Behind the Blogger

I grew up in an environment where it was very hard not to develop a deep love for the outdoors. Home, where I spent the first 22 years of my life, backed onto a 571 ha State Forest. There wasn't a week go by that didn't involve bushwalking or a BMX ride through parts of it. It also made a handy shortcut on the days we had to make our own way to school.

My parents were avid campers and most school holidays would involve getting all 4 kids into the back of an 80 series Land Cruiser and finding a new camping spot in the tranquillity of the bush or heading to an old favourite. Beach spots, amongst other families to play with, seemed to happen often as well... I think that was Mum and Dads way of getting us out of their hair so they could have a holiday too! If it wasn't camping we were heading away to the lake for water skiing or off touring to one of Australia's many natural attractions. There wasn't such a thing as a 'stay at home' holiday.

As I grew so did my love for the outdoors. By my teenage years I had already begun doing many multi-day hikes trough the National Parks and Forests of South-East Queensland. When I was old enough I got into 4wding to explore even more. With the love of water and exploring new locations it didn't take much of a jump for me to get keen on Scuba diving. It quickly became another passion vying for time.

I started recording trip journals for some of the adventures, mostly as a memory and a way or organise photos. I never really enjoyed writing as a kid, much preferred building a camp fire or getting dirty, though now I like being able to go back and relive what I've done. The mistakes that turn into lessons, the highlights of trips going perfect to plan and the excitement finding that new direction when things don't.

If you're looking for ideas on where to go on your next adventure, or simply want to share in one of mine, read on!

For what I generally take on my local treks you can check out my pack list on the LighterPack website. I'll generally include a separate list for any significant trips.

Diving - 2025 03 - Palau, Micronesia

 Water Temp:    29-30°

Current: Nil - Strong 

Max Depth:     31m

Total dives:     17

 

 

 

Day 1 - Transit

Off for another great diving trip with a few mates made over the years. This time we're back to Palau. Just over a decade since the last time I had ventured that way. These days access is A LOT easier with a direct ~6 hour flight from Brisbane.  

Sure beats the Brisbane to Cairns to Guam, where you were stuck with a day use room for ~10 hours... then finally to Palau.... It's a very fresh route offered by Qantas and not many people seemed to know about it. 

We arrived to a surprisingly quiet international airport and dropped our bags and exited customs. It wasn't long before we found the Tasting table and enjoyed a few scotches to see what we wanted with us on the trip. After making our selection (including a very fancy bottle of Dark Lark) we joined the others for a light meal for lunch and wandered to our gate.  

Like check-in the gate looked pretty quiet and it started that way after boarding. With most of us ending up with our own row of seats! Some in flight movie, the usual offerings, to soak up the time but it wasn't long before the sun was setting and we were landing. 

 

A short transfer to the Cove Resort where we all dropped bags into rooms and met for dinner. Meals were a bit pricey here, but we weren't planning to head out. $9.50, USD, for a schooner of the local (Red Roster) beer. It did taste good. After dinner and a bit of reminiscing we retreated to showers and air-conditioning. 

Day 2 - Check Out Dives

Sites: Sand Bar, Saies Corner, Ulong Channel

After a very decent buffet breakfast the van from Sam's Tour's eventually arrived... to pick up a different group. The driver was pretty on the ball though and got another to swing by to take us diving. apparently they had us down for a 9am pickup... with our paperwork stating 745 we were ready a little early... when we heard they were going to be a little later we ducked next door to grab some reef safe sunscreen (most sunscreens are banned in Palau) and at $25.30 (USD!) per 90ml it better be good!

Checking certs, setting up gear, getting the local dive/safety/boat brief and then we were on our way. Boat looks to be setup for 20 divers doing a double dive, so plenty of space, much like the plane, for the 9 of us. Like most trips the first dive is the guide assessing your group, to see what your air consumption, buoyancy, general skill level is on an easier, and pleasant site. 

First dive was OK along a reef slope. A few other divers near by and lots of fish to see plus a few sharks. One or two common Nudibranch almost not worth taking a picture. We must have been OK because they were happy to let us alert them about Air, rather than constantly checking us... 

Second dive was at one of the reef corners. We all swam up and hooked in to stare into the deep blue. A bit on show today with large schools of fish and a few Grey Reef Sharks that cruised by and maybe a dozen bump-head Wrasse. Again another OK dive, nice warm water, pleasant conditions. Lunch was a pre-ordered Bento box with lots of yummy food inside.

