document.write("Diving Opal Reef with Calypso, 10 May 2009
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Judy was kind enough to offer me a lift in her car and we pulled into Pt\n");
document.write("Douglas about 7:50 in the morning, giving us enough time to have a good\n");
document.write("coffee before we boarded the boat. A good tip on parking at Pt Douglas\n");
document.write("marina is to park on the side of the road, close to the railway tracks\n");
document.write("adjacent to the side entrance to the marina. This is a lot less to walk to\n");
document.write("the boat, especially when hauling heavy wet gear back to the car.
\n");
document.write("Since we were in a bit early, Chris, son of the owner of Calypso and its\n");
document.write("skipper showed us around their other, brand-new boat, which does not run\n");
document.write("trips yet. It is divers-only boat and is very divers friendly. You can get\n");
document.write("around the whole boat without taking your wetsuit off! And the dive deck\n");
document.write("looks large and uncluttered. They are just waiting for the tourist traffic\n");
document.write("to pick up a bit before they start running it, but I think it is certainly\n");
document.write("worth a trip when it is in business!
\n");
document.write("Around 8:30 a very uncrowded Calypso boat pulled out of the marina carrying\n");
document.write("a compliment of Nautilus divers: Judy Nickles, Tracey Hale, Mark Azzopardi,\n");
document.write("Roe Hill, Alex Bulanov and Mark, Rose and Mel Jackson. It was the first\n");
document.write("club dive for Mark A and the Jacksons family. I hope they enjoyed their\n");
document.write("experience and will come back for the next monthâs dives!
\n");
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\n");
document.write("We had the boat almost all to ourselves! Granted, the forecast did not look\n");
document.write("rosy with 20-25 kt SEâly winds with cloudy skies and rain. It\n");
document.write("turned out the ride out was pretty good and even the sun poked out of the\n");
document.write("clouds every now and then.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("The first dive site was Split Bommie. Our team of Judy, Mark and myself\n");
document.write("navigated the bommies counterclockwise making a detour to a small bommie on\n");
document.write("the side East of the main bommies. The water cooled to 26C and the viz was\n");
document.write("maybe 6-7m. So most of the interesting stuff was up on the top. The\n");
document.write("highlight of the dive for me was seeing a female Yellowback Tubelib\n");
document.write("(Labropsis xanthonota) which I had only seen in the Ribbon Reefs prior to\n");
document.write("that. There were plenty of plankton feeders on the bommie including Dotted\n");
document.write("Wrasse, Ternate Chromis and 2 or 3 species of Anthias. A large Shark\n");
document.write("Mackerel was swimming close to the surface hunting the baitfish. A small\n");
document.write("Coral Trout was hunting the plantktivores and everything was scattering\n");
document.write("before it, hiding in the reef. The trout was making lighting fast dashes\n");
document.write("around trying to capture prey.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("The second dive site was South End of North Opal Reef (a mouthful,\n");
document.write("shortened to SNO), which the boat dives regularly. And it shows: a very\n");
document.write("eager Wally (Humphead Maori Wrasse) was there greeting us as soon as we\n");
document.write("jumped in. In fact, I almost landed right on top of him! Our group went\n");
document.write("along the reef edge on the sand boundary. There were a lot of large female\n");
document.write("Redspot Wrasse around the small patches of branching coral. We spotted a\n");
document.write("hawksbill turtle hiding in the reef. Several club members found a Tasselled\n");
document.write("Wobbegong and took quite a few pictures! They forgot to call my Wobbegong\n");
document.write("Hotline in the process! I still cannot believe I didnât get to see\n");
document.write("one! Back on the mooring line the faithful Wally was waiting like an\n");
document.write("obedient dog to pose for some photo ops with the divers.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("After a very tasty lunch (and I do mean it was very good with lots of\n");
document.write("choices, especially the variety of vegetables blew me away) we moved to the\n");
document.write("third site, called The Caves (or The Cables, depends who you ask!), still\n");
document.write("within the Opal Reef. Mark Jackson joined our group as his family decided\n");
document.write("it was time for a surface break. We dropped in and went SE along the edge\n");
document.write("of the reef. Right by the mooring we spotted 3 Barramundi Cods and a\n");
document.write("Yellowmargin Triggerfish.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Then we came to a beautiful patch of small-branched Acropora corals with\n");
document.write("lots of critters hiding among them, including several cardinalfish species.\n");
document.write("It was time to turn around and head back to the boat. Topside, the\n");
document.write("conditions were cool and windy. Windward side of the reef was covered in\n");
document.write("breakers. Judy said that the third dive had made the day for her. I had to\n");
document.write("agree, that was a great dive!
\n");
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\n");
document.write("The run back to port was surprisingly smooth as the club members diligently\n");
document.write("filled their log books and exchanged their dive stories. The pictures taken\n");
document.write("with Wally were a big hit.
\n");
document.write("Many thanks to the Calypso crew for a great trip and excellent service. All\n");
document.write("our needs were catered for very well, including some hot drinks on dive\n");
document.write("deck during the cool surface intervals!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Alex Bulanov
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\n");
document.write("Club Dive - Reef Magicâ¦..Sunday April 5th\n");
document.write("2009.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("There were only the five of us who checked into the Reef Magic counter at\n");
document.write("8am,
\n");
document.write("Mirek Woolwich, Paul Hogan, Alex Boulanov, Chrys McGowan and myself.
\n");
document.write("Alan, a local diver, keen to join the club also joined us for the day.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("With all the check-in procedures completed, dive buddies sorted out with\n");
document.write("the dive master, we sat back and enjoyed the 90 minute trip to Moore Reef. \n");
document.write("We were on the old noisy Reef Magic boat, and it proved to be a popular\n");
document.write("move to the upper deck and talk to some of the visitors to Cairns and the\n");
document.write("GBR.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("A dive brief was conducted with the dive master giving us all the usual\n");
document.write("information on dive procedures.
\n");
document.write("When we came to the important part of the days dive, the dive site.
\n");
document.write("As you would all know, we hop on a tender to the far part of Moore Reef and\n");
document.write("do a nice drift dive and head back to the tender.
\n");
document.write("The first dive was to GT and the pinnacles, and due to popular request, the\n");
document.write("second was to Pressure Point.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The weather was good, although Alex told us that there may be a change on\n");
document.write("the day.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("On arrival at the pontoon, we made our way to âourâ end of\n");
document.write("the deck and proceeded to get ourselves ready for the first dive.
\n");
document.write("There were to be only seven certified divers on the dive tender, so there\n");
document.write("was ample room for all.
\n");
document.write("A quick trip to the drop off point, and we were off on a drift dive.
\n");
document.write("Vis was a good 15 meters, water temperature close to 30 degrees, tropical\n");
document.write("fish were there to be seen, including a lot of large yellow box fish and\n");
document.write("all the usual.
\n");
document.write("After 45 minutes we surfaced to a choppy sea, medium current and light\n");
document.write("rain.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("After a fantastic lunch, and a quick snorkel with the tourists, we were\n");
document.write("kitting up for the second dive.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("I have never been to the Pressure Point before, but if I had I would have\n");
document.write("known to stay close to the reef. The current at that site is extremely\n");
document.write("strong and if you get caught in it, it is a hard swim to get back under the\n");
document.write("current, one of our party got caught in it and surfaced quite a distance\n");
document.write("away.
\n");
document.write("There were schools of tuna, chevron barracuda and many, many more large\n");
document.write("species.
\n");
document.write("Some of the group caught sight of white tip reef sharks.
\n");
document.write("I found this dive site quite stimulating, and it is no wonder that other\n");
document.write("Nautilus club members have recommended it after previous visits.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("After 50 minutes or so we found the dive tender and disembarked at the\n");
document.write("pontoon for the trip back to Cairns.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("We all agreed that the Reef Magic dive trip is one of the better club trips\n");
document.write("to the GBR and it is a pity that more members do not take advantage of\n");
document.write("their excellent service.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Farmilo.
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\n");
document.write("Christmas Dive, 14 December 2008
\n");
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("Christmas is an important thing for the Nautilus Diveclub. Not only is\n");
document.write("there a Christmas dinner, but of course also a Christmas Dive. We all went\n");
document.write("out with the Day Tripper, a slow boat we had all to ourselves. The company\n");
document.write("took care of the lunch; we took care of drinks and nibblies. For reasons I\n");
document.write("have not been able to ascertain, the task befell on me to take care of the\n");
document.write("beer. This happened to be a subject that long before the day came we took\n");
document.write("to the sea, stirred some interest among the male athletes of our club. In\n");
document.write("an email Eden wrote: can we get something other than XXXX Gold,\n");
document.write("itâs yuk (so is Carlton Light for that matter) maybe Mid-strength?\n");
document.write("Then Dave wrote that he had bought XXXX before, and that the members had\n");
document.write("obediently drunk the stuff without complaining. But he really\n");
document.write("didnât know whether they had liked it. So which beer should I buy?\n");
document.write("Iâm a wandering stranger in the great variety of Australian beers,\n");
document.write("which in my opinion are all of excellent quality, but in general fall\n");
document.write("noticeably short in one of the most important features that makes beer\n");
document.write("beer, alcohol. I also find the Australian beers in the possession of an\n");
document.write("excellent taste, although often very little of it. So I simply drove to the\n");
document.write("nearest 24/7 drive through bottle shop (Australia is the only country I\n");
document.write("ever visited with 24/7 drive through bottle shops. I think it is a clever\n");
document.write("move in the battle against binge drinking. With these shops you can space\n");
document.write("out your alcohol consumption evenly over the 24 x 7 = 168 hours of the\n");
document.write("week), and asked what was the strongest beer on special. This happened to\n");
document.write("be James Boagâs from Tasmania, and luckily it was drunk with\n");
document.write("enthusiasm. But this happened all after the dives I will describe here\n");
document.write("under.
