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Friday, December 30th SAUMAREZ REEF SHIPWRECK
 A promotional image for the Australian Seafari film - Jocelyn Edwards and I visit my favourite shipwreck Francis Preston Blair. (See details in archives). Saumarez Reef has crystal clear ocean waters - like all Coral Sea reefs. 200 foot visibility is possible often. This was where we filmed the slow-mo bubble swim recently mentioned here. (archives). JH on 30.12.05 @ 03:00 PM AEST [link] Thursday, December 29th IRVIN ROCKMAN & HENRI BOURCE.......
 Irvin Rockman CBE (famed underwater photographer) and his friend, celebrity shark bite victim and musician Henri Bource, both of Victoria where Irvin Rockman was a former Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne and Henri Bource was a founding member and sax player with The Thunderbirds. Both were members of the Victorian Aqualung Club and both are talented performers. A white pointer shark took Henri's leg whilst he was snorkel diving with sea lions (seals) at the Lady Julia Percy Islands near Warnambool, Victoria. Henri produced and appeared in a documentary feature length film of his ordeal and the recovery which is detailed elsewhere in our ARCHIVES. Irvin Rockman is a Melbourne, Australia businessman, former boutique hotel owner and IT innovator, author of Underwater Australia. JH on 29.12.05 @ 09:27 PM AEST [link] KATHY TROUTT ....Australian underwater model
 Kathy Troutt was photographed here at Key Largo, Florida by husband Peter Moss while they were working together with the Hollywood motion picture film team on The Day of the Dolphin. View our archives for more beautiful Kathy Anne Troutt pictures. JH on 29.12.05 @ 08:54 PM AEST [link] Wednesday, December 28th FRIEND IN HAND HOTEL....my home in Sydney.
 John Harding Snr. (front right) outside his Sydney Hotel about 1971. Patrons were a colorful mix of wharfies, fruit barrow men, greyhound dog trainers and petty criminals. The second eldest of twelve children, my father apparently chose to have a very small family of his own. ME. I always had the safety net of working in Dad's pub if all else failed. I did a little part-time work in exchange for my board - this allowed me an experiment at making a living out of underwater photography sales. We had two boats parked in our garage. One mine and one for Dad. The car lived on the street outside. My first big gamble was promoting and presenting Ron Taylor's underwater film shows. With no cash in the bank I printed 10,000 Shark Fighters programmes (16 pages each A4), 4000 posters in two colors, and rented a cinema for a month. I was then aged 23. I styled the shark films around surf film show presentations - using the same venues and advertising. Even the same disc jockey. I guess Paul Witzig (Surfing Promotions and The Endless Summer film) and surf girl Tanya Binning were inspiring me. The cellar below which held a couple of dozen 18 gallon kegs of beer was also my photographic darkroom. It was pitch black. Often I go down into the cellar late at night to print black and white photographs from medium format negatives. I might quit early the next morning, sometimes as late as 3am. The wet prints would then be laid on the dining room carpet upstairs to dry. I guess Dad was proud of my work. He never said anything but must have been impressed, especially when some of the pictures made front page stories on Sydney tabloid evening newspapers. Footnote: The owner of the hotel today is Peter Byrne – a former employee of John Fairfax and Sons, publishers of The Sun newspaper andPeople and Pix magazines, who published a lot of our early shark pictures. JH on 28.12.05 @ 08:06 PM AEST [link] JOHN HARDING (senior) UNDERWATER MAN
 John Michael Harding - My dear father and a former diver and hotelier of the Friend in Hand Hotel 58 Cowper Street, Glebe 2037 – a now famous boutique hotel in an inner suburb of Sydney. He was aware of the hazards of alcoholism associated with the liqueur industry and refused to drink scotch whiskey or brandy having seen the long term effects of these strong drinks on others. His favorite boating location was out of Cronulla and down the coast to Jibbon Beach, Marley and Wattamolla Headlands in the Royal National Park area. Otherwise his boat would be launched at Rose Bay for destinations north to Long Reef. JMH favored twin outboards for their guarantee of at least one bringing you home. This was put to the test several times. A keen golfer playing the courses around Coffs Harbour he scored three hole-in-one trophies while playing 18 hole games with his mates. As a young man in WWII he was stationed in Milne Bay, (New Guinea) and later on a second posting overseas to the Solomon Islands – both hot spots but fortunately not involving himself. He was a radio technician repairing sets in military tanks. His military adventures seemed to quench any further desire for overseas travels, later he did diving expeditions to The Coral Sea, Lord Howe Island and Heron Island, describing the distant Coral Sea - Chesterfield Reefs trip as his favorite of all time. Like many pioneer divers he speared sharks and big fish in the early days as a form of adventure. His favorite eating fish was luderick and flathead. He learned good communication skills through his 15 years as a hotel licensee and had friends of all ages. He treated everyone equally and was without a single enemy on earth. JH on 28.12.05 @ 06:03 PM AEST [link] Tuesday, December 27th VALERIE TAYLOR'S BROTHER
