SHARKS and rubber boats.........food for thought!

'Lessons learned' from the sharks episode of last Saturday is how necessary an anti-shark device is for people at sea in a life raft. When these big tiger sharks finally decide to bite, nothing is going to change their mind, no amount of shouting, hitting or kicking. And when they bite - the entire piece comes away. No spitting out of anything. South Australian shark bite celebrity, Rodney Fox was fortunate a white pointer mouthed his chest in 1964 and not a tiger shark!

An inflateable lifeboat without an adequate shark repellant aboard as a life-saving device is a foolish excercise in cost-cutting, yet this is how they all are!

The electronic POD and a powerhead (on a handspear) would be my suggestions of the minimum additions to all life saving craft, especially in Hawaii where there are plenty of tiger sharks.

Costly and extra bulk but that's information. Too many have already vanished at sea without a trace. We can guess their fate more clearly now.

Be prepared for the worst circumstances to happen. If these don't happen - great. Powerheads are lethal and as dangerous as a bad shark so some form of container with a seal might be necessary.

JH on 29.09.04 @ 03:42 PM AEST [link]

SHARK BITES OUR BOAT ......"5 minutes of increasing terror. "

This is one of the ten to 15 large tiger sharks at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas last weekend. We may have counted some sharks twice. There were ten positive sightings, five may have been repeats of the first sharks. What was attracting them was not determined.

How this one came to be trying to sink our boat is in the text written by myself and Ben Cropp available for publication with the pictures.

Photo: John Harding


JH on 28.09.04 @ 08:54 AM AEST [link]

BIG TIGER SHARK ................largest of 10-15 sighted.

One of the ten to possibly 15 large tiger sharks encountered at Batt Reef by JH and Ben Cropp last weekend. After following one of the tigers for some minutes, Ben filming with a remote camera, the shark suddenly turned and rammed the dinghy. The following pictures show what happened next, We were possibly saved by the local lads hunting turtles. With the huge shark, jaws locked for maybe five minutes, our small boat seemed like it would sink. It was the arrival of the local guys, responding to our shouts (and almost out of earshot) that possibly convinced the shark to release it's grip.

No video film was made. Camera was 'empty'. Ben is still crying. A print media exclusive it seemed but TV news have picked up shots from this web site.



JH on 27.09.04 @ 08:28 PM AEST [link]

BIG TIGER SHARK with Remora (suckerfish).

This is the largest shark in the pack, about four meters in length. A bit of a fright to see such a large predator in very shallow water. Each of the suckerfish is from 18" to 24" in length.

Photo: John Harding

JH on 27.09.04 @ 08:15 PM AEST [link]

Shark Crops Ben's Boat 2 ......"a highly spirited one"

An angry and very dangerous ten foot tiger shark last Saturday 27km off Port Douglas doing it's best to sink us. Swimming with this shark had been a large school of big trevally, between 50 and 100 fish, all in shallow water. An amazing spectacle. Not caught on film either.

OCT7 2004 Update:
Photo consultant Ruth Pyle noticed marks on the body of this shark - near the waterline and elsewhere, which we had overlooked at first. Upon close examination these marks appear likely to have been caused by the 30 hp outboard motor propeller as it passed over the creature (when it suddenly changed direction while this writer was steering the boat).

If this is correct it gives the shark a stronger motive to have attacked the boat, rather than, this is what any shark will do without needing to be provoked.

It seems to me to be fresh information shark researchers have not had. (Most 'boaties' would be too shocked at the time to remember fine detail, and in this case it was the camera that captured the unknown possible injury). But this opens a dillema for divers Do you bump a territorial shark with your camera housing? Answer: Yes, a camera won't do as much damage as a high speed outboard prop!

A long-term professional fisherman at Seal Rocks NSW (the late Joss Davies) warned me against ever hitting a shark with ANY item, such as a boat oar. Remember the following quote by Joss:

"You never know what a shark may do if you harm one...they may jump out of the water, even into your boat. Never hit them with anything."

Photo: JH/fathom


JH on 27.09.04 @ 08:09 PM AEST [link]

SHARK BITES BOAT ....moments later, a ruined dinghy.

A WARNING that inflatable boats are not much use around sharks. Single cell inflatables are a temporary life raft at best. Good for a few hours or until the first shark sees it. All life rafts aboard cruising boats should be fitted with both electronic and explosive anti shark devices, especially for tropical waters where tiger sharks are more frequent. Too many people go missing without a trace.