\n");
document.write("After a slow and leisurely run of 2 and a half hour we reached our dive\n");
document.write("spot; a shallow and well protected part of the reef. We all went in the\n");
document.write("water, which was around 29 degrees and the visibility was quite limited.\n");
document.write("Grant was our Santa Claus. He donned himself in a beautiful red wetsuit,\n");
document.write("with a white hairy mouthpiece and a red and white hood. Good on you,\n");
document.write("Grant!
\n");
document.write("We pottered a bit around as on a Sunday stroll. Look a fish here, look a\n");
document.write("fish there. Hey, Santa Claus with flippers and a bottle of air. Lovely\n");
document.write("coral. Nice whether. Letâs not be late for lunch.
\n");
document.write("After lunch our dive master offered us two choices (strange expression\n");
document.write("though: two choices. I think I can make only one choice): to relocate the\n");
document.write("boat to a dangerous spot with strong currents and high waves where we would\n");
document.write("see absolutely nothing, or to stay and make a somewhat different foray in\n");
document.write("the surrounding waters. We opted for the last possibility and all plunged\n");
document.write("in again to circumnavigate a bommy some 100 metres from the boat. That all\n");
document.write("went very well and on returning to the boat there was quite a queue in the\n");
document.write("water of fellow divers, apparently all eager to start with the nibblies \n");
document.write("and the booze. We had yellow champagne, pink champagne and beer (James\n");
document.write("Boagâs, as you know by now) and lots of tasty nibblies. The already\n");
document.write("very animated conversation became even more animated as we sowly drifted\n");
document.write("back to Cairns.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("It was very pleasant to have a boat all to ourselves that takes a long time\n");
document.write("to reach itâs destination and it was very pleasant that so many\n");
document.write("members participated in this classic Christmas dive which is sure to get\n");
document.write("many more instalments.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Rigo
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\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Nautilus Club dive at Yapâ¦November 19th to the\n");
document.write("23rd.
\n");
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("When one travels in this part of the world, you had better be prepared to\n");
document.write("fly between 1am and 6am, bags packed and in the lobby by 12.30am, leave the\n");
document.write("Palau airport and arrive in your bed in your hotel at Yap at 4.30am.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Manta Ray Resort was to be our digs for the four day dive trip.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("After a short sleep, breakfast at 8am and in the dive boat at noon for 2\n");
document.write("dives.
\n");
document.write("But weâve just completed 6 or 7 three dive days on Palau, we can\n");
document.write("handle anything. The main topic at breakfast is generally about\n");
document.write("âHowâs the ears this morning?â Popping nicely thank\n");
document.write("you!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Well, quite different diving at Yap, although similar dive boats, 2 x 150hp\n");
document.write("outboards and our destination, Miâl channel, just inside the outer\n");
document.write("reef.
\n");
document.write("Our outward trip is through the mangrove channels. With a tidal range of a\n");
document.write("couple of meters, some trips had to be delicately manoeuvred
\n");
document.write("But Miâl channel is where the Mantaâs have their cleaning\n");
document.write("stations. Unfortunately the Mantaâs where not in attendance for the\n");
document.write("first two days or so, however all was not lost, other fish were in large\n");
document.write("numbers.
\n");
document.write("Three of our dive group spent 20 minutes looking in awe at a 2 meter female\n");
document.write("black tip reef shark. She circled continuously only a meter or so in front\n");
document.write("of us, a beautiful sight to behold, look at those eyes!
\n");
document.write("In the end our diminishing air dictated that we move, she certainly was not\n");
document.write("going to.
\n");
document.write("Shortly after we saw a Giant Trevaly at a cleaning station with many\n");
document.write("cleaner wrasse in attendance. A pleasant drift along a wall back to the\n");
document.write("boat completed a great dive.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("And then it happened on day 3. Still on Miâl channel, we were\n");
document.write("sitting or lying on the sand in 21 meters with a visibility of only 5\n");
document.write("meters, a Manta Ray appeared out of the gloom.
\n");
document.write("She was a beautiful sight, how graceful, how big, how low she came to us,\n");
document.write("only a meter or so above our heads, she circled and made several more\n");
document.write("passes.
\n");
document.write("We later learned that the Manta was a female, 14 feet from tip to tip,\n");
document.write("quite old, and named Valerina.
\n");
document.write("A spiralling down âno decoâ gauge, (must get Nitrox\n");
document.write("certified), forced me to gain height but âsheâ had gone.\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The sight of the Manta will stay with me for ever.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The final dive at Yap was a âShark feedâ dive in water that\n");
document.write("equalled the visibility at Palau. Some said the visibility was 50\n");
document.write("meters.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Grey Reef shark count was estimated at 25 to 30, large, up to\n");
document.write("2.5meters, several Black tip and very many Red Snapper. Many small reef\n");
document.write("fish made the sight very exciting.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Some of the interesting sights that I saw were.
\n");
document.write(".
\n");
document.write("A large shark pulled a very large piece of fish head off the bait ball,\n");
document.write("immediately nearly every other shark took off in pursuit. The shark headed\n");
document.write("strait for the observation group, and in particular our President Dave\n");
document.write("Meyer. The thoughts of everyone being âI hope he doesnât\n");
document.write("drop that dammed fish head in Daveâs lap ! He didnât but he\n");
document.write("then he headed towards Kevin Kirk. Kevin threw his arm up in a defensive\n");
document.write("move, I laughed loudly, and the shark swallowed his fish head.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("With so many sharks and so much âactionâ in the water, I\n");
document.write("guess other divers had memorable moments also.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("After 30 minutes or so, the meal had been consumed, the sharks dispersed\n");
document.write("and we drifted over the feed zone with the sharks easily seen below and\n");
document.write("above us.
\n");
document.write("There is a DVD available on the Yap dives and the shark feed. Please email\n");
document.write("me and Iâll put you on the âloan fileâ
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Our time at the Manta Ray Resort culminated with the wedding of Garry\n");
document.write("Stirling and his lovely bride Lindy Gow.
\n");
document.write("There had never been a wedding at the resort and the staff put on a\n");
document.write("fantastic display of Melanesian hospitality. They are lovely people.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("After the colourful ceremony and a sumptuous meal of hot and cold meats,\n");
document.write("crayfish and other seafood, the evening entertainment of traditional\n");
document.write("dancing, costumes and fire dancers followed.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Unfortunately the wake up call at 12.30am for the departure at 4am to Guam\n");
document.write("spelt the end of a very wonderful trip to Palau and Yap.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("This is a recommendation to all at the Nautilus Club. When the overseas\n");
document.write("trips are announced next year and other years to come, do all that you can\n");
document.write("to get on a trip.
\n");
document.write("The fellowship, not to mention the diving and what you learn about your own\n");
document.write("capabilities underwater are without question.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Farmilo
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Club Dive Trip to Palau. November 10th to 19th 2008.
\n");
document.write("\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Imagine, if you can, heading out to a dive site in a 35 ft dive boat\n");
document.write("powered along by 2 x 225 hp outboard motors at 33 knots over magnificent\n");
document.write("still azure coloured waters past the rock islands to your dive site just a\n");
document.write("mere 40 minutes away.
\n");
document.write("A typical dive boat carries 8 divers with driver and dive master.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("As you near the designated dive site you notice that the 29 to 30 degree\n");
document.write("water is so clear that you can see the reef and sandy bottom some 35 meters\n");
document.write("or so below you.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("A quick backwards tumble from the dive boat and you see the most\n");
document.write("magnificent sight that a scuba diver could hope to see. With a visibility\n");
document.write("of unimagined clarity, a reef that has all the colour and life that the\n");
document.write("brochures had promised, you know that you are in Scuba Diving Heaven. \n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("This scenario was repeated up to three times a day for six or seven\n");
document.write("days.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Many of the dive sites defy adequate words to convey to the reader the\n");
document.write("awesome sights that confronted us.
\n");
document.write("One particular dive sight impressed me so much that I will try to give you\n");
document.write("a picture of what I saw.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("We arrived at âGerman Channelâ at 9am and tied up with 5\n");
document.write("other similar boats, approximately 50 divers in all.
\n");
document.write("On entering the water and contacting my dive buddy and the dive leader, I\n");
document.write("could see that we were in about 35 meters of water over a nice white sandy\n");
document.write("bottom with a reef not far away. The sight of 50 other divers hovering\n");
document.write("between the 10 to 30 meters depth caused no problem as the separation\n");
document.write("between the groups was adequate.
\n");
document.write("Tim, our dive guide motioned for us to follow him to an area where we\n");
document.write("waited for the âactionâ to start.
\n");
document.write("After a brief wait, several 3 meter grey reef sharks appeared, many white\n");
document.write("and black tips sharks together with their accompanying 50 or so red and\n");
document.write("black snapper.