 

Third Dive was a drift, a very gentle drift that turned mid dive... through a channel. Giant Clams and the biggest Lettuce Coral in all of Micronesia, apparently. A few more sharks hugging the walls of the channel avoiding divers and a cool Nudi which I'm not sure I've seen before.  

 

 

Back to Sam's dock to rinse the gear and have a beer before returning to the hotel for a shower. Our dinner option Kramers (a place we remember fondly from last trip) was closed so we settled on Indian, and they arranged a pickup. 

The Taj served up an amazing meal. With the group we specified a few requirements (3x vegetarian options, a selection of Naan bread etc) but then said surprise us. All the food was fantastic, to the point some were already claiming it was the best meal of the trip. I'll grant them it was great, but will reserve that award until we've more than 2 dinners...

Day 3 - Deep Blue Sea

Sites: Blue Corner, Blue Hole, New Drop Off

We were all down fairly early for a other very filling breakfast. They do have a few interesting options, like potatoes drizzled in cheese... or marinated pork, but also the staples like an egg station, bacon, fresh fruit, cereal etc etc. Something everyone should be happy with. They must have felt bad about arriving late yesterday because although we were told an 815 pickup they showed up at 8. Of course half our group was up in the rooms getting last minute things...

First dive was off to Blue corner with some good current and loads of sharks. Positioned on the edge of the reef wall we hooked up and enjoyed the show floating past. Some big schools of Barracuda and loads of other fish. 

 

Second was into the Blue Hole. With 4 big skylights leading into a massive chamber. Off the main chamber, through a much smaller entrance, is another big chamber... without sky lights. Very dark in here so you definitely need torches and you can just go far enough back, and around a bend, to not see any natural light. Right back in the corner is a fairly intact Turtle skeleton. There's a chance we were advised not to enter this particular chamber... and definitely recall something to the effect of not going to the area you could find the skeleton....

Back into the main chamber Yuki found a cool flat worm and we exited to follow the wall. Were seeing a bit of fish life and a few morays etc but not too much of the small stuff yet. Though Palau is known more for its Blue Corner type diving looking for the big stuff.  

Third Dive was on a similar wall but this time we had loads and loads of turtles. A pretty cool (and weird) flounder swimming about, first I've seen swimming in blue water. Had a fairly vibrant blue tinge but within a few seconds of landing on a rock, matches its dull grey almost perfectly. Was great to watch the change. Soon a horde of other divers descended on our spot, so we moved off. 

 

Dinner at Kramers tonight, winding through huge oil tanks through what feels like an industrial dock, but we remembered the food being amazing. Our memory was on point and of the 10 meals it seemed like they only missed it on one where Nelly's fish wasn't prepared as good as it could have been. 

It wasn't until I read the menu that I remembered the Hammerhead Hot Sauce. So good I bought a bottle to take home last trip. Sadly they can't print labels any more and I wasn't confident I could get an unlabelled bottle through customs... so I settled to just having it with my fries.

Day 4 - Search for Manta Ray's

Sites:  Blue Corner, German Channel, Turtle Cove

Slightly earlier today with a 745 pickup... which was bang on time! During dinner last night an old rumour bubbled to the surface about air pressure underwater and the ability to... off-gas (cut the cheese, break wind, pop one off, give a toot, let some breeze out the back door, empty the gas tank.... ahem... fart) underwater. The rumour had 10m as the hard limit ... but some of us doubted this information, recalling times in the past where we sent a few extra bubbles to the surface... so we decided to put this theory to the test, with a little healthy competition. 

 

Back out to Blue Corner, current was a lot stronger than yesterday and we still had quite the show. Flapping in the current a bit more as it was running hard and slightly on an angle but we all managed to find a spot to call our own. Barely back on the boat we were already getting a range of new scientific data, ranging from an adventurous 0.4m deep to an impressive 14.6m, a clear front runner.Limited data still at this point though, so we bravely all decided to continue our scientific pursuit. Though we clarified that any follow through would be an instant disqualification!

 

 

Second dive off to German Channel in search of Manta Ray's. We kneeled on the sand a bit looking but nothing to see. The best entertainment came in the shape of cleaner Wrasse attacking SNRs ears. A few others got swooped too but I had the perfect view of them attacking his head. We then went off to look elsewhere and found a few Nudi before a single Manta glided over head and off into the distance. If you look hard enough you can see it off in the blue...  

 

 

We went off for lunch on an island which was really nice. A few other groups here, it's always a good show seeing the Instagram photo shoots. Ages of time and poses to get the perfect shot... 