 Actually this is the famous Greg Heighes, who Valerie Taylor is so very proud of. The tiny Port Jackson shark found it's way into a bag of scallops at Jervis Bay, south of Sydney. JH on 27.12.05 @ 10:22 PM AEST [link] MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE ........ with Dewey Bergman
 Imagine meeting someone through a message placed in a floating bottle? It happened to Dewey Bergman - the San Francisco dive-travel company owner of See and Sea when he threw the bottle with a note into the sea 400 nautical miles east of Yeppoon, Queensland Dewey Bergman was on his first trip to Australia and aboard Coralita- evaluating Australia's international scuba diving potentials. The message in a bottle washed ashore six months later, the finder writing with the details. Pictured with Dewey (in the background) John M Harding who regarded this adventure with Ron and Valerie Taylor also aboard as the best of many expeditions he made. A 'diary' of the expedition was serialized in the tabloid newspaper The Daily Telegraph in a double page spread for five consecutive days, purchased by David McNicoll the Editor-in-Chief. Fathom magazine also published several pages of pictures in issue six. The Ron and Valerie Taylor Taylor's Innerspace (a TV documentary series) included The Ruby Thatcheri from this expedition, based upon the discovery of a rare volute thatcheri sea shell. Dewey Bergman co-organized a premier underwater film festival of California Man Sea 1970. The show honoured significant diving medical achievements. Also presenting guest speakers - some with their own films, Stan Waterman, Al Giddings, Philippe Cousteau. JH on 27.12.05 @ 09:08 AM AEST [link] WILD KINGDOM filming in Australia
 Cameraman and Director, Ralph J Nelson (right) called the shots, and made several underwater filming expeditions for Wild Kingdom to Australia. In center up-front John Reynolds an Australian diver based on The Gold Coast. Reynolds was a director of an original oceanarium Marineland, later purchased by new - larger Sea World nearby. Also in the boat is host of the show Marlin Perkins (far left) and regular assistant Tom Allen. The show reached millions of viewers in USA. JH on 27.12.05 @ 08:33 AM AEST [link] WILD KINGDOM CREW
 John C Fairfax (left) assisted the diving operations for Wild Kingdom when they visited Saumarez Reef in The Coral Sea to film sharks and sea snakes. Marlin Perkins (centre), Tom Allen (right) John C Fairfax later joined Walter A Starck aboard his El Torito to co-produce two television films for The Blue Frontier series. This was followed by his own feature length documentary Stallion of the Sea narrated by actor Jack Thompson and highlighting the plight of black marlin and diminishing fish stocks especially in the Solomon Islands. TOM ALLEN (from SSI profile) Underwater stunt diver for Lloyd Bridges ( Sea Hunt) Underwater co-host & Associate Producer Wild Kingdom US Navy (UDT 1962-65) Instructor ratings: NAUI; PADI; SSI; NASDS; YMCA; CMAS. Adjunct professor, University of Florida (diving courses) Adjunct professor, Santa Fe Community College (diving courses) Archaeological recovery, National Geographic, also Florida State Museum. National Geographic "Animals in the Night" (Wolper Productions) Patented an underwater whistle Published air consumption manual - workbook. JH on 27.12.05 @ 08:22 AM AEST [link] Monday, December 26th KEITH GRAYSON ........former shark hunter
 About the same time Vic Ley and I were chasing sharks for Ron and Valerie Taylor’s movie camera, our opposition was doing similar things. The opposition was Ben Cropp (a former business partner with Ron Taylor) and his dive team- Keith Grayson, Van Laman (who later married Ben) and Bill Arrowsmith. We all worked the same area’s searching for sharks. Later Keith Grayson pursued the abalone in Tasmania and was making excellent money until one day a huge white pointer shark scared the living daylights out of him. The shark actually knocked Keith Grayson head over heels without biting him, then came back and stared at him. It was a shocking and nerve-racking experience to be faced with almost certain death and to be spared. Keith quickly sold his valuable abalone license after that and was determined to enjoy life – which he did during a long overseas journey, with a pocketful of cash and most importantly at an age when it can all mean so much more. Recently I found him back in abalone country at Bicheno on the east coast of Tasmania – not diving but with a new olive tree grove. He is well aware of the Australian appetite for quality olive oils. We had lunch with a mutual friend and another former abalone diver, Geoff Bull of the award winning Freycinet Vineyards. We all talked about the early days of diving in Sydney. Geoff was a newspaper photographer who took occasional pictures for Fathom magazine, including some beautiful black and white's of a visiting National Geographic Magazine photographer we interviewed. Keith brought out his personal hard cover copy of Shark Hunters - Ben Cropp’s adventure book which was signed by Ben back in those early days as a gift. To have survived a serious shark encounter is a rare experience and one which adds meaning to life. Abalone divers face this hazard every day and learn to not think about it too much. That figures. JH on 26.12.05 @ 11:33 AM AEST [link] DALE CHAPMAN .......garage sale - hard hats