\n");
document.write("An unknown number of small blue tailed trigger fish, literally thousands of\n");
document.write("small yellow and white pyramid angel fish, and thousands of the small\n");
document.write("colourful fish that you would expect to see on most dives.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Suddenly we were aware of a lone Manta Ray, estimated at 15 feet from tip\n");
document.write("to tip, in a feeding frenzy doing incredible loop the loops not far from\n");
document.write("us. In awe at the sight it may have been possible to forget to breathe.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("When that action finished, a large Eagle Ray gave us his display a flying\n");
document.write("skills, with several close passes. We also saw a very rare Ornate Ray. This\n");
document.write("beautiful specimen is very rare and caused much discussion after the\n");
document.write("dive.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Hand signals between the divers were totally inadequate to convey our\n");
document.write("feelings to each other. That would come after the dive finished.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Before that would happen though, we went on a very fast drift dive covering\n");
document.write("several hundred meters along the German Channel. We were in mind to emulate\n");
document.write("the actions of the Manta and Eagle Rays.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The dive came to an end with the dive guide Tim inflating his\n");
document.write("âsafety sausageâ at 10 to 15 meters, and gathering us all\n");
document.write("to do a safety stop at 5 meters.
\n");
document.write("On surfacing our dive boat was there to pick us up.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("This type of dive, whether it be a âhook diveâ a\n");
document.write("âwall diveâ a deep drop off or the many other type of dives\n");
document.write("on offer during our time with Fish ân Fins was repeated every\n");
document.write("time.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Other famous dive sites that we visited were âBlue Holesâ,\n");
document.write("âBlue Cornerâ âVirgin Blue Holeâ\n");
document.write("âUlong Channelâ and many others.
\n");
document.write("For the wreck enthusiasts, there were ample occasions to explore the many\n");
document.write("WW2 Japanese naval wrecks.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("There was also an occasion to explore a cave named appropriately\n");
document.write("âChandelier Caveâ
\n");
document.write("This 4 chamber cave has stalactites in each chamber and is very dark, time\n");
document.write("to get out the torch. The water is extremely clear and the air in each\n");
document.write("chamber is sweet and nice to breathe.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Fish ân Fins supplied a nice individual lunch each day. This was\n");
document.write("eaten on a nice rock island with pristine white beach and maintained by the\n");
document.write("local Parks people.
\n");
document.write("As an aside, we were able to inspect the site of the TV show\n");
document.write("âSurvivor Palauâ filmed on Ulong island in 2004.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("On returning to the dive base, ample washing tanks and a secure dive gear\n");
document.write("locker was supplied for the next activities.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Farmilo.
\n");
document.write("
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document.write("
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document.write("
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document.write("
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document.write("Trip Report Tusa T5 - August 10th 2008
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\n");
document.write("Well the pervading memory of the day will be the cold! The water\n");
document.write("temperature remained a constant 24 degrees and conditions below the water\n");
document.write("were rather pleasant, if you kept moving! Visibility was 20metres plus and\n");
document.write("fish galore were about to delight us. However very cold winds of 25-30\n");
document.write("knots blew all day and had us shivering and miserable at times on the dive\n");
document.write("deck. Some were detouring under the hot showers with their gear on to try\n");
document.write("to get some relief while waiting. Between our first and second dives, the\n");
document.write("crew came around handing out hot cups of soup. That was a much appreciated\n");
document.write("way of installing central heating. Good one Tusa! It was a relief that the\n");
document.write("air-conditioning was not as cold as usual so we could retreat inside for\n");
document.write("comfort. Tusa 5 is an extremely comfortable vessel and it is always a very\n");
document.write("relaxing day.
\n");
document.write("There were ample crew, operating in their usual efficient yet friendly\n");
document.write("manner. All operations go like a well oiled machine. A new service (to me\n");
document.write("anyway) was staff on the platform to assist with putting fins on, and\n");
document.write("removing them after the dive. This was of no help for Dave Rosie. He had a\n");
document.write("fin clip malfunction on initial entry and quickly disappeared below to\n");
document.write("retrieve the fin. His buddies (Amanda and Judy), wondering at his hasty\n");
document.write("indication that he was descending and prompt descent, soon followed to\n");
document.write("rendezvous with him and his fin on the sand.
\n");
document.write("Skipper Dean found us a great sheltered spot at Saxon Reef and we made our\n");
document.write("first two dives there at Magic Wall. After an appetising lunch, we moved to\n");
document.write("Hastings Reef and made our third dive at the fish bowl, another sheltered\n");
document.write("site that allowed a comfortable dive. New members Jayme and Greg scored a\n");
document.write("bonus wall drop off for the last dive. Greg is a former photographer on\n");
document.write("Tusa. Meanwhile, Dave Rosie was busy networking, and had two guys keen to\n");
document.write("check out our club website. The benefits of membership appealed to them and\n");
document.write("they plan to look at signing up before August 31. Well done Dave. It is no\n");
document.write("secret that club membership has social and financial benefits.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Judy Nickles.
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document.write("Nautilus Club Dive on Reef Quest June 8th
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document.write("
\n");
document.write(" The club dive on 08 Jun was with Deep Sea\n");
document.write("Diverââ¬â¢s Den aboard Reef Quest.\n");
document.write("Despite the breezy forecast of 20-25 knots, the following brave soles\n");
document.write("decided to go diving: Frank, Alex, Garry, Lindy, Alan, Toni, Christian,\n");
document.write("Nadine, Linda x 2, Stuart, Tracey, Sarah, Eden, Jorg and new club member\n");
document.write("Chris.
\n");
document.write(" Check in was at the Pier Shopping Centre, where dive cards were\n");
document.write("sighted and reef tax paid, before boarding passes were handed out. Once on\n");
document.write("the boat, dive paperwork was filled out and I think many people were\n");
document.write("struggling with some of the questions ie when was your last dive medical\n");
document.write("and how many night dives have been completed and when. I thought we were\n");
document.write("going diving during the day! Anyway, we handed the paperwork over to one of\n");
document.write("the many friendly crew on the crowded dive deck and set up our\n");
document.write("equipment.
\n");
document.write(" Once underway at approximately 9.00, the usual staff introduction\n");
document.write("and safety brief took place in the lower lounge area. After the brief\n");
document.write("everyone made themselves comfortable and moved around the boat at leisure.\n");
document.write("A short time later, we were all rounded up for a dive brief in the lower\n");
document.write("lounge. Dive paperwork was handed back to most people with highlighted\n");
document.write("areas for correction. As I said before some grey matter was being tested,\n");
document.write("especially on a Sunday morning, regarding some of the questions. I wondered\n");
document.write("if we all had to walk in a straight line while rubbing our bellies and\n");
document.write("patting our heads, to be allowed in the water! Once sorted, dive cards and\n");
document.write("log books were inspected and dive buddies organised. The dive brief was\n");
document.write("quite thorough, and sounded more like a Dive Refresher Course, but we sure\n");
document.write("new how to put on our dive maskââ¬â¢s\n");
document.write("on after it.
\n");
document.write(" We arrived at Saxon Reef at 10.40 and proceeded to the dive deck,\n");
document.write("where some people were struggling to move due to motion sickness. The first\n");
document.write("dive was at Sandraââ¬â¢s, where most\n");
document.write("headed towards two large bommies. Just before carrying out a giant stride\n");
document.write("on the starboard midship side, the friendly photographer took our photos.\n");
document.write("Not long after descending a few of us saw a White tip Reef Shark. Around\n");
document.write("the corner of one of the bommies, another White tip was resting in the\n");
document.write("sand. When we moved closer it moved on to another spot in the sand.\n");
document.write("Eventually it swam off with its cleaner Wrasse. In between the two bommies\n");
document.write("a turtle was having a rest, with its head under a ledge. My observant wife\n");
document.write("Toni attracted my attention to it and we both had a closer look. We pointed\n");
document.write("it out to other divers swimming past as it was well camouflaged. Other fish\n");
document.write("seen were a Potato Cod, Banner fish and Barramundi Cod. The visibility was\n");
document.write("20 metres and we cracked a depth of around 16metres After a bottom time of\n");
document.write("40 minutes there was quite a queue of divers waiting to get back on\n");
document.write("board.
\n");
document.write(" After approximately a 30 minute surface interval we were back in the\n");
document.write("water. We headed out on an easterly bearing, away from the two bommies.\n");
document.write("Below the photographer took our photos, one holding a small Aussie flag and\n");
document.write("one without. On the way to some coral formations, a turtle in mid water was\n");
document.write("seen. There was a fair bit of dead coral around, however there were still\n");
document.write("some pristine areas to view. Potato Cod, a lone Hump Headed Parrotfish, a\n");
document.write("school of Yellow Tailed Fusiliers, Clams and Sea Squirts were in the area\n");
document.write("to view.
\n");
document.write(" When everyone was on board we gently motored along to a place called\n");
document.write("Clipper, which was still part of Saxon Reef. We had a great lunch and after\n");
document.write("a surface interval of approximately 50 minutes we were diving again at\n");
document.write("1.55. We were required to be back on board by 2.30, so this was going to be\n");
document.write("a short dive. We headed out on a south east heading and swam around some\n");
document.write("small bommies. On the way back to the boat my wife and I swam with a turtle\n");
document.write("on the sandy bottom.
