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Meanwhile, the engine was further examined. Jack Cash and Charlie Cleland examined the engine, while Steve Smith worked on the trailer. Sooner or later, at least one of the items will be used for diving.
First of all, there was no need for oxygen therapy as with the last trip to the Barrier Reef. Secondly, the crew on Supersport were fantastic...hard-working, bright, fun. Thirdly, I was a little disappointed with the amount of big stuff we saw compared with the last trip, but that's the luck of the drawer more than anything else.
My dive partner (an Aussie and friend of my cousin) had just been certified and had a bit of problems with bouyancy control à la I had to pull her off the top of the reef on our first dive. After that, the crew sent her out with an instructor on each dive, and, by the end of the trip, she was much improved.
Best dives: Pixie's Pinnacle had tons of stuff...beautiful corals, pipe fish, lion fish, huge schools of smaller fish, schooling barracudas, et cetera. But the best of all dive was a night at Challenger Bay. On this dive while swimming along between coral formations on a sandy bottom, I felt myself bumped on my thigh. I looked over to see a young (approx 150 lb) potato cod and his buddy, a red bass, swimming along with me. The cod seemed to want to lead the way, and looked very apologetic when he took me down a dead-end. Once in a while they would dart off after something to eat, but were with me for almost the entire dive. They seemed to really enjoy being around humans, and I could sense the fun they were having...just like a couple of puppies. Way fun. After this, Cod Hole itself was somewhat anti-climatic...but it was still fun to see the monster cods pigging out.
Other more useful info: Outstanding Japanese restaurant in Cairns is Matsuri...filled with all the Japanese tourists for a reason. Also, highly recommended is Il Palazzo for a hotel (downtown, great staff, rooms with kitchens, close to Matsuri, $AU 120/ night).
Profound thought for the trip: In a little pub in a town about 40 miles south of Cairns was this ad on the bulletin board: Peterson Waste Disposal--We'll Take Crap off of Anyone.
On June 22-24, Alacosta divers did something they haven't done for years; they went diving two days in a row on the north coast. The group stayed at the Albion River campground, which is just a bit more crowded than Van Damme, and is located a few miles south of Van Damme.
The first day, we traveled south of the Albion river, and found a location with plentiful abalone at only 25-30 feet. Peter Lasell stayed on the boat, guarding it from increasing wind and rough water. Rob Vedovi joined us for his first diving with Alacosta. John Beland and Kevin Dalley were the other divers that day. Enough abalone were caught for dinner that night. Tom Whitaker and Debbie Kane joined the group.
Sunday morning, Rob, John, and Kevin tried for abalone again. This time, the wind and water was calmer. We traveled north of the Albion river and found a protected abalone spot, with abalone at 10 feet deep. The pickings were easy. However, the row back to camp was long. Perhaps the propeller will be found next time.
blurb@alacosta.org