 The slightly well-used helmet (left) is an original pearl divers unit ex Broome, Western Australia. Value at time of garage sale about AUS$5000 - a bargain. On the right is a US Navy replica. A popular model. JH on 26.12.05 @ 10:25 AM AEST [hard hats">link] Sunday, December 25th QUEENSLAND SEAFARI .......featured Aquarius film footage
 Rex Theatre, North Mackay during our first Queensland film shows. Admission prices have changed considerably since. The projector was set-up in the ticket box and 'shone' though an open doorway in order to fill the screen top and bottom. The upstairs bio box was obviously not available. At first only the older and almost run-down theatres would accept our 16mm film shows, when they saw the box office figures, all regional cinema's welcomed us. TV advertising was possible and affordable in these areas. With TV ads the box office figures were sensational, far surpassing the big budget films of the era. We could only get three day seasons during mid-week as Hollywood films had the weekends booked and under contracts. We made up for this by running three screenings each day and inviting schools to attend. They arrived by the bus-load from 'miles' away - patriotic to Queensland and The Great Barrier Reef on the big screen. Thousands of children screaming in delight as Jocelyn did her famous underwater bubble swim (Those old Queensland single-screen Birch, Carroll and Coyle theatres held between 800 and 1200 seats). A few ads on Disneyland and in the local news guaranteed huge crowds. It's not that easy today. JH on 25.12.05 @ 08:46 PM AEST [Aquarius film footage">link] FILM SHOWS ....continued
 This independent REX cinema at North Mackay, Queensland was one of our many venues. Aquarius - People and Wildlife of the Sea was the original title, later Queensland Seafari proved an extremely popular name change for the tropical north screenings. The film ran three nights in this 500 seat theatre. Jocelyn Edwards (pictured) was the star of the film and also sold the tickets! Not your normal movie situation. At the sugar township of Ingham (North of Townsville) we turned away 350 people when the show was booked for a single one night showing. Return shows the following year were in the larger city luxury cinemas - where the same film established a local box office record for a 16mm travelling film at many towns. We used Japanese Eiki brand xenon projectors for decades. This is the first machine an EX-1500 Film shows helped maintain the underwater lifestyle and in the early days supported time invested in Fathom magazine. (See details below). Film shows were very popular in the era when television ran few documentaries. But we were slack and did not care about all the easy money - preferring a good lifestyle instead, believing it would always be easy like this - it wasn't. JH on 25.12.05 @ 08:28 PM AEST [link] FATHOM MAGAZINE ......underwater photography
 Fathom magazine was the first quality printed publication of the undersea world in Australia. Just ten issues were published - all in Asia for sale in Australia with a limited edition to USA. Sales peaked at 11,500 copies. Hundreds of readers regularly wrote complimentary letters of encouragement. Fathom featured interviews with expert people of the sea in that era; promoted and organised the first underwater film festivals. Gave encouraging prizes in underwater photo competitions - a holiday for - two on Heron Island; a Nikonos camera, etc. The technically advanced and magnificent underwater photography of Ron and Valerie Taylor was always a regular feature. The Australian TV doco project The Blue Frontier by Dr Walter A Starck, featuring his electrolung (a closed-circut breathing apparatus) 64 foot steel research vessel El Torito were show-cased to readers in two issues, numbers 8 and 9. Son of Jacques Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau granted Fathom an interview in issue six while refusing to offer the same courtesy to overseas journals with far greater circulations. Pictured above, pages from the never-published annual issue. The wet suited person with a sea lion and manta ray is Bob Collins formerly of Bermagui, New South Wales - in his home territory of Montague Island. The above color picture is a recent pic of John Harding (me). Opposition publication Skindiving in Australia was given these original artwork pages for use by editor Barry Andrewartha. Later other underwater magazines appeared. Scuba Diver by Anthony Newly - still exists today with new owner Michael Aw. Underwater was self-published by editor, photographer, writer, designer Neville Coleman, ran for many years and would be just as entertaining today as it was then. JH on 25.12.05 @ 07:40 PM AEST [link] Friday, December 23rd CAPE CUVIER ......Western Australia