\n");
document.write(" After three dives, we reflected on how quick the day went. Once the\n");
document.write("crew was happy everyone was on board we gently motored over to the live\n");
document.write("aboard ââ¬ÅOcean\n");
document.write("Questââ¬Â to drop off and pick up divers.\n");
document.write("Many thanks to the Reef Quest crew, especially Brad and Stu who did a great\n");
document.write("job on the dive deck.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Alan McMahon
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document.write("
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document.write("
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document.write("Dive report Calypso Dive, Port Douglas 6th April 2008
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("Sunday 6 April & what a beautiful day it was as we made our way from\n");
document.write("Cairns to Port along one of the most scenic seaside roads we have ever\n");
document.write("seen.
\n");
document.write("Myself & Garry had driven up from Townsville the day before making the\n");
document.write("most of the many Geocaches (Geocaching is a worldwide orienteering game\n");
document.write("utilising gps to seek out hidden caches containing trinkets left &\n");
document.write("swapped by visitors from all over the world) hidden along the way, so we\n");
document.write("were already on a high before we even started sucking all that\n");
document.write("nitrogen.
\n");
document.write("The forecast for the Sunday was for 20 plus knot winds but we were not\n");
document.write("going to let a little breeze dampen our spirits. The day dawned beautiful\n");
document.write("& sunny & the forecast winds seemed at this stage to be a non\n");
document.write("event.
\n");
document.write("We arrived at the marina in plenty of time to get our gear stowed &\n");
document.write("settle down to the mandatory cuppa & paperwork before departing our\n");
document.write("berth.
\n");
document.write("It soon became apparent that the numbers of passengers were going to be\n");
document.write("few, in fact the Nautilus club members being 9 in total pretty much had the\n");
document.write("boat to ourselves except for another 6 non club passengers. So for all you\n");
document.write("Nautilus members who missed this trip all I can say is HOW SAD FOR YOU.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Calypso operation out of Port (not to be confused with the Calypso\n");
document.write("operation out of Mission Beach) is without doubt the best team I have dived\n");
document.write("with to date, the boat is incredibly comfortable (especially when it's\n");
document.write("almost empty) but just everything about this vessel makes it so easy to\n");
document.write("dive from.
\n");
document.write("We set sail at around 0900hrs & made headway into a pleasant 15 to 20\n");
document.write("knot southeasterly breeze which had virtually no effect on the stability of\n");
document.write("this magnificent catamaran & reached our first dive site at about\n");
document.write("1030hrs which was on Opal Reef at a mooring known as Split Bommie. Our\n");
document.write("merry band of divers included Alex & Al, Chris, Tony & Rob, Carmel\n");
document.write("& Gerry & Garry & myself.
\n");
document.write("The conditions were slight due to the lee of the reef so entry was a\n");
document.write("comfortable giant stride & a gentle descent down the mooring line to\n");
document.write("the bottom where we followed our crews advice & did a figure of eight\n");
document.write("around these two quite healthy bommies with lots of damsels & fusiliers\n");
document.write("but most impressive of all was the school of 14 (I counted them) Hump\n");
document.write("Headed or Buffalo parrot fish. These giants of the species measured around\n");
document.write("a metre or so each & were ferociously attacking the coral with their\n");
document.write("massive hump heads & beak like mouths, the sound of them biting the\n");
document.write("coral is quite loud & the scars left on the coral impressive, no less\n");
document.write("impressive was the amount of discharge from their rear end which reduced\n");
document.write("our visibility from a reasonable 15mtrs to about 5mtrs in close proximity\n");
document.write("to them.
\n");
document.write("Fifty minutes later we were back at the duckboard of our most impressive\n");
document.write("dive vessel for an easy exit up the wide easily manageable steps that hang\n");
document.write("down well into the water. Back on-board everyone was abuzz about how great\n");
document.write("the dive was whilst partaking of cake & refreshments whilst the Skipper\n");
document.write("& crew gently transported us to our next dive site.
\n");
document.write("Approximately 40mins later we were once again in the water for our next\n");
document.write("dive still on Opal Reef but at a site known as Blue Buoy. Unfortunately\n");
document.write("this dive turned out to be more of an exploratory dive due to the somewhat\n");
document.write("vague directions given by the crew for those of us whom it was suggested\n");
document.write("should go & check out this nice bommie just off the bow past a\n");
document.write("formation they call Ayres Rock & then you will see it! Well I can at\n");
document.write("least say that we found Ayres Rock (which I discovered later that most of\n");
document.write("our number didn't.) But once there we were suppose to be able to see our\n");
document.write("goal but after circumnavigating Ayres Rock twice saw nothing but sand but\n");
document.write("as luck would have it (at least we thought luck) we found the dive guide\n");
document.write("from our boat leading a couple of the non club divers past Ayres Rock &\n");
document.write("as we assumed to the allusive bommie we could not find, so we tagged along\n");
document.write("& after about 10 or so minutes of sand & more sand & still more\n");
document.write("sand it became apparent that the dive guide was lost, so by this time our\n");
document.write("air was below 100bar & we had no choice but to stick with our friendly\n");
document.write("guide in the hope that he could salvage our dive & at least get us to\n");
document.write("something we could ogle or at the very least back to the boat. Well he did\n");
document.write("get us back to the boat after he surfaced & got his bearings but\n");
document.write("unfortunately all we got to see this dive apart from lots of sand was a\n");
document.write("portion of the bommie that the boat was moored beside as we ascended the\n");
document.write("mooring line to the surface.
\n");
document.write("A little disappointed by our second dive but still in good spirits in the\n");
document.write("knowledge that we still had another dive to go we settled into a lavish\n");
document.write("smorgasbord lunch & spoke of our adventures trying to find Ayres Rock\n");
document.write("& the allusive bommie beyond, maybe next time.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Lunch having been devoured we were all keen to hit the water again & at\n");
document.write("around 1400hrs we all descended upon a site known as The Wedge.
\n");
document.write("The plan this time was to follow our dive guide again but this time he knew\n");
document.write("exactly where he was going & I must say it was spectacular, even though\n");
document.write("we had to make our way head on into a current of about one half a knot and\n");
document.write("at a depth on average of about 6 to 8mtrs with wave action on a drying\n");
document.write("reef (due to low tide) causing considerable surge which did cause some\n");
document.write("discomfort for some of our number, yet the coral here was prolific &\n");
document.write("the fish life was abundant in the turbulent waters, mostly all the smaller\n");
document.write("reef fishes like angles, butterfly's, damsels, wrasses & a large school\n");
document.write("of black surgeon fish intermingled with colorful parrot fish.
\n");
document.write("Once through the wedge there was plenty of respite form the current in the\n");
document.write("many beautiful shallow sandy canyons on the other side & of course the\n");
document.write("return was pretty much an enjoyable drift dive, this was a wonderful dive\n");
document.write("& more than made up for the second dive.
\n");
document.write("Back on-board after about 50 minutes again & it was time to degear\n");
document.write("shower settle back for a pleasant trip back to Port.
\n");
document.write("Much Thanks to Margit who arranged this trip even though she & Dave\n");
document.write("were off in Vanuatu diving the Coolidge (look forward to hearing all about\n");
document.write("the trip) & of course to the marvelous crew who took care of us so well\n");
document.write("as I'm lead to understand they always do, I will certainly be singing their\n");
document.write("praises to all & sundry & look forward to diving with them\n");
document.write("again.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Happy bubbles, Lindy Gow.
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document.write("________________________________________
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document.write("Coming up for Ayr
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document.write("
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("We set out to the traditional yearly Yongala dive on the 29th of March.\n");
document.write("Half the party, Margit, Peter, Kevin and Anne, Alex, Jannemieke and I\n");
document.write("(Rigo) went with a small bus, courtesy of Peter, who will further play a\n");
document.write("significant role for me in this diving venture. People say the Yongala is\n");
document.write("near Townsville, but that proved to be incorrect. The Yongala rests near\n");
document.write("Ayr. But who has ever heard of Ayr? Well, we did.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Coincidence and history are everywhere. When we were still in Holland\n");
document.write("planning to go to Australia, a year ago, a good friend of ours told us she\n");
document.write("had been born in Ayr, where her father did something with sugar cane. And\n");
document.write("when we arrived in this tiny settlement, in our quest to see the remains of\n");
document.write("the tragically perished Yongala, we discovered that we had to go to Alva\n");
document.write("Beach. Well, the cruel Duke of Alva was sent to the Netherlands to subdue\n");
document.write("the insurrection of the Dutch against the Spaniards. On the first of April\n");
document.write("1572 Alva suffered a major blow by losing one of the Dutch cities, Den\n");
document.write("Briel, to the Dutch. And we arrived in Alva on the 29 of March. So\n");
document.write("near.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("We left Cairns at 6.20 am, to arrive at 12.15pm in Alva Beach. Phil and\n");
document.write("Chris and Gary and Lindy are already at the dive shop.\n");
document.write("Weââ¬â¢re a bit latish, so hurry hurry,\n");
document.write("gear ready, wetsuit on, go go go.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("We are going to dive with dive operator Yongala Express, a small business\n");
document.write("in Alva Beach. Above the dive shop is a guesthouse, simple but stylish and\n");
document.write("clean, where we athletes will spend the night. From the dive shop we go\n");
document.write("with old Landcruisers to the beach, a tractor tows the boat on a trailer\n");
document.write("through the sand. The wind is around 20 knots, and it is a fresh to\n");
document.write("frightening bumpy ride of 45 minutes in the small boat banging the waves,\n");
document.write("to a place called Nowhere, marked with some buoys.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("For an inexperienced diver like myself it is a bit daunting, to simply\n");
document.write("disappear in the endless mass of grey waves. Stories told on the road to\n");
document.write("Ayr about horror dives to the Yongala, where due to very strong currents\n");
document.write("you have to clasp yourself to ropes and parts of the wreck, knowing that\n");
document.write("the slightest loosening of your grip will end with you washed up at the\n");
document.write("shores near Townsville, come vividly to my mind.