Third Dive was through a chimney hole then onto a wall. Not a huge amount of life to see but I really loved the structure. Lots of small/medium caverns and holes and overhangs in the reef worth poking your head into. Again not too much in the way of any Nudibranch, but very cool geography. 

 

Taco Tuesday at the Drop Off bar, with $6 margaritas... I had a beer. The Tacos were really good but I was a bit hungry after so I also got quesadilla which Tracy had to help me finish. Others also wanted another taco as they were still a bit peckish, but instead of getting 4 tacos they got four sets of 3 tacos... but still managed to polish them all off. They had a great local singer doing covers of heaps of classic songs. We thought the Mexican might help in our scientific endeavours.

Day 5 - Get Wrecked!

Sites:  Iro Maru, Siaes Tunnel, Ulong Wall

First dive on a old Japanese oil tanker, used in WWII. Sitting pretty in the sand at around 35m, the deck is flush at 18 ish. Absolutely coated in coral and quite a bit of life. Lots of Nudi to find... but all the exact same kind :o We were able to enter the loading doors of the hull (blue ocean above us) and look around, but no actual penetration. Other ships sunk as a similar time have collapsed recently, and they didn't want to risk a Diver getting stuck... The Guns were very overgrown with Coral, but you can still make them out.

 

Second dive was on a really nice wall. Huge cavern entrance in the wall with 2 large 'window' exits. At the far back of the cavern Nelly, Craig and I witnessed a giant Green Moray eel darting in and out of the rocks. It was really cool to just sit there and watch. The rest of the dive along the wall was really nice too and I got to see one of my favourite underwater critters, Marg found a Persian Carpet Flat Worm. Love their vibrant colours. 

 

On the way to the third we came across a huge pod, at least 50 strong, of spinner dolphins. Driving past them we picked up a few that were playing in the bow wave of the boat. At one stage about a dozen were right in front of us. The third dive was along another wall with a really gentle current to push us along. A few more Nudi and loads of healthy coral, plus some big schools of fish. Yuki also managed to find a cute little white Nudi, far too small for me to attempt taking a picture, that was maybe 5mm total in length. 

 

At one point I was tapped on the shoulder to bare witness for an off-gas record attempt at 18.6m deep. Jury is still out, but being the honour system, we let the record stand. 

 

After the dive we hit up a beach for lunch and to give SNR his birthday cake (and sing, of course). As we took a little bit longer than expected we got caught with the boat getting stuck on the low tide. Lucky we had some boat beers to kill the time. Eventually the boat floated off the reef and we made it back to Sam's dock around 530. Quick turn around and shower before heading out to dinner.

 

A short 10 ish min walk to dinner tonight but the restaurant we were planning to head to closed early. Luckily Zigu was right next door. Japanese style restaurant with pretty reasonable prices, service was a little haphazard but I thought the food was fantastic. 

Day 6 - Holey Moley

Sites:  Virgin Blue Hole, Blue Corner, Fairy Lands/New Drop Off

Another filling breakfast and back on the boat. Once again cruising through some beautiful islands on the way to the dives, this time diving in Virgin Hole, which I don't remember from our last trip. A great hole down into a ~100m large tunnel out to the reef wall. At one point it feels a bit dark, but nowhere are you at a point you can't see natural light. Just as we exited the tunnel I found a cool flat worm. We followed along the wall where we found a bit more macro stuff, more flat worms, nudibranch etc etc. On the surface one of our strongest scientists also confirmed a new trip (world!?) record for managing to Sound the Horn at a very impressive 21.6m deep (or was it 21.7m...? I really should have better record keeping in the pursuit of science...)

 

 

 

Second dive we looked at a spot but the current was apparently too strong so we changed plans and went back to blue corner. Not as much action, fish life wise, this dive but there was a huge school of Barra that hung around a while. The main entertainment came from watching a different boat load of divers deal with the surging current. There was one Diver being dragged around by their Guide. The guide had a strong grip on their tank stem and was struggling to move both of them through the current as the Diver flailed their arms and bicycle kicked, which gets you nowhere...  

Third was on Fairly Lands with a drift to New Drop off. Not too much in the first third of the dive but close to Drop Off we started to see a few sharks, a huge school of barracuda and absolutely loads of green and hawksbill turtles. Probably the most turtles I've seen in any one location.

 

When back at the dock Coralie and Marg dropped in on residual air to search for mandarin fish, which they found. Others enjoyed a nice Red Rooster Beer while they waited and some of us headed straight back to the hotel. 