 The man was sitting on the edge of a cliff filming countless sharks feeding upon bait fish far below. This was Cape Cuvier almost of the Tropic of Capricorn on the west coast of Australia. For weeks the sharks had kept pilchards penned-up against the rocks below and were feeding upon them. What made the situation spectacular were occasional whales that could also be filmed feeding. These scenes made international TV news stories, all recorded with the camera and cameraman shown here, the equipment is out of date by today’s smaller 3-chip cameras. I waited for hours in the boiling sun, with temperatures around 38 degrees, and chatted with the old chap shooting the video film. Some of the sharks below were giants. I saw four or five big ones attacking and feeding upon a manta ray. The splashing looked like a rocky reef with waves breaking in the distance. Off the far point is a jetty where ships are loaded with salt for export. Nearby is one of these huge ships wrecked on the rocks below, caught in a sudden storm and blown ashore. Diving under the private jetty, with permission, would be sensational. With the pilchards happening it would be every bit as exciting as South Africa in their pilchard season and with larger sharks being more common in the west - probably a bit more of a hazard. The West Australian coast in these parts is mostly high cliff with few beaches so getting into the sea isn’t as easy as on the east coast. Cape Cuvier is a favourite and well-known to rock fishermen. JH on 23.12.05 @ 02:45 PM AEST [link] Wednesday, December 21st ROBERT ENDEAN PhD.......(the late) Dr Bob Endean
 Bob was not excited with the large portrait of himself, but he agreed to be photographed alongside it. He is shown surrounded by live coral (underwater) with his bush hat in one hand and mask and snorkle in the other. The Reader in Zoology (pronounced zo-ology, NOT zoo-ology) at the University of Queensland for many years. This photo has just surfaced and is proudly presented here in the memory of this great champion of coral reefs conservation and especially education. Bob was the first person I heard refer to the Great Barrier Reef in the plural, i.e.Great Barrier Reefs. Use SEARCH for more details. JH on 21.12.05 @ 05:22 PM AEST [link] MONSTER ....... blue spot coral trout
 Wal Gibbins with his very large blue spot "close to 50 pounds" in weight (which was the spear fishing record established by his friend, Ben Cropp that lasted for years). Wal Gibbins legendary pictures and text: www.xanga.com/wallygibbins JH on 21.12.05 @ 02:07 PM AEST [link] Tuesday, December 20th WAL GIBBINS .....his big gun
 Use SEARCH for more details on Wal Gibbins - legend of the sea. JH on 20.12.05 @ 04:56 PM AEST [link] THE SHAFT ........A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDY
 Eight Sydney divers entered the hole on that day. Two aborted the dive early - bad air? Six continued the deep dive into the underground water-filled chamber a big as any cathedral. Only two of the six surfaced. Brother and sister, Steve and Christine Millott were missing. Their brother Glenn then aged 25 surfaced. (Glenn was to later perish in another water-related kayak accident in Jervis Bay, NSW). Christine Millott was to write a regular column in Fathom magazine. With her father and brothers, they owned a popular Sydney dive shop, The Snorkel Inn. JH on 20.12.05 @ 09:23 AM AEST [THE SHAFT ........A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDY">link] Monday, December 19th WISH YOU WERE HERE? .....huge wave breaking UW
 The original underwater wave poster was commissioned via Mr AJ Flook in 1984; this image is presented proudly by fathomOz.com as a tribute to that first marine wave poster. JH on 19.12.05 @ 03:15 PM AEST [link] Sunday, December 18th GEORGE DAVIES NewcastleNeptunes
 JH on 18.12.05 @ 02:33 PM AEST [NewcastleNeptunes">link] RON TAYLOR Winged Victory The World Championship trophy.
 The CMAS trophy for World Spear Fishing Champion has only ever been won by one Australian, Ron Taylor in Tahiti 1965, where he competed with team members Wally Gibbins and Peter Kemp. Australian Underwater Federation's, George Davies was present in Tahiti at the time, but not as a competitor. Ron Taylor ceased entering spearing competitions in favour of filming fish underwater shortly afterwards. Spear fishing was the foundation of all underwater activities. It has since evolved to now include deep free diving - considered the most dangerous of all sports. Ron Taylor's Winged Victory bronze trophy is a replica of the original larger marble statue in the Louvre, Paris taken from Greece. The Greek's want it back..... ATHENS, Feb 4 2004,(Reuters) - The Greek island of Samothrace wants France to return the winged marble statue of Victory that has taken pride of place in the Louvre in Paris since 1863. Her home is on Samothrace and our target is to claim her, the Aegean island's mayor, Giorgos Hanos, said in a letter to European Commissioner Christos Papoutsis, who is from Greece. Hanos said he was seeking the support of all Greeks at the European Union for starting talks with the city of Paris and the Louvre to return the headless statue of the goddess of victory, Nike. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, which stands at the top of the museum's main staircase, dates from about 190 BC and was found in many fragments in 1813. JH on 18.12.05 @ 01:31 PM AEST [Winged Victory The World Championship trophy.">link] Friday, December 16th ARROW DIVING CO....Underwater Blast Story.