\n");
document.write("But we are luckily in the company of very experienced divers, and Peter\n");
document.write("asks us to come with him, so we know where to go. But the first dive\n");
document.write("doesnââ¬â¢t start good for me and\n");
document.write("regrettably, it goes from bad to worse. I had put on my 5mm suit after\n");
document.write("chilly experiences with lighter wetsuits. Immediately after deflating my\n");
document.write("BCD I notice that I didnââ¬â¢t take\n");
document.write("enough lead. Or is it stress and is my breathing out of control? I\n");
document.write("donââ¬â¢t know, but halfway through the\n");
document.write("dive I communicate the problem with Peter, because I fear I\n");
document.write("wonââ¬â¢t be able to stay down for my\n");
document.write("safety stops. So Peter lets me delve into his back pocket for a 3-pounder\n");
document.write("lead weight. I am much reassured but I am eating air at a very high rate\n");
document.write("and soon have to make my way to the surface. I use the extra bottle at 10m\n");
document.write("to supplement my air for my safety stops. A new experience! Especially\n");
document.write("because I happen to place the mouthpiece in upside down causing me to drink\n");
document.write("lots of seawater. When Iââ¬â¢m back on\n");
document.write("the boat I donate this water, plus my breakfast, back to the sea. Fair is\n");
document.write("fair.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("And then we made a bad decision. Because of my bad buoyancy and high use of\n");
document.write("air, we assume that we are a burden for Peter and Alex. So Jannemieke askes\n");
document.write("Ryan, the dive guide, whether he could accompany us. When Peter finds out\n");
document.write("about it he is devastated. ââ¬ÅNever, never,\n");
document.write("never before have I been sacked as a dive\n");
document.write("guideââ¬Â, he laments. He is not angry, but\n");
document.write("deeply disappointed. And rightly so.\n");
document.write("Weââ¬â¢ve hurt his soul. A truly\n");
document.write("terrible thing to do to the man who saved me on the first dive from\n");
document.write("disaster!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("I donââ¬â¢t know what to do, but I try\n");
document.write("the Australian way. ââ¬ÅCome on\n");
document.write("mateââ¬Â, I say,\n");
document.write("ââ¬Ådonââ¬â¢t\n");
document.write("whine. We have to set some standards\n");
document.write("here.ââ¬Â Luckily this worked well. The next\n");
document.write("day Peter is completely over it. We dump the dive guide from the school and\n");
document.write("we go happily together again. Great soul.
\n");
document.write("It is late when we head home. The wind has calmed down a bit, but Margit\n");
document.write("gets cold to the bone on the way back, she\n");
document.write("canââ¬â¢t stop shivering. Phil and\n");
document.write("Chris share a towel to keep warm, but hurriedly cast it away when I want to\n");
document.write("make a photo. Ah, well.
\n");
document.write("We have to wade to the shore. Margit and Dave drive back to Cairns that\n");
document.write("night and the rest of us go in\n");
document.write("Peterââ¬â¢s bus in search of hot food.\n");
document.write("
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("We end up at the Anzac Memorial Club in Ayr. For us Dutchies this is a new\n");
document.write("experience. There are so many cars in front of it, we thought we\n");
document.write("wouldnââ¬â¢t get a table. But these are\n");
document.write("big enterprises. Tout le monde of Ayr was there. Families celebrating\n");
document.write("birthdays of grandchildren, the young and in-love ones dining in groups,\n");
document.write("the boys with one big hand around the neck of their girl, signalling\n");
document.write("ââ¬Åthis girl is\n");
document.write("mineââ¬Â, a singer is performing in the bar.\n");
document.write("The food is excellent. Back in the dive hostel, we try to watch the video\n");
document.write("ââ¬ÅThe Life of\n");
document.write("Brianââ¬Â, but one after another slinks to\n");
document.write("his/her bed and sleeps within minutes. It was an exhausting day.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Next morning, after breakfast, we leave for our second round of diving. We\n");
document.write("did 2 dives on Saturday afternoon and 2 on Sunday morning. Water\n");
document.write("temperature was around 23 to 24 degrees. Sunday was somewhat warmer and the\n");
document.write("visibility was somewhat better. Saturday no sun, Sunday some. The Yongala\n");
document.write("is an impressive wreck and very popular with fish and other animals like\n");
document.write("turtles and snakesââ¬Â¦. and divers of\n");
document.write("course. The abundance of sea life makes it a feast to be down there. \n");
document.write("Batfish, Cevron Barracuda, Hawksbill Turtles, Olive snakes, Giant Travelly,\n");
document.write("Bludger Travellys. Maori Wrasses, Humpheads, Moray, Boxfish, Guitarfish and\n");
document.write("we donââ¬â¢t even mention the\n");
document.write("Anemonefish, the Gobies and the Blennies and all the other smaller fish. \n");
document.write("We have never seen so many fish all together! You\n");
document.write("donââ¬â¢t know where to look. There is\n");
document.write("so much to see.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("We are the only divers on the wreck. That giant spiderlike diver is Phil\n");
document.write("with his camera. The butterfly in pink floating in a big cloud of yellow\n");
document.write("tailed fusiliers is Anne, with Kevin filming rare sharks not far away. As\n");
document.write("for my own dives, Sunday was great. Smooth and relaxed. No great air\n");
document.write("consumption.
\n");
document.write("We are back in the dive shop around 1 pm and after a tasty BBQ we are off,\n");
document.write("back to Cairns. Peter drives non stop and we arrive in Cairns around 8 pm.\n");
document.write("It was a perfect dive weekend, thanks guys, for all!
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("29 and 30 March 2008
\n");
document.write("Rigo and Jannemieke Van Meer
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document.write("Dive Report: POSEIDON Sunday 09 March 2008
\n");
document.write("A 6.30 alarm bell is seldom a welcome sound! Fortunately today it meant\n");
document.write("diving and not work, so Andy and I needed little encouragement to get\n");
document.write("ourselves up and out. Last weekââ¬â¢s\n");
document.write("flooding rains had left us a little pessimistic about the conditions on the\n");
document.write("day, but a quick poke through the blinds revealed pretty good\n");
document.write("newsââ¬Â¦ it\n");
document.write("wasnââ¬â¢t raining torrentially, and in\n");
document.write("fact the sun was doing its best to make a reasonable appearance for our day\n");
document.write("out.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The drive up to Port Douglas is always a pleasure and gave us time to\n");
document.write("reflect on the beauty of the region in which we live as we wondered what\n");
document.write("the day had in store.