See 26 June 2004 listing in ARCHIVES for detailed picture of "Tuffy" the sea dog (pictured).

Photo: John Harding

JH on 27.09.04 @ 08:04 PM AEST [link]

SHARK BITES OUR BOAT witnesses to drama

We yelled for assistance to these guys, five lads who we'd spoken with earlier. It was the sound of their outboard motor alongside that probably made the tiger shark release it's grip on Ben's dinghy after three to five minutes of holding on and dragging the boat down. These guys had a good look at what was happening and would have their own story to tell. "A shark trying to eat former shark hunter Ben Cropp's dinghy".


JH on 27.09.04 @ 08:00 PM AEST [link]

JUST FOR FUN Balmoral Beach shocker.

A reminder that nicotine will do this to your figure if you are healthy enough to live this long.

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff" Mariah Carey - in an interview.

A genuine photo, no tricks. She was a regular at Balmoral Beach, Sydney.


JH on 24.09.04 @ 04:36 PM AEST [link]

SEASCAPE Hinchinbrook Island and Channel

North of Townsville en route to Port Douglas I stopped to make this picture. Classic natural beauty near the coast. Reef and rainforest. Mountains which are often obscured by cloud have claimed aircraft losses during WWII. A marina recently constructed near the main highway north was the centre of much bitter local controversy. The long term on the pristine region effects have yet to be realised.


JH on 24.09.04 @ 10:19 AM AEST [link]

SALWATER CROCODILE FARM group picture

Northern Queensland was full of crocs until the 1970's when they became protected. The numbers are high again but nothing compared with the 1950's when people like Louie Komsic (see story which follows) and especially the great Keith F Adams (of Karrinyup, 6018 W.A.) who shot crocs with both bullets and with movie film in the Gulf of Carpentaria. His two hour video and newly published book is worthy of the effort to chase both up.

Keith F Adams was more than a crocodile hunter. His documentary film Northern Safari thrilled millions in cinemas where it was distributed for more than ten years world wide via 16mm showings. At one stage it was the most profitable Australian film ever made but totally shunned by mainstream movie historians possibly because it was not released on conventional 35mm format, and Keith was a self-taught film maker and independant distributor. The first man to make an Australian success with wildlife filming. Sadly neglected with official recognition.



JH on 24.09.04 @ 09:56 AM AEST [link]

LINE FISHING Spanish Makerel picture

Predator fish which feed upon smaller fish and occasionally wind-up becoming toxic for humans with ciguaterra poisoning. Ciguaterra is tastless and without a colour and occurs in tropical fish. Usually it is the big makerel which are most likely to be contaminated. The symptoms of poisoning are not too good. Many doctors would not recognise the problem and may therefore treat you for something else, especially if you are on holiday in the north and return home sick. If you eat makerel and feel 'crook' afterwards, tell the doc this information.

Worse still, the poison can slowly over years, accumulate until it tips the balance. It can then keep re-occuring if you eat additional contaminated fish or even chicken that has been fed contaminated fish-meal pellets! (According to a friend who suspects this happened to him).

Other fish are on the danger list too. Barracuda, red bass, chinaman fish are all suspects as is the big blue spot coral trout especially. Beware any seafood listed vaguely, i.e. "reef fillets" "mixed fillets". This is the retailer being 'shifty'.

Otherwise, grilled spanish makerel is one of the most common fish favourites in many parts of the tropical Pacific. Just watch out for those very big fish of 15kg or more, especiallly in southern Queensland near Hervey Bay. Pictured is a small verion.

JH on 24.09.04 @ 09:26 AM AEST [link]

PEOPLE OF THE SEA Louie Komsic

The fishing boat parked next to us at Stanley Island contained a lone fisherman. He looked like an interesting bloke. Ben Cropp knew his brother. Later I learned the solo fisherman and I had several mutual mates and in typical Aussie fashion this struck up an instant friendship.

Later I was lucky to have a few hours with Louie aboard his boat. This was sparked when he mentioned his former hotel at Palmer River.

"Do you know the artist James Baines" I had enquired, adding that "I brought James' Broome Odyssey painting from Broome W.A. home to James' studio at Malanda, near Cairns; along with a black and white kitten".

Both had death threats upon them. The cat was doomed if it stayed and so was anyone who removed the artwork from town, it had been painted in Broome and depicted the history of pearl diving. I took the risk. The cat was the more trouble. More about that - eventually.