 With plenty of oxygen gas cylinders on the dock, professional diver Eric Buchanan parks his dive boat near the stern of the cargo ship he was to work underwater on. This view was obviously taken from the deck of that ship. These pictures have been 'lost' for decades,until today. Sadly they have arrived far too late to be of help to Eric. The full story is at: 08/14/2005 14 August 2005 entry. JH on 16.12.05 @ 05:20 PM AEST [link] THERMIC LANCE .....Eric Buchanan about to decend
 A shower of sparks as the terrible thermic lance burns brightly on a diet of pure oxygen, coming down a hose from a high pressure cylinder. JH on 16.12.05 @ 05:12 PM AEST [link] ERIC BUCHANAN picture 3
 Eric has just been lifted from Sydney Harbour after the underwater blast that almost killed him. JH on 16.12.05 @ 04:59 PM AEST [link] CHRISTMAS CARD from the sixties
 Looks like the fangs from a white pointer shark - enough of a picture to make any 18 year old giddy. JH on 16.12.05 @ 02:48 PM AEST [link] Thursday, December 15th WOBBEGONG SHARK at South Solitary Island
 Close to making a snap at the lens, the wobbe (or wobby) is watching very carefully. These pictures are from the lighthouse island at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. JH on 15.12.05 @ 02:30 PM AEST [link] Wednesday, December 14th
LUSH CORAL REEF at Beaver Cay
 Here's a record of the coral reef which surrounded Beaver Cay, out from Dunk Island and offshore from Mission Beach, south of Cairns, Queensland. One well-intending tourist operator was cutting hundreds of Crown of Thorns starfish in halves, or smaller, believing it was the best course of action to save the coral reef here!!!!! (That won't kill starfish - but it may make the situation worse). Recent news: Another factor that will kill a coral reef, could be for example, a very low tide (exposing corals to the air) with torrential rain at the same time, i.e. heavy rain will kill corals too. JH on 14.12.05 @ 08:26 PM AEST [link] Tuesday, December 13th TURTLES MATING
 This was at Wilson Island, a day trip out from Heron Island. I was snorkel diving. Saw this pair on the surface and then went to investigate. They are not happy about visitors at first but when low on oxygen quieten considerably. JH on 13.12.05 @ 06:34 PM AEST [link] Monday, December 12th 'OUTER EDGE' Port Douglas, Australia. Dive Boat picture
 Details re Tom and Eileen Lonergan, the lost at sea USA divers at: This is the rear deck of the dive boat where they last had contact with the dry world. The vessel has since been sold and renamed. JH on 12.12.05 @ 04:04 PM AEST ['OUTER EDGE' Port Douglas, Australia. Dive Boat picture">link] MOVIE POSTERS .......1965 and earlier
 A short version Creature from the Lagoon was always a hit when presented as a supporting feature to underwater film shows. The original 1950's B&W b-grade hit was well acted, with a good cast insinuating (at the time) that such a man-fish creature may have been possible in the upper reaches of the Amazon River. (There was no film credit for the creature stuntman, an effort to fool part of the audience - or at least those who were gullible). Two sequels followed, but neither being the quality of the original. The Endless Summer was Bruce Bown's hit surf film shot on 16mm and later blown up to 35mm for a world wide release. Distributed in Australia by Paul Witzig who inspired Ron Taylor to make his 1965 Surf Scene - featuring Tanya Binning and the top surfers of the era. Talent supplied by Witzig in exchange for underwater sequences photographed by Taylor during their joint filming expedition to Noosa Heads - a then secret surf location in Australia. (Today, Hastings Street, Noosa Heads would be the most expensive beach real estate in Australia). Use SEARCH for more. Keyword: surf scene; shark fighters. JH on 12.12.05 @ 08:32 AM AEST [link] Sunday, December 11th SANDRA GREENTREE .......speargun model
 Reference: Australian Underwater Film Festival information that follows. JH on 11.12.05 @ 04:40 PM AEST [link] NOEL HITCHINS
 As he appeared with a young grey nurse shark in the made for video 90 minute documentary Sea Safari (1984). The original footage was super8 film. Noel Hitchins passed away suddenly during 2005. His sudden departure shocked all of us. He began the first dive shop at South West Rocks - quitting his former profession (a medical pathologist) to persue a scuba diving career. I'd visit Noel each Christmas holiday period when bringing to town my travelling 16mm film show Australian Seafari. It would screen at the South West Rocks Country Club, mostly for free admission paid for by the club. The film came to Noel's town seven times over a twelve year period. Other years I'd be at the Eden Fisherman's Club in southern New South Wales. "You're not putting that old film on again, are you?" Noel asked each time I brought the advertising poster for display. Every year we had a full house, about 550 people which included 75 little kids who would sit on floor mats near the screen. JH on 11.12.05 @ 02:56 PM AEST [link] FISH ROCK CAVE