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("A full 22 Nautilus members (including our special guest Yvonne from the\n");
document.write("Townsville dive club) had booked onto the Poseidon trip, making it a very\n");
document.write("social affair. Indeed the boat was fully booked with passengers.\n");
document.write("Fortunately we were very well looked after by the crew, many of whom were\n");
document.write("familiar from the same trip last year (always the sign of a quality\n");
document.write("operation), with particular thanks to Heidi who looked after our group for\n");
document.write("the whole day.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Following the customary teas and muffins on boarding (yum!), we set off for\n");
document.write("the Agincourt reefs as our skipper set out to find some calm waters.\n");
document.write("Unfortunately these were hard to come by, with choppy conditions from 25\n");
document.write("knot winds, leading several tourists to make good use of the brown paper\n");
document.write("bags. One poor fella spent the entire journey out being handed bag after\n");
document.write("bag by his very obliging and only slightly embarrassed girlfriend!\n");
document.write("Fortunately I had taken my Kwell tablet prior to leaving shore, but felt a\n");
document.write("little sorry for the fish-feeding tourists who must have wished\n");
document.write("theyââ¬â¢d done the same, or possibly\n");
document.write("stayed home tucked up in bed!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The first dive site was on Agincourt 4, where the Nautilus members had the\n");
document.write("choice between a drift dive from Apostle or a boat to boat dive at Da\n");
document.write("Vinciââ¬â¢s. Most chose the former,\n");
document.write("leaving Heidi to emphasize to a certain club president to keep the reef on\n");
document.write("his right, as sheââ¬â¢d heard some\n");
document.write("scandalous rumours that he had been known to wander off course from time to\n");
document.write("time. A few members were already feeling a tad let down by his low-key\n");
document.write("apparel today, sporting neither his Christmas Santa suit nor that truly\n");
document.write("sexy pink mask from the Lake Eacham trip on this occasion. Clearly\n");
document.write("standards are slipping!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Andy and I, with a sprinkling of others, decided instead to go for the easy\n");
document.write("option and were pleasantly surprised with a nice coral garden in the bay\n");
document.write("with many unicorn fish and decent coral, with reasonable visibility of\n");
document.write("10-15m . Out on the reef wall we headed against the current into the path\n");
document.write("of the returning drift divers. Here there were again good corals and\n");
document.write("spectacular gorgonian fans, but little fish-life, the only notable\n");
document.write("exception being a solitary fairly large and surprisingly un-flusterable\n");
document.write("cuttlefish, who resolutely refused to change colour or, indeed ,do anything\n");
document.write("other than hang happily around us for a photo opportunity!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The 2nd site on Agincourt 3 was called\n");
document.write("Harryââ¬â¢s. Here we had a choice of\n");
document.write("two bommies, a large one the ambitious could swim around in 40 minutes, or\n");
document.write("a smaller one which we shouldnââ¬â¢t\n");
document.write("attempt to swim round as it was too big! A little confused, but feeling we\n");
document.write("ought to be ambitious after piking out on the first dive, we decided to\n");
document.write("swim round the big one. Now I donââ¬â¢t\n");
document.write("know who Harry is, but he must be an important chap as his bommie turned\n");
document.write("out to be enormous, which combined with a very strong current around the\n");
document.write("far end transformed it from an ambitious 40 minute swim into a full-on\n");
document.write("battle to get more than a few centimetres ahead with each kick cycle.\n");
document.write("Deciding it was just too tough half way round I decided to quit.\n");
document.write("Unfortunately Andy misconstrued my request for a 5m, 3min safety stop as\n");
document.write("having 80Bar left, and he swum on into the distance. We ended up almost\n");
document.write("making it all the way back to the boat, surfacing after 50 minutes to find\n");
document.write("it not a million miles away. At least\n");
document.write("weââ¬â¢d earned our lunch, which turned\n");
document.write("out to be a sumptuous buffet. I was glad to learn we\n");
document.write("werenââ¬â¢t the only ones, a few others\n");
document.write("on the same route having struggled too. Fortunately most seemed to have\n");
document.write("picked the easier bommie and had a perfectly nice time!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Dive 3 at Agincourt 1 was Castle Rock and was a fantastic end to the day. A\n");
document.write("great dive with no current and a large Malabar cod named Daisy who greeted\n");
document.write("us all on descent. Castle Rock is a smaller bommie easily circumnavigated a\n");
document.write("few times on the allotted dive time of 40mins. The fish-life was great with\n");
document.write("lots of schooling fusiliers, cardinalfish, butterflyfish and humbugs round\n");
document.write("the coral. We also encountered seal-faced pufferfish, trumpetfish, numerous\n");
document.write("large coral trout, blue-spotted stingrays, a large Maori wrasse and a\n");
document.write("playful turtle. Daisy seemed to follow us wherever we went and was clearly\n");
document.write("lapping up all the attention as she enjoyed having her photo taken (several\n");
document.write("hundred times!). Iââ¬â¢m not sure if it\n");
document.write("was her good looks or mine, but eventually it was all too much and\n");
document.write("Andyââ¬â¢s camera died! The memory card\n");
document.write("is currently being assessed to see if anything can be salvaged! Hopefully\n");
document.write("Eden captured some good memories of the day.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("All in all an excellent day, despite Andy failing to get me back to the\n");
document.write("boat on all 3 dives. Plainly it had been blind luck on the previous 50 or\n");
document.write("so occasions... I knew he couldnââ¬â¢t\n");
document.write("be that good really!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Many thanks once again to the ever informative and extremely friendly and\n");
document.write("helpful crew of Poseidon. They went out of their way to give us drift dive\n");
document.write("options on all 3 dives and maximized our dive times with their efficient\n");
document.write("handling of the dayââ¬â¢s schedule.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write(" Looking forward to next yearââ¬â¢s\n");
document.write("trip already!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("By Debbie Ratter
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Spirit of Freedom
\n");
document.write(" Cod Hole trip
\n");
document.write("March 3rd 2008
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("At the December 2007 club meeting, I was lucky enough to win the Tusa\n");
document.write("raffle, a 3 day trip on Spirit of Freedom (SOF) to the Cod Hole.
\n");
document.write("On Monday the 3rd of March, whilst Cairns was being belted by substantial\n");
document.write("rains, my self and 23 other divers set off for the Cod Hole and next day\n");
document.write("were basking under clear blue skies around the ribbon reef 10, close to\n");
document.write("Lizard Island.
\n");
document.write("To get us off on the right track, lunch on day one consisted of king\n");
document.write("prawns, smoked salmon and a great selection of fruits, cheese and nuts.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The first dive on day one was an introductory dive on Saxon Reef so the\n");
document.write("dive crew could ascertain the skills of some of the divers, some of who had\n");
document.write("only just gained their underwater certificate. Unfortunately Saxon Reef\n");
document.write("lived up to its past with visibility of 5meters or less.
\n");
document.write("Not a good introduction to the GBR for the overseas visitors. Being a\n");
document.write("local, I passed it off as an unusual event (blame the weather).
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("My dive partners comprised British, Canadian, American, German, Swedish, \n");
document.write("Japanese and Chinese. I was the only Australian apart from a couple of the\n");
document.write("crew (which numbered 12) , and naturally had to field many questions on the\n");
document.write("reef and Captain Cook, vegemite and many other strange things.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("On the morning of day 2 we woke at 6am anchored at the Cod Hole. SOF has\n");
document.write("two breakfasts, one prior to the first dive and a very substantial one\n");
document.write("after the second dive.
\n");
document.write("The first dive at the cod hole was very interesting, but mainly aimed at\n");
document.write("getting to 25 meters, during which we saw white tipped reef sharks,\n");
document.write("cuttlefish, and all the usual including the very large potato cod.
\n");
document.write("The second dive saw all 24 divers kneeling in a large circle of some 15 to\n");
document.write("20meters in diameter with an instructor in the middle with cod food. Only\n");
document.write("one cod appeared for the feeding but was accompanied by dozens of Red Bass.\n");
document.write("The cod and the red bass get very agitated during the feed and we were\n");
document.write("warned to keep our hands behind our backs for obvious reasons. The\n");
document.write("instructor wore very large gloves as the cod seemed more intent on taking\n");
document.write("off his hand. These cod are huge.
\n");
document.write("We were asked prior to the\n");
document.write("ââ¬Åfeedââ¬Â\n");
document.write("if we were in agreement with the policy of feeding the Cod, and if we were\n");
document.write("not we could opt out of the participation.
\n");
document.write("The feed went as planned and we split into our buddy pairs and continued\n");
document.write("with the dive.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The were 5 dives planned for each day, but my buddy and I (who was also a\n");
document.write("grandfather) decided that we were not as young as we used to be and opted\n");
document.write("for a rest in the sun.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("On day three at 6am we were anchored at a reef named Pixie Pinnacle. If you\n");
document.write("ever get a chance to dive this Bommie, do not let the opportunity pass.
\n");
document.write("This bommie is about 5 meters under the water, and drops to 35 meters,\n");
document.write("contains the best fish life that I have ever seen, and I rate it as one the\n");
document.write("top 3 dives that I have done.
\n");
document.write("I often struggle to find nudibranchs, but I saw dozens on this dive, and\n");
document.write("something that not many divers see, nudibranch eggs, thin ribbons of red\n");
document.write("and yellow strands. We also saw many Pipe fish..
\n");
document.write("The top of the bommie must have at least a dozen or more large anemones\n");
document.write("with a multitude of resident\n");
document.write("ââ¬Ånemosââ¬Â
\n");
document.write("We saw many large banded shrimps, lion fish of many types and so many small\n");
document.write("fish of extraordinary colours.
\n");
document.write("It is hard to find the right words to describe the sight.
\n");
document.write("After bacon, eggs and coffee we were back on the pinnacle. A slight current\n");
document.write("had picked up during the surface interval time and we were presented with a\n");
document.write("large school of barracuda, and many other pelagic fish hovering just off\n");
document.write("the pinnacle.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("I have never heard so much chit chat after a dive in so many languages.\n");
document.write("Every body was raving about the dive.
\n");
document.write("If you want another opinion of Pixie Pinnacle, please look for Michael\n");
document.write("McFadyen web site on Google.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Those two dives were very hard to beat, so I won't bore you with any more\n");
document.write("dives, although the next dive was at Pixie Gardens, only a couple of\n");
document.write("hundred meters away, where we saw Leafy scorpion fish and more banded\n");
document.write("shrimp, and a large grey reef shark that had every body hopping. .
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The last dive on the last day was quite memorable though, and one in\n");
document.write("hindsight that we ought not to have done. It was on a dive site named Snake\n");
document.write("Gully.
\n");
document.write("A big current was running with very choppy seas. We were told how to tackle\n");
document.write("the dive, as entry and exit would be quite difficult.
\n");
document.write("I was one of the first to enter the water and grab at the mooring line, but\n");
document.write("of course I misjudged the blasted thing and missed by a foot or two. When I\n");
document.write("gathered my senses I was a meter off the line and absolutely no hope of \n");
document.write("getting back to it due to the strong surging current.
\n");
document.write("I had no option but to pump up my BC and float with the current. How often\n");
document.write("do we find the lookout, looking the wrong way. !!
\n");
document.write("After I had drifted a 100 meters or so, I was spotted and a zodiac was\n");
document.write("dispatched. Even so I was a couple of hundred meters off the SOF when the\n");
document.write("Zodiac arrived. It was a bit scary for a while as the swell was cutting off\n");
document.write("my view of SOF.