James Baines had previously painted his famous gold rush history mural at the Louie's roadhouse. It was a huge success and led to the Broome commission.

Other mutual mates we shared were Paul Kamsler Snr. of the Cairns Pacific International hotels fame ("Paul kick-started my 14 year career as a croc shooter") and charter boat owner-skippper Peter Bristow (See our archives 06/29/2004).

So we had at least three good mutual friends, and probably more if we talked long enough. Louie has many interesting stories of his life in the tropics of Australia.

But he was sad about possibly losing his wildlife property, a huge 68 square kilometer property with boundaries on two rivers (The Kennedy and Annie Rivers of Princess Charlotte Bay area). Here several documentaries featuring Louie careing for the land and animals were filmed. He'd made many friends in the process.

Hollywood actor (the late) Lee Marvin of action movie and Cairns fishing excursions fame told Louie he sold the best hamburgers in Australia. (The secret was the home-made coleslaw).

Lee Marvin desired an adventure on land with Louie and John F Kennedy, i.e. pig hunting on the big property. Louie wasn't keen on all the necessary security.

Louie's accent was Croatian, not Hungarian as I'd thought. He was from Sarajevo so I mentioned the unique Brian Eno produced "Miss Sarajevo" by U2. "Well worth a listen."

The stories continued, as we talked aboard Louie's boat, a cabin cruiser that serves as his home for months each year. Here he was in the remote north, fishing alone for barramundi and spanish makerel and doing OK but not 100% happy with his bank or the state government.

He may lose his land for a proposed national park. Nineteen years in the courts seeking adequate compensation and a million bucks to the lawyers have left with limited funds.

But this is fate. Maybe Louie is happier than he realises doing what he does so well now,rather than running a huge property and tourist facility?

Owning 'the world' isn't what it's all about. Becoming the richest man in the cemetary. Life is a jig-saw. Gradually the pieces fit together with each new experience. The finished picture may be quite different to the one which began years ago. In fact the picture is always changing yet never completed.

Follow the ethical paths in life and the completed picture of life will be a potential materpiece. Too much fame, especially too soon, can be a curse, as is excessive wealth in the wrong hands.




JH on 23.09.04 @ 05:22 PM AEST [link]

TRAVEL View from remote 'Skull Cave'

Viewed from the entrance to the cave, in the distance is the twin-peaked Stanley Island with Owen Channel seperating Flinders Island. A thick line of mangrove tree's (dark green) makes access to Skull Cave more tricky. Look for the only palm tree as a guide to finding this cave and climb semi-rough country toward a big boulder. This view is from that boulder. Few people visit the site. You can only get there by boat.


JH on 23.09.04 @ 09:34 AM AEST [link]

TRAVEL Aboriginal Cave Painting (Flinders Islands)

What this picture does not show is the steel bars now protecting such art work. Although only a few hundred folk visit the caves each year, measures to protect the images have been great and costly. Elsewhere in another cave, (with a sensational view) lay exposed human remains, also protected by a steel mesh cage. The remains are those of a significant aboriginal person - considering the view outside. The positioning of the skull (faces the entrance) possibly indicates 'window dressing'.



JH on 23.09.04 @ 09:21 AM AEST [link]

SEASCAPE Stanley Island in the Flinders Island Group. QLD

How old and how much longer will these survive? What species? One of the more unusal photo aspects of the islands of Princess Charlotte Bay. Latitude 14 degrees north in Queensland, Australia. If only trees could talk. Smugglers? Buried treasure? The salt air has posssibly given these magnificent trees the twisted look. They caught our eye with their mysterious and unusal form while we searched for ancient aboriginal cave paintings which were nearby.


JH on 23.09.04 @ 09:06 AM AEST [link]

CROCODILE ATTACK BEACH.......Bathurst Bay, North QLD.

12 October 2004 News. A couple, sleeping in a tent near this site have been attacked by a crocodile.......the man was being dragged toward the water by a large saltwater crocodile when he was rescued by a grandmother and her son (who shot the beast with a revolver). The story made headlines and a gripping TV interview.

Four weeks previously we were warned of this 3.5 meter croc at this remote beach, Bathurst Bay, Cape Melville, (Princess Charlotte Bay), Qld. 250 km north of Cooktown. Crocs will travel 100 meters inland from the sea at night in search of food, therefore no tent site in the north is safe. Sleep in a 4x4.

Update 27 March 2005
Grandmother Alicia Sorohan aged 60 has been given the skull of the crocodile involved,which had been buried by park rangers.