 At times this can be the view near the entrance to the cave at Fish Rock, (as shown in the poster picture below). During a long drought on the New South Wales coast, fish populations thinned and grey nurse shark numbers declined. Was there a connection? It seemed so. Overnight young grey nurse sharks returned along with the big schools of small yellowtail (pictured here above red morwong - the local reef fish). JH on 11.12.05 @ 02:26 PM AEST [link] AUSTRALIAN UNDERWATER FILM FESTIVALS
 The second (and final) AUFF was held in the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House a few days before hire rates increased - effectively prohibiting a future show in that grand auditorium. Underwater film festivals usually screened 16mm prints, often made for TV release but not in every case, and these were the real gems. Today video projectors would be better propositions. Some editing in advance would be required. RSL clubs will provide auditoriums for free or a small percentage of the door sales. It is a valid project worth rejuvenating, and could easily be a national event. Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Woolongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane. Auckland, Wellington. (NZ). The film festivals have been a top diving social opportunity in the past but why the southern city of Melbourne selected near freezing mid-winter dates for their show is a mystery. The beginning of summer or spring would seem logical, such as October or November. We made the mistake of selecting mid-summer for the first festival, a non air cond auditorium with 624 seats sold out. (The theatre had double-booked the venue. Surf film exhibitor Paul Witzig had arrived with his films only to find the venue packed with divers. He kindly allowed the UW festival to proceed without any fuss. Walter A Starck was the special guest for this festival and made an impression by arriving attired in shorts and bare feet direct from the El Torito underwater research vessel docked in Sydney Harbour. John C Fairfax and blond Sandra Greentree (the girl who advertised Sea Hornet spearguns in her bikini) were his new crew members about to sail for the Solomon Islands, to research Stallion of the Sea - their future cinema film highlighting the plight of black marlin in the Pacific Ocean). The festival poster featured Valerie Taylor in silhouette photographed by her husband, Ron, from within the now well known and spectacular cavern at Fish Rock, South West Rocks, mid north coast of New South Wales JH on 11.12.05 @ 10:56 AM AEST [link] Friday, December 9th JACK McKENNEY .......meets Jocelyn (from Captain C. Weed)
 Canadian underwater cinematographer Jack McKenney was at the OZ UW Expo but he had to wait until in Australia to meet Jocelyn Edwards in Sydney. Jocelyn, an underwater model based in Queensland has many fans. She appears in Australian Seafari and is best remembered for her nude underwater bubble swim. Rated (G). The diving world lost a great and popular talent when Jack suddenly passed away, his son John now heads an underwater film production company in the USA. McKenney had his work published in many books and magazines including National Geographic. While Editor of Skin Diver Magazine, he traveled the world to report on dive conditions and activities. A great lifestyle. He went to Australia for three days to write about Heron Island diving courtesy of Qantas and that resort. Jack wrote and photographed Dive To Adventure, a small and informative soft cover book. McKenney produced over 30 underwater documentaries, five being for the Diving Equipment Manufacturers Association film shows. McKenney also worked as a diving stuntman and underwater cameraman for Hollywood movies: Sharks Treasure (filmed at Marion Reef from aboard Wally Muller's chart boat Coralita) and The Deep - also from aboard the same vessel working Australia's Coral Sea. McKenney made 50 dives on the deepwater shipwreck Andrea Doria and was the lead UW photographer for (the late) Peter Gimbel’s TV special featuring a safe being salvaged from the former Italian luxury liner. JH on 09.12.05 @ 07:49 PM AEST [Captain C. Weed)">link] DICK ANDERSON and GREG MORRIS .........L.A. DIVERS
 Although not in any way associated with each other, both are celebrity divers in California. Dick Anderson is mentioned in the Captain C. Weed story below - his picture appears here. He was the first film maker to specialise with comedy stories underwater, but did other serious stories as well. Dick Anderson was MC for the Australian Underwater Film Expo held at Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium and had the audience singing happy birthday for the then young film maker from Australia. This film maker was presenting, with live commentary, his 16mm underwater documentary in a massive auditorium that had held a Pink Floyd concert the previous two evenings. Greg Morris spotted our material on the net celebrating the 75th birthday of Wal Gibbins and phoned Wally from the States on his birthday. The text had included Wal's number. Greg is from Sydney where he knew Wally and has now clocked up more years in the USA than at 'home'. Pictured here with his then revolutionary 17mm camera lens for the Nikonos II. This was eons before Nikon made their 15mm for the next generation of Nikonos'. Greg's lens made most of the cover pictures for USA's SKIN DIVER magazine for many years, and received good promotion in the process as camera details were always included in the description of the picture - (aka the caption). JH on 09.12.05 @ 05:57 PM AEST [link] DUNBAR coins recovered
