07.08 @ 05:00 AM AEST [ shipwreck story and connection">link]

Thursday, July 3rd

LARGE BLACK COD ....... South West Rocks (1969)

Vic 'Snowie' Ley and a Epinephelus daemelii

A former Australian spearfishing champion (with John Black). Both represented Australia at the CMAS organized world championships - the pinnacle achievement for any free diver.

Copyright2008 on 03.07.08 @ 02:30 AM AEST [South West Rocks (1969)">link]

SOUTH WEST ROCKS ...... Dive shop museum (1981)

The late Noel Hitchins (right)

When gathering underwater movie scenes for Sea Safari I called at the South West Rocks dive shop on the mid north coast of New South Wales, about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.

My friend Noel Hitchins had started the business some years before. He was having a not-so-friendly war with club spear fishermen who saw nothing wrong with shooting competition fish (i.e. almost anything that swam) from the offshore island-rock which contained a specular cave and tunnel than ran right through it. A perfect future destination for scuba diving groups.

So incredible was this 'cavern' that a whole episode of Innerspace (a 1970's TV series) was filmed there with 240V bright filming lights designed and used by Ron Taylor. The contents of the cave were tropical and unique. It may not be quite the same today as thousands have since visited.

Originally several giant Queensland groper (each over 400 pounds) and huge black cod were common residents.

So the battle to protect the site known as Fish Rock Cave began. In the end Noel and the new 2nd dive shop seemed to have won. Line fishermen also fancied the location so there has been more problems, especially as their fish hooks invariably find a hungry (protected) grey nurse shark ready to take the bait.

In 1981 the grey nurse were back - some said from the brink of extinction. There was no doubt the species had suffered a setback. Many factors should be considered who they became rare - the east coast had been in the grip of a prolonged drought which some say has an effect on coastal marine life and therefore fish (and shark) food supplies.

At the time I reckoned the JAWS movie of 1975 was to blame for the sudden increased popularity collecting of shark jaws. Jaws were selling for suddenly ridiculous figures.

So in 1981 we arrived in town and Noel suggested a dive. The result was recorded on movie film and edited into a 90 minute video released as Sea Safari a documentary in 1983., not shown on TV.

Also featured was a brief look at Noel's personal maritime museum, shown here.

Double-hose US Divers regulators (still considered the best reg design as the bubbles escape from behind your head not under your face with all the resulting noise) and an especially ancient and fully imported outboard motor from about 1960 which still ran.

Noel passed away a few years ago. His sons now run the dive shop business and will be delighted to see this picture of their Dad after all many years, taken at a time when they were just little kids.

Copyright2008 on 03.07.08 @ 01:37 AM AEST [Dive shop museum (1981)">link]

Wednesday, July 2nd

PEARL DIVERS FINAL JOURNEY

Asian pearl divers rest peacefully here under a blue sky

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/stories/2008/2290939.htm
(ABC radio show in two parts, The Pearling Families of Broome)

Copyright2008 on 02.07.08 @ 01:42 AM AEST [link]

CABLE BEACH, BROOME

Christine Danaher with my Bolex 16mm movie camera

Copyright2008 on 02.07.08 @ 01:38 AM AEST [link]

PEARLING LUGGER ...... Broome,Western Australia

The tide varies by some ten meters at Broome. At low tide this beautiful old lugger (a pearl diver's work boat) will be sitting on the bottom of the dry mangrove creek, right the edge of town just a 50 meters away.

Copyright2008 on 02.07.08 @ 01:34 AM AEST [Broome,Western Australia">link]

RE COMPRESSION CHAMBER ..... "One Man steel coffin"

A hard hat pearl diver of the past, surfacing with suspected bends would be re compressed in this steel chamber. The lid had been removed for safety. In the background is an air compressor that would have been hand-cranked by a couple of workers - for many hours of a working day.

Copyright2008 on 02.07.08 @ 01:30 AM AEST ["One Man steel coffin"">link]

PEARL FARM FLOATING WORK PLATFORM

PEARL SHELL

BROOME PEARL BOUTIQUE

This battered hard hat is a feature in Linney's store

Copyright2008 on 02.07.08 @ 01:20 AM AEST [link]