Next door to the Drop Off bar for dinner again. It was fairly busy and we had to wait until a few tables were free for them to rearrange for us. Eventually we sat down and had a fairly reasonably priced meal. Pizzas were absolutely massive!

Day 7 - Cozy Caves

Sites:  Haf Adai, Sea Plane, Chandelier Cave, Sam's Wall

Up and ready for our last day of diving, another great breakfast at the Cove Resort before being picked up. Only 7 of us on the boat today and we headed to a wreck for the first dive. It was raining pretty heavily all morning, and the boat ride out was no different getting some of us a bit soaked before we even arrived. Loads of Blue Dragon (pipe cleaner) Nudibranch and a new to me Flat Worm was cool. Lots of fish life, no current and all round a good dive. We surfaced to clear blue skies, as if there was never any rain at all. With the remaining dives to be shallow we would no longer have the chance to set any more records, but that's not excuse to stop practising... I think we need to move to phase two trials, and include a wider range of participants.

 

On the way to the second dive site we had a bit of a history tour seeing some Pill boxes and gun placements before finding a crashed sea plane to dive on. Fairly shallow at 13ish meters but the plane is fairly intact for how long its been down. Yuki found a Shaun The Sheep Nudibranch on some coral growing on the mooring rope. With the size of them, and the sway of the rope, it was impossible to get a picture. 

 

 

Third Dive, on residual air, was Chandelier Cave. We arrived there alone but as we were receiving our dive brief 2 boats from a Live Aboard approached with at least a dozen divers each. So we skipped ahead, threw on our gear and jumped in. As we were in the first air pocket half of them swam under us, heading for the 4th hole. 

I love the cave system with huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling. As we entered the 2nd room the other half swam under, in a bit of a rush.... By the time we reached the third they were already heading out and we had the 4th (much smaller) room to ourselves. After enjoying the Caves for a while we headed out. I hung back a little to enjoy the darkness and quiet with my torch off and everyone else gone. 

 

We were going to do a 'black out' exit, using only the faint light from the entrance to guide us, but the other group was still in hole three shining their torches down onto us. When we exited we had a look around for Mandarin Fish and eventually found a very skittish one. No good pics as it was deep in some coral so we eventually gave up.

When back to the boat I found out Nelly had lost her torch, so Nelly and I went back in to have a look. No luck. Once again back on the boat and the last of the other dive group were just making their way to the surface. One of them had found Nelly's torch on their way in! Yay. No wonder we couldn't find it!

Back to Sam's for our 8th dive for the day (my dive watch counting surfacing at the cave air pockets as individual dives...) We jumped in on their dock wall, didn't see much for the first 5 or so min but eventually the Mandarin fish started coming out of hiding and there were loads to see, some in good places... not sure I managed to get a good picture anyway... there was also quite a few pipe fish. Including one we thought might be pregnant.  

 

When we hopped out it was time to sort gear. Hanging some up to dry and shaking off other quicker drying stuff to take back to the hotel. Enjoyed the poolside drinks before heading back to Sam's for Dinner (they have a limited bar menu) they were meant to have live music and a bit of a celebration... it was a bit bigger than we expected. Loud. Very Loud. 

I took a break from the noise and walked out on the boat jetty and found a cool squid. While looking at the squid and a bunch of fish whirl-pooling I saw a white tip shark dart in and take something before speeding off into the dark. With that done it was time for me to head back and get some sleep :o. 

 

Day 8 - Rest (?) and Recover (and dry gear!)

Some enjoyed a later sleep in but I was still down to breakfast around 7 to find Alan already mostly finished his. We mulled around ideas for the day and some of us settled on visiting the Ngardmau Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in Micronesia, while others were going shopping and others were relaxing in their rooms. 

Our pickup was 930 am and it was about a 35min drive, with our driver Ben getting upset at the slow drivers, otherwise I reckon he could have cracked 30min... $10 entry to the falls area, but it didn't look like a whole lot of that made it through to track maintenance. There use to be a monorail to/from the falls, but all that is left now is the rusting infrastructure. Some cool pitcher plants and Orchids just off the track as well. 

Lots of steps and due to yesterday's rain quite a few muddy patches. Some cool native orchids and pitcher plants lined some of the path, very pretty flowers. We eventually joined along side a creek, that was flowing towards the falls... but it turned off as we crossed it over a nice suspension bridge and we saw where the falls flowed into it. Falls themselves were fairly impressive, definitely not as tall as some we have close to home, but a nice flow and great greenery behind them.