 Gold soverigns and a clump of tea token pennies (each dated 1857) found by J. Gillies and photographed for fathom magazine who provided this picture. The Dunbar had a cargo of 10,000 gold soverigns which remains missing, plus the 121 passengers who perished would have had their own savings aboard. The ship had left England for Australia, a lengthy voyage, and was lost when it reached Sydney during a big sea. There was a single survivor. JH on 09.12.05 @ 10:29 AM AEST [DUNBAR coins recovered">link] CAPTAIN C.WEED an underwater clown
 Pictured here with flippers/fins made from butter box lids and tied to old sandshoes. A groove in the fin hold a spear in place. A rubber inner tube fires the shaft. Did it ever catch a fish? Yes. A demonstration for the comedy film mentioned below, featuring Ron Isbell with assistance by Jocelyn Edwards the bikini girl. JH on 09.12.05 @ 10:15 AM AEST [link] C.WEED (Continued)
 Yes it can be done, breathing from a scuba tank with the valve slightly open. Not advised, of course. A sequence from the 16mm comedy - made primarily for the Victorian Oceans, conference and film festival, also later included in the travelling feature film Australian Seafari. Captain C.Weed is a character portrayed by Ron Isbell skipper and owner of the diving and fishing charter boat Sea Hunt, at the time, and later Tropic Rover. Underwater comedy films originated in California with Dick Anderson (a former husband of Hillary Hauser - the noted scuba and environmental marine journalist) who did live narrations with his films at regular and very well attended film festivals for divers. Dick Anderson's films once featured Mac the Dog - a free diving cocker spaniel who could reach good depth retrieving giant abalone shells thrown into a pool. Reverse motion and sped-up sequences were popular and provided light-relief at festivals where shark and deep diving subjects dominated. Dick Anderson films unfortunately never reached Australian audiences. He would have enjoyed meeting with Captain C. Weed and who knows what film ideas would have eventuated. The Californian film makers had sponsorship, in Australia this is yet to happen the consequence being no more underwater film festivals, and especially the comedy films which have no hope of finding a sale to television without a whole series being made. Anyway, the general public would not see the point. JH on 09.12.05 @ 10:10 AM AEST [link] Thursday, December 8th TRINA FLEISCHMANN
 An underwater assistant often seen in the Ben Cropp documentary films, Trina Fleischmann, here she enjoys a dip in the clear waters east of the Sir Charles Hardy islands in the far north of Queensland, last month. The red dinghy is the same boat chewed by a large shark (archives 29 Sept 2004) with Trina aboard and closest to the teeth when it happened. JH on 08.12.05 @ 03:05 PM AEST [link] Wednesday, December 7th MYSTERY SHIPWRECK of Cape York
 Ben Cropp discovered smelting equipment and antique bullets (pictured at right) from a very old ship. This may have been part of cargo jettisoned or it could be the remains of a ship. Bullets are all heavy lead slug, some with hollow tips about 140 years old. The location is Cape York, to be shown in one of Ben's next batch of television films filmed in high def. JH on 07.12.05 @ 04:27 PM AEST [link] MERV COX
 One of the pioneer spear fisherman and divers from Queensland's Tropic of Capricorn area. Assisted Ron and Valerie Taylor and Ben Cropp during their early visits to the southern GBR by introducing them to Captain Wally Muller, who was then a commercial line fisherman working the Swain Reefs. With friends Ron Zangari and Mike Prior assisted JAWS author Peter Benchley in his quest to dive with sharks for the first time in 1975. JH on 07.12.05 @ 03:31 PM AEST [link] ELECTROLUNG in use by the actual inventor
 Walter A Starck creeps toward a shy colony of garden eels at Osprey Reef. His electrolung was a revolutionary re-breather (no bubbles). Good for several hours at incredible depths, but not without serious decompression times being involved. The helium-oxygen mix used presented technical considerations beyond the scope of anyone not already financially backed a commercial diving project or the military. The training time required (in 1972) was said to be similar to that required to fly a light aircraft. more later..... JH on 07.12.05 @ 03:05 PM AEST [link] Tuesday, December 6th SYDNEY ROCK OYSTER HQ