\n");
document.write("I must learn to operate that blasted safety sausage. As a club we ought to\n");
document.write("test our selves in very choppy seas (that is when they are most likely to\n");
document.write("be needed), and they can be a bit tricky with waves breaking over your\n");
document.write("head.
\n");
document.write("Imagine my surprise when we picked up three other drifting divers on the\n");
document.write("way back to the boat.
\n");
document.write("One was my buddy, Gene ; for a while I though that he had come to rescue\n");
document.write("me!. Another was a Japanese lass, who lost her fins, and the other was,\n");
document.write("Warren, a jolly man from Manchester, who went under the SOF at the start of\n");
document.write("his dive. All had problems with their safety sausages, so I was not the\n");
document.write("only dummy !
\n");
document.write("Most divers encountered problems with that dive, some used most of their\n");
document.write("air in the first 15 minutes.
\n");
document.write("The crew worked very hard in retrieving divers after their dive, as all had\n");
document.write("to be physically dragged back onto the boat and we all gave the crew a\n");
document.write("rousing thank-you yell at the debrief.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("However after a couple of Vodkas with my buddy and the man from Manchester,\n");
document.write("my nerves settled down, somewhat.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The rains finally caught up with SOF on the last day, but by that time we\n");
document.write("were winging it back to Cairns.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("From time to time Tusa Dive offers discounted trips on SOF, do yourself a\n");
document.write("favour and take the trip of a lifetime, it is on our back door step after\n");
document.write("all is said and done.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Finally I would like to pass on my thanks to the SOF crew for a job very\n");
document.write("well done. It would be hard to find a more dedicated bunch of people.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Farmilo,
\n");
document.write("Nautilus Secretary.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write(" LADY BOWEN ON CALYPSO
\n");
document.write("\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("On Sunday 3rd February 14 Club members assembled on the Clump Point Boat\n");
document.write("Ramp at Mission Beach for the much anticipated trip out to the\n");
document.write("ââ¬ÅLady\n");
document.write("Bowenââ¬Â aboard Calypso I. This dive, with\n");
document.write("limited numbers, had been a sell out for months.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Lady Bowen was a turn of the Century (last Century) Paddle Steamer\n");
document.write("which sailed all the way out from England to Brisbane where it underwent a\n");
document.write("major refit to operate as a coastal trader. Unfortunately, on\n");
document.write("itââ¬â¢s maiden trip north it was\n");
document.write("driven up on a reef in a storm and sank. Bad news for the crew and\n");
document.write("passengers. Good news for Nautilus Divers 100 odd years later.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The wreck was not found after the sinking and was finally discovered by\n");
document.write("some Nautilus members in the late 80s early 90s. My history gets a bit\n");
document.write("vague here.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Diving gods were happy, the weather was excellent, and then we received\n");
document.write("a pleasant surprise ââ¬â we were to go out\n");
document.write("on the much larger and more comfortable Calypso II.
\n");
document.write("Once underway we received a brief but comprehensive briefing and then\n");
document.write("spread out to enjoy the trip.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Calypso I was already moored on the Lady Bowen so we were geared up and in\n");
document.write("the water very quickly. Visibility was problematic on the wreck, as it\n");
document.write("often is, but still a respectable 12 ââ¬â\n");
document.write("15 metres, which you would settle for most days. It is often a lot worse.\n");
document.write("The wreck itself consists only of the metal hull (the entire wooden\n");
document.write("superstructure has rotted away) but this is imposing, especially the stern\n");
document.write("which is largely intact. The bow section is missing completely, believed to\n");
document.write("be torn off the ship when it hit the reef. The Lady Bowen is a relatively\n");
document.write("small wreck compared with for example the Yongala but still lots of\n");
document.write("fun.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The Lady Bowen is famous for itââ¬â¢s\n");
document.write("sea snakes and itââ¬â¢s lion fish. The\n");
document.write("sea snake numbers were definitely down on this dive and, notably, there\n");
document.write("were only Olive snakes to be found where normally there are numerous banded\n");
document.write("snakes. However the Lionfish were present in big numbers, many as big as\n");
document.write("footballs. The stern of the vessel was completely obscured by a huge school\n");
document.write("of small fish which was pretty spectacular.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("There was also a report of a sighting of a Shovel nose ray on the first\n");
document.write("dive.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("All in all - a great day out. Top marks to Peter and the crew on Calypso.\n");
document.write("The whole day was very professional, very relaxed and very enjoyable. I\n");
document.write("felt we were treated as a group of experienced, competent divers yet we\n");
document.write("were given every advice we needed and assistance was always close at hand.\n");
document.write("Lunch was excellent and we even had the cricket to watch on the way home.\n");
document.write("This was my first dive on Calypso and I will be very much looking forward\n");
document.write("to the next one.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Hayes
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Nautilus Club Dive
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Tusa V Sunday the 10th of February.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("A group of 9 Nautilus Club members met at E finger for the trip out to the\n");
document.write("reef on quite a fine morning.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The boat was quite full with fellow water lovers, and after the usual\n");
document.write("introductions and other daily matters, we proceeded to the dive deck to\n");
document.write("gear up.
\n");
document.write("A note of warning. If you want a larger tank (like me) and do not want to\n");
document.write("drag yours from home to the boat, it is important to stake your claim on\n");
document.write("the few larger cylinders that Tusa V carries.
\n");
document.write("Ask the crew for one as soon as you get onto the boat.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The horizon was very dark as we approached the reef, so we expected the\n");
document.write("weather to be not so pleasant, however you\n");
document.write("canââ¬â¢t get much wetter can you, and\n");
document.write("we would be better off than the snorkel people.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The days diving was confined to Saxon and Hastings reefs with the first\n");
document.write("dive of the day at Twin Peaks. This is a lovely dive with a good depth of\n");
document.write("20 meters attained early to set the ââ¬Ådo\n");
document.write("not reverse profileââ¬Â instruction.
\n");
document.write("My buddies and I circumnavigated the peaks with a visibility of up to 10\n");
document.write("meters in most parts.
\n");
document.write("Whilst looking at the fantastic underwater sights, and following\n");
document.write("Judyââ¬â¢s silver fins, we were\n");
document.write("suddenly surrounded by at least a dozen light blue clad scuba divers, all\n");
document.write("wearing bright yellow fins. I quickly looked around for the black clad\n");
document.write("figure of James Bond or the strobe lights of the film crew. However when\n");
document.write("neither came into view, I figured that I had been transported to the dive\n");
document.write("site of a Jacques Yves Cousteau expedition.
\n");
document.write("They made a very pretty sight and then it occurred to me that Tusa supplies\n");
document.write("all other divers with these bright blue suits. They do add colour to the\n");
document.write("dive though, so why do we generally all wear black?
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("On with the diving, with turtle, giant clams, barramundi cod, large wrasse\n");
document.write("and all the usual. Not that I saw many of these sights, but others\n");
document.write("didââ¬Â¦apparently.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("After a 45 minute dive and an hours surface interval time, we moved to a\n");
document.write("dive site on the ââ¬Åwild\n");
document.write("sideââ¬Â of Hastings
\n");
document.write("Another interesting dive with the ââ¬Åblue\n");
document.write("cladââ¬Â brigade in close proximity.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The crew had prepared a hearty meal of salads and cold meats during the\n");
document.write("dive, and after a good chat with our fellow Nautilus divers, we set off for\n");
document.write("the last dive of the day at Angel Bommie. Once again a very satisfying\n");
document.write("excursion into the depths. A juvenile lion fish, some colourful parrot fish\n");
document.write("and a couple of turtles were reported by club members.
\n");
document.write("We also saw a blue and black crown of thorns star fish hiding under a piece\n");
document.write("of coral.
\n");
document.write("A solid shower of rain greeted our arrival on the surface, and after the\n");
document.write("usual\n");
document.write("ââ¬Åbedlamââ¬Â\n");
document.write("on the dive deck when the crew stows all the hire gear, we set off for\n");
document.write("port.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("All agreed that a great dayââ¬â¢s\n");
document.write("diving was experienced, with the newer members enjoying the company of\n");
document.write("fellow Nautilus Club members.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Peter Farmilo.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Christmas Dive Report
\n");
document.write("December the 9th 2007.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Arriving early for the trip on Reef Day Tripper was a plus as the vessel\n");
document.write("was fully booked and I was able to set up my dive gear before most of the\n");
document.write("others arrived. Considering how packed the vessel was the crew were\n");
document.write("extremely efficient and had us all stowed away neatly in short order.
\n");
document.write("Iris (one of the crew) gave the mandatory safety and boat briefing but kept\n");
document.write("it entertaining and brief. This allowed the members plenty of time to chat\n");
document.write("and relax on the way out to the reef and in my case to meet some newer\n");
document.write("members and read the Sunday paper in comfort.
\n");
document.write("The weather was warm and a mild breeze was blowing. There was very little\n");
document.write("swell the little vessel handling the conditions with ease and all augured\n");
document.write("well for the day out.