 

 

It was definitely getting pretty hot though. High humidity to boot, but there was a cool breeze. All those steps on the way back out took a bit of effort, so we took it slow and had a few breaks. Not really a 'rest' day! On one break there was a cool little lizard sitting on the hand rail rope... apparently. I walked right past it! At least I got to see Nelly's picture. Before we set off to the falls we noted the little shop had a decent price for Ice creams, so in the heat we all (well, definitely at least me) were really hanging out for one... but they lost power yesterday... so they didn't have any...

On the ride back to the hotel our driver got a call saying someone had dropped a card near the pay booth, and asked if it was us. We didn't get a name, or description, so it was a guessing game before a few phone tag calls later the driver got a name, it was one of us, but they would send the card with another group leader to our hotel. Phew!

When we got back Nelly and I walked down to Sam's to collect the last of our (sort of dry-ish) dive gear. They were kind enough to have a van drop us back, even though it was only a 5min walk, not having to wheel the gear back was very welcomed. The Drop Off bar had fairly reasonable prices, so we went back there for lunch. 

After lunch we went to the store to get some snacks for the trip home, the Qantas hostie mentioned that sometimes the catering on the home flight form Palau can be a little light on... Luckily the mini-mart also had Ice cream! 

I then jumped into the pool... might as well use it once... and sit on their in-pool stalls to finish the last of our duty free scotch. Others came down and we got a card game going until it was time to get ready for dinner.

 

Back to the Taj for our farewell dinner was a fantastic choice. We had a mixed table meal again and everything tasted amazing. Craig read out a few 'awards' for the silly things we did over the week and I think we could all collectively agree that The Taj gets the award for the best meals of the trip. Soon though it was time for bed, our last night in Palau.

Day 9 - Homeward Bound. 

Up a bit earlier to pack away gear. Mostly dry, with just my tech shorts a tiny bit damp still. Down for breakfast for another good feed... though the hash browns were hollow and see through... Bacon was still nice though not how I would cook it... they even had chicken tenders in the mix today...  

Bus turned up a little early but we were mostly ready anyway. Quick traffic free drive to the Airport and Nelly made sure to make time for a Geo-Cache in the car park before checking in. The Airport was like a ghost town when we arrived. Slowly a few more people trickled in. 

I think this might be the only Airport I have ever been in with a fancy departure board and only one flight up on the schedule. Other smaller airports I've been in also only had 1 flight, but they were so small that they didn't have/need a departure board... Another game of cards started while we were waiting while some read books and others took advantage of the free WiFi. 

Flight was half empty again so we were able to spread out this time too. Nice way to fly! At 6 hours it's just enough time to fit in 3 in-flight movies. The warning about snacks was somewhat justified, no hot meal service, but a decent snack pack with dried fruit, chocolate biscuits, olives and a few other nibbles.  

 

After landing we had the usual Customs and Immigration fun, but it didn't take too long. Due to the waterfall walk we had to declare our shoes, but we gave them a good clean in the hotel before we left so we got waved through without issue.  

Lift home (thanks mum!) via take-away for dinner. It was a fantastic trip, though living expenses over there were a bit higher than I remember... Good to be home, unpack all the dive gear ready for tomorrow... still a bit of washing to do before the trip is officially done :o

Thanks again to my dive buddies for making it another smooth and easy trip. The Sam's crew was good to dive with and its great Yuki and Danny took our experience into account when leading our dives! Big thanks to Bax, our skipper for the week, dropping us in the right spot and taking care of surface watch too!

Diving - 2024 04 - Lady Musgrave Island (URGQ)

Off for another wonderful island adventure with the URGQ dive club. Every couple of years we get ready to load up our vehicles with 2 weeks worth of food, camping and diving gear. Scuba tanks, fridges, camping solar etc etc it can quickly fill a 4wd... plus a trailer for some!  

Day 0

I was heading up with my sister so I dropped round the day before to load gear. Come Friday morning I was dropped off and we started the drive north to Gladstone. We were stopping about 40min short tonight at Koorawatha Homestead in Bororen as we were catching the barge later the following morning.  

We leapfrogged a few fellow travellers before reaching our destination for the night and 5 other friends. Great dinner and reasonable prices. Rooms were good too and nice hot showers with pressure... last chance for one for 2 weeks...  

Day 1

A short leg to finish off the drive to Gladstone, to meet Curtis Ferries. A quick stop off for fuel and last minute supplies before we met everyone at the gate and started catching up. Before too long it was time to load all of our gear into crates... it's meant to be 4-5 adults per crate but with the dive gear (and a few comforts) 4 can be a tight fit, manageable but tight.