 I don't eat oysters anymore but if I did I'd choose those from the clear waters at Wooli, New South Wales. The variety made famous in Sydney grows here too. Wooli (pronounced wool-eye) has a beaut island offshore complete with a southern form of corals and tropical fish. Known as the big island it is the largest of a group called the Solitary Islands. When I used to be based in the City of Sydney, a holiday at Wooli was one of the best destinations one could hope for. It also had guaranteed diving with fast sharks. i.e. not grey nurse. Wooli village is today still tiny and quiet. The beach on one side of the road and this river is opposite. The tiny town is therefore built on a narrow strip of sand. Some homes have absolute beachfront and associated worries as waves wash away the once wide beach. Further north is an even quieter place that has become a hide-out for Sydney professionals owning helicopters or 4X4's. Why? The only road in is along the beach. Free Entertainment. That is south Sandon River. A river separates the village. There is no bridge. You can get to the northern side of 'town' via Maclean and then Brooms Head. Worth a look if you are cruising the north coast of New South Wales. JH on 06.12.05 @ 06:22 PM AEST [link] EL TORITO former uw research vessel
 Pictured recently at Port Douglas, North Queensland. Today with new owners she collects live reef fish for those who can aford to eat such luxuries in Asia. The El Torito was a floating home and laboratory of Walter A Starck PhD the co- inventor of the revolutionary electrolung, a re-breather. The National Geographic Society helped pay for the boat. We, Jerry Allen, Walter and I brought the ship from Madang, New Guinea to Cairns, stopping at Osprey Reef, (almost permanantly one late evening), and made a documentary film for television of the journey - Voyage to the Coral Sea one of the The Blue Frontier series. www.screensound.gov.au may be able to make a VHS copy available for those interested. Walter Starck has a DVD magazine available by subscription. Click golden dolphin VCD at the Offsite Links for a promo. JH on 06.12.05 @ 01:09 PM AEST [EL TORITO former uw research vessel">link] Monday, December 5th UNDERWATER CAMERAMAN ......Ron Taylor 1967
 The Swain Reefs near Gannet Cay, filming for the Belgian Expedition with a 35mm movie camera and a housing of his own design. Using twin 50 cu ft tanks and a double hose reg (no bubbles around the ears or face). JH on 05.12.05 @ 05:47 PM AEST [link] Sunday, December 4th BLACK COD ....Vic Ley
 This large black cod came from the popular Fish Rock dive site in the South West Rocks area. It's capture was documented in my first film Aquarius - People and Wildlife of the Sea. 1970. Vic Ley is pictured here with this magnificent fish - now a protected species in New South Wales, along with it's cousin - the giant Queensland groper. JH on 04.12.05 @ 10:59 AM AEST [link] Saturday, December 3rd BRUNO professional abalone diver.
 A body builder and champion spear fisherman credited as having introduced Valerie Heighes to the St George spearfishing club where she was to later meet her future husband, Ron Taylor. Bruno (whose real name was Brian McKenna) was a millionaire abalone diver of the Victorian town, Mallacoota. Bruno (few people used his real name) passed away some 25 years ago with a serious weight-depleting condition that was so unfair for a person who took pride in his physique. Although he often threatened to kill a popular magazine adventure writer, he secretly admired the attention he received following that famous PIX article featuring himself alongside the writer aboard his fast abalone boat, "looking for smugglers"! JH on 03.12.05 @ 05:30 PM AEST [BRUNO professional abalone diver.">link] TANYA CAROL BINNING .......surf girl extraordinaire
 Tanya was the queen of Sydney's Harbord Beach, also known as Freshwater Beach. Her boyfriend was then a world champion surfer. Later Tanya was a featured in several motion picture movies when still a teenager. These details featured elsewhere: in our search JH on 03.12.05 @ 09:55 AM AEST [link] Thursday, December 1st DR ROBERT ENDEAN .......working at his gold mine
 Not afraid of hard work, the late Dr Robert Endean also had a gold mine west of Brisbane which he worked at some weekends. Elsewhere he bred beef cattle at another property. The former Reader in Zoology at the University of Queensland, Bob had a colourful marine biology career and was often quoted in the media (crown of thorns starfish plagues warnings especially). His warnings on future starfish infestations fell on deaf government ears at the time, (Bjelke-Petersen era) but not so today with problems reported further north and south of original Cairns outbreaks. Funds were allocated to dive teams this week to help control the problem. See archives for Crown of Thorns starfish stories. JH on 01.12.05 @ 05:36 PM AEST [link] WILD and FREE Dolphin school
 A favourite picture taken this year. Note the stream of bubbles. JH on 01.12.05 @ 05:08 PM AEST [link] |