\n");
document.write("Our first dive on Upolu reef involved gently circumnavigating a large\n");
document.write("bommie. Some others chose to follow the walls out and back. Many varieties\n");
document.write("of parrot fish were in evidence and the obligatory spotting of\n");
document.write("ââ¬ÅNemoââ¬Â\n");
document.write("as happens on most dives in the local area. Peter Farmillo my dive buddy\n");
document.write("and I were privileged to spot a single Hump head parrot fish. Unfortunately\n");
document.write("no sharks, manta rays or other exotic animals, though I was expecting\n");
document.write("something large to appear amongst a large school of scissor fish as we\n");
document.write("coasted past. All other member reports, of the first dive, indicated the\n");
document.write("relaxed nature of the dive was appreciated. Some of us were more relaxed\n");
document.write("than others as our President Dave decided to dive in a Santa suit. (Ho, Ho,\n");
document.write("Ho, we arenââ¬â¢t politically\n");
document.write("correct)
\n");
document.write("After a well presented lunch we moved to our second dive site on the same\n");
document.write("reef. The visibility on this dive unfortunately was not brilliant (8m) but\n");
document.write("we were there to have fun so still enjoyed the diving. The worst days\n");
document.write("diving is always better than the best day at work and this was certainly\n");
document.write("not the worst days diving.
\n");
document.write("The dive crew, Iris, Mark and Mark are to be commended for their attention\n");
document.write("to detail with personalised service. N othing seemed too much trouble for\n");
document.write("them as they ensured our trip was very enjoyable. Thank You!
\n");
document.write("The journey home was another gentle affair accompanied with some merriment\n");
document.write("with the sparkly and amber fluid flowing freely. Many tales were told and\n");
document.write("fun was had by all. The supply of Cheese and Biscuits supplied by Reef Day\n");
document.write("Tripper was much enjoyed.
\n");
document.write("This is what a dive club is all about; a great relaxing dive trip and\n");
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\n");
document.write("Merry Christmas and Happy diving in 2008.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Dave Rosie
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document.write("Nautilus Club Dive.
\n");
document.write("Sunday the 11th of November 2007
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document.write("TUSA V
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\n");
document.write("A diverse group of 41 certified, intro divers and snorkellers were welcomed\n");
document.write("on board the new Tusa V dive boat by a staff of 10.
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\n");
document.write("The Nautilus Club comprised of 10 members, and after the preliminary\n");
document.write("instruction by staff we set off for Saxon Reef.
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\n");
document.write("Fronting up for the Nautilus Club were Jannemieke and Rigo van Meer, Rob\n");
document.write("Beaman, shortly off the Antarctica, Dave Rosie, Mirek Woolwich, Peter\n");
document.write("Hayes, Greg Miller, Tracy Hale and Jorg Cove.
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\n");
document.write("First impressions of the new boat were very good, with plenty of room on\n");
document.write("the dive deck, new tanks and wet suits were on hand and a very attentive\n");
document.write("crew assisted us with our requests etc.
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\n");
document.write("The saloon is spacious, comfortable seating, tea and coffee with biscuits\n");
document.write("abounded. The air-conditioning was quite cool though.
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\n");
document.write("Most of us had a good look at\n");
document.write("skipperââ¬â¢s new consoles, very\n");
document.write("impressive.
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\n");
document.write("Our fist dive site was Magic Wall, where we stayed for the second dive as\n");
document.write("well.
\n");
document.write("( Tusa offers three dive on the new craft)
\n");
document.write("I was most impressed with the attention that the dive deck crew gave to the\n");
document.write("divers. For instance, as I get older I am tending to lose a bit of\n");
document.write("flexibility in my hips etc, and I was very appreciative when a crew member\n");
document.write("assisted me in helping me to put on my fins.
\n");
document.write("They also offered a helping hand at the conclusion of the dive.
\n");
document.write("If I could talk them into taking my weights and BC off me at the end of a\n");
document.write("dive, it would really make my day.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Our first dive was just fantastic, and from comments that I heard, every\n");
document.write("one agreed. Vis was an impressive 25 meters, with all the usual suspect on\n");
document.write("hand to greet us. There were Titan Trigger fish busy preparing their nests,\n");
document.write("the odd Reef Shark lurking in the shadows, Turtles and some divers had an\n");
document.write("encounter with some Cuttle fish.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("In order the get a 30 minute surface interval time, our first dive was\n");
document.write("limited to 40 minutes or so.
\n");
document.write("After a quick snack we were in the water again, and experiencing similar\n");
document.write("conditions to the first dive.
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\n");
document.write("Lunch on Tusa V is very impressive, with a great variety with meats, salads\n");
document.write("and fruit.
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\n");
document.write("A short trip along the reef to Twin Peaks was the site of the third dive.\n");
document.write("Quite different conditions greeted us on entering the water. The tide was\n");
document.write("changing and the current slightly stronger with visibility not quite as\n");
document.write("good... However the variety of sea life was still there.
\n");
document.write("After another good 40 minutes or so, we grouped in the water for a rather\n");
document.write("ungraceful exit from the water onto the dive platform, which I am pleased\n");
document.write("to say is quite easy as the bottom step is a good meter under the\n");
document.write("water.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("After the usual hustle and bustle that goes on after a dive, we enjoyed\n");
document.write("some very tasteful cakes with tea and coffee and a pleasant trip back to\n");
document.write("Cairns.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("On a personal note, I enjoy this part of the dive trip as club members\n");
document.write("relive the dives, and generally discuss future dives and other diving\n");
document.write("matters.
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document.write("Peter Farmilo.
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document.write("DIVE REPORT REEF MAGIC 9TH SEPTEMBER
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document.write("
\n");
document.write("Apologies for the lateness of this report. The accuracy of my recollections\n");
document.write("will be a great test of the robustness of my memory! Any corrections will\n");
document.write("be humbly accepted.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Having dived around Cairns for quite a few years I am becoming very\n");
document.write("selective of the weather in which I dive. Avoidance of 30knot southeast\n");
document.write("winds has become a high priority! Well, we really did get a great day this\n");
document.write("day. Less than 15 knots of wind made for a comfortable trip, and a very\n");
document.write("pleasant stay on the Reef Magic pontoon at Moore Reef.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("But that is not all. The staff went out of their way to give us two\n");
document.write("excellent drift dives. Both dives had boat drop offs and pick-ups at\n");
document.write("different locations, and the divemaster was an excellent guide showing us\n");
document.write("things we would not have found ourselves. She took us into some extensive\n");
document.write("swim throughs which we would not have found ourselves. It really makes a\n");
document.write("big difference to the day when we are treated differently to tourists, the\n");
document.write("staff are well organized, and make the extra effort.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("The first dive was on the Pinnacles, which are located away from the main\n");
document.write("reef in approx 18m. The current was strong which brought out big schools of\n");
document.write("fish including surgeonfish and some white tipped reef sharks.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("The second dive was Shark Alley, which as the name suggests, was home to\n");
document.write("some quite large white tipped reef sharks. I got quite shock when a large\n");
document.write("turtle, which apparently had been swimming along just above me, suddenly\n");
document.write("dived down less than a meter in front of me. The dive followed a wall with\n");
document.write("great vis, and lots of healthy corals.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Phil led a small group on an alternate second dive from the pontoon, and\n");
document.write("managed to find a large sea-hare. We do believe him, as he showed us the\n");
document.write("photographic proof.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Sandra bravely returned to the water after a long absence, to complete a\n");
document.write("successful dive. Congratulations Sandra.
\n");
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\n");
document.write("Many thanks to the Reef Magic team for a great day out.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Tony Green
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\n");
document.write(" Dive weekend on the Yongala - 27/29 July07
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("The trip that was so anticipated, so eagerly, by so many, for so long, has\n");
document.write("finally passed by, into the past------but will remain forever in our\n");
document.write("memories as----------------another terrific Nautilus trip, another step\n");
document.write("into subaqua paradise, another aerobic workout far more taxing than\n");
document.write("spending a full week in the gym!!!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Not that fit lean swimming machines like Carl have any need to waste good\n");
document.write("eating and drinking time in such crazy pastimes :-) physical perfection\n");
document.write("that would stagger even Charles Darwin has already been achieved!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("My day, your ambushed scribe, started at 1.30pm when I left Mossman\n");
document.write("Hospital to eat my steak pie looking for the Mowbray River croc. My high\n");
document.write("energy diet training for the trials to come were already being put into\n");
document.write("tasty practice.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("No croc at home, so on to pick up my car buddy Frank for an early start to\n");
document.write("get there early----HA!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Well, we did arrive pretty early into Townsville.
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("I feasted on a McDonalds chicken thing, more dietry training---------and\n");
document.write("has anyone ever had one of the drinks from one of those places that use the\n");
document.write("syrup things, and top off with tap water? Is it just Townsville?-------but\n");
document.write("my god!! it tasted disgusting, OK, I realise where we were-------but I mean\n");
document.write("really disgusting------------and it was only when I had some water on the\n");
document.write("boat that I realised that if I lived in Townsville water area and had to\n");
document.write("drink that disgusting sewage all the time, dehydration would be a daily\n");
document.write("risk, it is truely RANK!!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("Anyway, thoroughly nourished, I had also had two chocolate bars and Coke on\n");
document.write("the journey----we confidently followed my trusty GPS into the heart of\n");
document.write("Townsville, and we went round and round and round, and round again that\n");
document.write("beating heart of Townsville looking for the damned boat which was tucked\n");
document.write("round a corner in an invisible bit of the river. The only way to have found\n");
document.write("it would have been to pay proper attention to Margits map!!!
\n");
document.write("
\n");
document.write("I mean heck, navigation ain't for real divers.
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document.write("Seen t\n");