With the crates packed it was time to load onto the barge and set sail. Not the best conditions. Smashing head on into 2m swell and 20kt winds. Made for a bumpy slower trip over. Though not as bad as I expected. A few people got a little queasy and surprisingly I pulled through ok. 

Arriving after dark SNR and I launched Diver 1 (the club boat) off the barge ramp and quickly prepared it for the night. 2 Anchors and strapping tyres under the keel as at low tide it can sit on the floor.   

A short swim to shore and then we got stuck into helping unload. All the gas and Scuba tanks were already off! People hauling ass tonight! Still plenty for us to help with though as we laboured, with everyone else, to walk 2 weeks worth of gear up the beach as fast as possible.  

Eventually all of our gear was off the barge, including 2x 200lt fuel drums and 10x 200lt water drums, and we said our goodbyes to the Curtis crew. Then begun the task of setting up camp for the night. at ~1130pm... Some opted for the basics only, just a tarp and fridges, while others had most of their get setup before bed. Kristie and I got our tent, bedding and fridges sorted but decided to leave the Solar and kitchen setup until morning. It was just before 1am when I finally crashed onto my stretcher.

Day 2

A day of tinkering. We had mostly completed our setup in the wee hours of the night before but there were a few small things to do, like setup the wetsuit drying rack and arrange kitchen tables. For breakfast we had setup the gazebo to mostly just prevent wayward bird poop but we were lucky we did because we got a fairly decent rain shower before we finished eating.  

Others were taking longer to perfect their home for the next 2 weeks, some more elaborate than others, but it's always good to see what works for them and scope out good ideas you can copy and make your own. It was also time to move the water barrels off the beach and take all the fuel to the Fuel Depot. Everyone was mostly done by lunch so I drummed up interest for an afternoon shore dive. 

10 of us walked out the 200m to the reef edge and dropped in. Decent vis for the house reef. We saw a bull ray, flat worms, a few Nudies a Maui Wrasse and a cool little Epaulette shark. He was tucked deep in a hole though and hard to get a good pic of.  

Back in time for the first real sunset drinks of the trip (on the barge doesn't count!) For a nice orange sunset and a few words on house rules (like closing the toilet seat in the composting toilets, which the previous campers on the island DID NOT DO!) We also realised that we may have left our Dive planning whiteboard behind... so back to organising dives in an exercise book Nelly had luckily packed :o 

After the long day yesterday and short nights sleep (some people still setting up at 2:30am) most people were pretty knackered and were heading to bed by 8, I wasn't far behind just before 9...

Day 3

Up for a very civilised 815 departure to get our first boat dive of the trip in. When I woke up the boat was still sitting on the tyres (which Gary gave a great facelift, with added pool noodles) that prevents the keel sitting on the reef. 

It was soon floating though and divers were surprisingly ready on time so we headed off. Not the best weather still with the South-East winds hitting us at about 20kt. So we had to stay in the leeward side of the island. A nice wall with a few scattered bodies on 20m depth we saw quite a bit of fish life and a few more Nudi etc. 

There was also a cool little Octopus tucked in a hole and a few divers caught a glimpse of a Peacock Mantis Shrimp which had retreated too far into its hole for me to see. Luckily we had a little cherry on top of what was already a good dive. Just as we were ascending for our safety stop a Manta Ray came out of the blue right under us. It did a few laps of a Bommie before peeling off and almost waving goodbye as it faded off into the distance. 

I went Skipper for the next dive and dropped them in at the same spot. A few extra nudis, not seen on the first dive, and again plenty of fish life. It's a good spot, but we know there is better around here, when you have good weather to reach them.  

Speaking of... while on the surface I had plenty of time to look at the very impending rain clouds getting ready to dump on us. Wind picked up a bit too and we had to pan the third Dive. Following a drift dive in the chop surface, with rain, is difficult to say the least.

With the afternoon free a few of us sat down to a good game of 500. Where Craig and I thoroughly walloped SNR and Tracy... or at least that's how I remember it. No need to check the score card. Before long it was sunset drinks and dinner. 

On an earlier scout Giselle and Steve saw some fresh Turtle tracks so a few went off searching in the dark. No luck tonight. We are here a bit past hatching season but we usually see a few late bloomers. As we were gearing up for bed and doing the last toot run to the camp toilets a short shower came over. A few got caught getting back to their tents. 