The Sorohans and their extended family and friends had been camping at the popular fishing spot, Bathurst Bay. The crocodile had crept into their campsite in the middle of the night. Possibly attracted by the sound of a small crying baby in the tent, it grabbed Andrew Kerr while he was sleeping.

Mrs Sorohan instinctively lept onto the crocodile's head and it dragged Mr Kerr from his tent.

The crocodile then turned it's attention away from Mr Kerr and seized Mrs Sorohan's right arm. Her son Jason, awakened by the noise, was then to shoot the crocodile dead.

Mrs Sorohan had two metal plates and 12 screws inserted in her arm, which was almost severed. The family had been visiting the area regularly for more nthan 20 years. A documentary film will be made about her ordeal when they return to Bathurst Bay next October. source: The Sunday Mail March 27


JH on 22.09.04 @ 09:34 AM AEST [link]

Ben Cropp Catches Crabs females 9:1 against males

JH on 22.09.04 @ 09:28 AM AEST [link]

Australian Mud Crab

JH on 22.09.04 @ 09:24 AM AEST [link]

Crab Claw ..........mud crabs galore in the north.

Female mud crabs are protected and must be returned to the sea. Not so for the males. With the female population in Princess Charlotte Bay now at 9 to 1 against the males, the boys must be very busy with their harems.

But you would think more consideration would be given to correcting the imbalance. It seems way out of proportion.

While mud crab meat is the most delicate of all, finer and sweeter than lobster and prawns, there is a hazard for those who consume a regular of this rich food, or a combination of rich foods. It takes time, but it does happen. Investigate what the long term hazard is.

A clue: hip joints.

photo's JH/fathom
JH on 22.09.04 @ 09:19 AM AEST [link]

Whale Shark ........UW picture with diver

A dive with the largest of all sharks is always a thrill. This picture was taken off Exmouth, Western Australia which has been one of the best places to get a guaranteed encounter. But a new location in Africa near the equator may challenge the long-term commercial viability of Exmouth as a whale shark destination. "Twenty sharks sighted in twenty natutical miles. Three around the yatch at one time".

Then again, we may not add to the 'tourism kiss-of-death' by disclosing the location details. We need to think carefully about such matters. Look what the world's leading magazine did to the Red Sea by publishing too many underwater feature stories. Diving tourism exploded and ruined what was once thought and considered superior to the Great Barrier Reef.

Photo JH/fathom

JH on 04.09.04 @ 09:23 AM AEST [link]

Whales - Sydney Harbour .......1967 UW picture.

On this day SEPTEMBER 1ST, the first (published/professional) underwater picture of whales, was made just outside the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

The mother and calf, Southern Right whale had swum into the Sydney Harbour during the night. My friends and I had coaxed and followed in a small speedboat away from busy ferry and boat traffic to the quieter open ocean where a series of underwater pictures were made.

Southern right whales still return to Sydney Harbour about this time of the year, but not every year.

Newspaper journalist Mike Perry had spotted the mother whale and her calf during his early morning swim at Balmoral Beach and phoned with an excited voice 'bring boat and underwater camera ASAP'.

The pictures made a front page story on the Fairfax newspaper, THE SUN the following day. The next day a follow-up Page One story (and repeat of the same picture) when it was discovered how rare the Southern Right species was. "On the brink of extinction" said the heading quoting a university lecturer.

Whales had been having a 'rough trot' and there were not many left, especially this species, named the 'right' whale because they floated when killed and were therefore easier to tow back to the factory.

Low visibility, a large subject, all a bit of a challenge at the time. The mother was huge and almost black so I focused on the lighter-coloured baby. This picture shows a section of the five meter-long calf riding on the mother's back, as they do just under the surface.

We did not recognise the species until (the late) Dr William Dawbin saw the pictures at his Sydney University department and almost fell off the chair.

It took a ban of whaling and another decade before people began swimming with all the other species elsewhere. The Southern Right has remained a prize subject. They are still rare. Unusual with a reversed-looking jaw-line.

Nov4 Footnote: 35mm underwater movie footage is believed to have been made by Bill Heffernan at Seal Rocks almost 50 years ago. This would be the very first underwater whale pictures made in Australia to our knowledge. What has become of this material is unknown. Bill Heffernan was a resident of The Entrance NSW. Has anyone out there any info we can add here, please?

Photo JH/fathom

JH on 01.09.04 @ 09:49 AM AEST [link]