About 20 to midnight I woke to a very heavy downpour. At first I was confident in our setup but as it kept on coming down heavy 5 min later I thought I better check... Just in case. The front fly of our tent can be setup a few different ways and has some window options that can drip when it's used as an awning. 

Everything was holding together well. Through the kitchen we had a little creek flowing, but it seemed to divert away from anything important. Then peter out into the sand just past our games room. (We normally would have a 'Games room' but we've setup a shared kitchen space with Bruce, Tracey and Belinda.) So I was able to fall back asleep really easy knowing we were fine. 

Day 4

Did the camp loop in the morning to see how everyone faired. A few pools here and there, some definite erosion pools where some of the bigger tarps discharge but everyone was mostly OK. Nellys Gazebo had some impressive pools. About 5 buckets worth over two pools. Much more rain and I've had one buckle under that weight. Some tinkering to be had...  

First dive not until 920 (I'm going deck crew for Craig, he's a great skipper but not much experience following divers on drift dives yet.) With time to spare until then Kristie and I had a cooked breakfast morning. Yum bacon. Sitting down eating looking out to lots of rain clouds and showers hitting Fairfax island, or just past it. Alan had already done a morning stroll and saw nothing but grey clouds on on the horizon... and almost got knocked over by the wind! More sheltered diving for today...

Dropped the divers in at Manta Bommies and began to follow them. Didn't have to go far they travelled all of 50m the entire dive. Back with reports of minimal current (we guessed that...) and loads of Manta Ray's. They also saw a HUGE logger head Turtle.  

Keen to see the sights dive 2 dropped in on the same spot and we saw... blue water... Still a good dive, and I do like the large Boulder Coral Bommies jutting out from the sand, but no mantas to speak of. That was at least until Belinda and I split from the main group. Just as we were ending our safety stop I saw a remora and knew one must be close. We caught a brief glimpse of one before it turned off into the blue and we finished our dive.  

For dive three those on the first wanted the same experience and those on the second wanted another chance so back to the same spot. This time upon entry we saw a Manta Ray, same bommie we started dive 2 on, but this time with a calm friendly Manta. It hung around doing laps for about 15min before finally moving on. The result of the dive was pleasant and the current had just started to pick up 40min in.  

As Kristie and I drifted along for our safety stop we floated past a modest school of Barracuda and then right near the end found another 3 Manta. 2 sitting pretty on a Bommie, nice and still. We were a little away so didn't get a close look, but we both thought it must have been a cleaning station.

Some more brilliant sunset drinks... but not much of a sunset with the clouds. A quick dinner and a short evening before turning in for bed. 

Day 5

Woke up with a small itch to discover a tick had nestled in near the middle of my chest... isn't island wildlife amazing? Rails are plentiful but aren't quite keeping up with cockroach control either. Them and the ants are the worst I have ever seen them here. Plenty of bird life but a distinct lack of mutton birds. No-one has even been dive bombed yet!

Lazy morning to wait out the low tide. First dive not until 1040. With a little spare time I gave Belinda the run through in the air compressor, and how to use it to fill Scuba Tanks, and we even got to be party to a filter change as it had reached expiry. Thanks Al!

Finally we jumped in the boat to head out and met the same strong winds as before. Perhaps a little stronger, so we decided to dive closer to the island. It was a pretty good spot to drop, nice boulder coral bommies and a few Manta Ray's hanging about too. I also caught a very brief glimpse of a Bull Shark. Decent sized fella too. Only hung about just enough to see what we were up to before slinking back off into the blue. There was also a huge fish vortex, enough to engulf 9 spread out divers.

Straight back for dive 2 at the same spot and we once again found sone friendly Manta. They must have felt relaxed around us because one decided to relieve themselves. A great basketball sized ball of Manta Guano floated out and started disintegrating right in front of our eyes. As if the bird poop on the island wasn't enough... After the show we moved on and found a giant Green Moray chilling under some coral. 

Third Dive went out and I got stuck into some chores. My SMB has a small leak so I dried it off and applied some repair patches (duct tape...) which seem to hold air well enough on the surface... I also changed the battery in my dive computer as it beeped on me on the first dive... I also took the opportunity to rotate batteries as the freezer battery had dropped a little. Though it was fully recharged by mid arvo.  

Down for sunset drinks, the first unobstructed by clouds for the trip. I couldn't partake in the drinks but Ged made an amazing Focaccia. I couldn't drink because 5 of us were dropping in for a night dive. Lined up the channel with 2 navigation lights and we headed in to an orange horizon. 

Not the most amazing night dive I've had but still a bit to see. Including a cool little Octopus and some nice porcelain Shrimp (can you find them under the purple?) Plenty of Hermit Crabs but they were very skittish and hid away quickly. Had a go trying to see the bio-luminescence but it wasn't very strong/bright tonight so might need another dive to see them.  

Back for a later dinner and a wind down (or up...) playing a card game called blitz. Still in bed fairly early... it's a long day diving... even with a sleep in. 

Day 6

Another lazy morning with a midday dive so enough time to cook pancakes for breakfast. The gluten free shaker is a bit runny mixing to instructions so we added a bit of extra flour back in to thicken it. Mid morning a few people headed out at low tide for a reef walk and spotted a few interesting critters. 

Lunch was leftovers of beef ravioli on a wrap before heading out for the first dive. It had just started to rain so I popped my SMB early on the dive to help Craig on the surface follow us. Down below was an OK dive but not as much life here as yesterday. Still hanging out for good weather and outer spots...  

I did manage to find a nice, and really small, pipe fish and a cool Bull ray. We also had a remora follow us for 90% of the dive, having lost his Manta buddy along the way, which was unfortunate for us. The usual Nudi and a few schooling fish and some very impressive Beehive Coral. 

I was skipper for second and the rain had stopped but wind had picked up making it a bit lumpy on the surface. Slow drift made it easy to follow divers even with choppy surface conditions. No Mantas again but an Octopus more fish...  

Tonight was our first shared dinner/dress up night so everyone went off to get ready for sunset drinks. Kristie and I got ready and they discovered that we both had the same idea for Retro night, Hippies. So we looked like a matching set despite no planning.  

Food at the dinner was amazing, as always, and plentiful. Lots and lots of food. We made it though dinner before it started spitting and all shuffled under Phil, Jules and Helens shelters as it started getting heavier. Jules ran a trivia game, I gave it a fair run but Al Dodd eventually pulled away as the winner.

A few more card games at night before bed. On and off rain showers, but camp is well setup so nothing to worry about.

Day 7

Few heavy rains through the night again. Resulting in Nelly's Gazebo having a catastrophic failure. Bruce had a solar controller in a flow path that got a bit damp. For some reason it didn't like that... Tried to sleep in but was still out of bed by 7am. No morning dive today with the first scheduled for 125pm. 

With the morning free Craig and I went to visit the lighthouse that we totally didn't climb and definitely did not enjoy the amazing view from the top. Got an updated weather report with the service I got from not being up the lighthouse tower and while we might have a good few days next week; More of the same was to be expected...  

After returning to camp we heard that we had a familiar sting of a faulty Compressor. It's filling tanks fast but randomly cutting out. Suspected oil sensor tripping or electrical fault. Leaning heavily on Belinda's Starlink Bruce was able to contact some tech support and we leaned towards an oil trip sensor as we possibly needed more oil after the last filter change. 

Needing a few empty tanks to test the theory 5 of us went out for an afternoon dive to Barney Rubble. An OK wall dive, but only Dived as it's on the protected side. An Octopus, nudi eggs, a Moray and a fish cleaning station kept the dive interesting at least. Near the end there was also a large Napoleon Wrasse hanging just at the edge of vis. I also thought it might be funny to wear they Hippie Glasses underwater... they don't make a very good mask...

Back on the surface to find the weather had taken a turn for the worst. Wind picked up and it had started spitting. Giselle, with her newly minted boat license, saw us safely to shore. Where the weather got worse still. Lucky Phil, Jules and Helen had ample room for "sunset" drinks... not that you could see it through the rain. 

From there it just got heavier and heavier until I went to bed with it still pouring down. A few small pools and flows around our setup again, but clear of anything critical. 

Day 8

A second gazebo partially collapsed, but was salvageable. Which was lucky as we woke to another grey sky day. With a few dull days the batteries running the fridges are getting a bit low and people are juggling power. We have enough for now but with another grey day we'll be getting in the lower side too. 

Due to the rain yesterday arvo we did the dive planning in the morning. Low tide out front so we chose to utilise the lagoon as a landing zone. Wind had dripped off a lot so we headed for LM Caves, but big swell saw us shelter back at Manta Bommies. I was skipper and only 3 divers in the first. Craig was the 4th but was feeling off and made the wise choice to wait for the next dive. 

Good reports of Mantas and a few nurse sharks saw us heading there for dive 2. (Or dive ~15... for this trip) Still a good drop. No nurse sharks but some mantas, including a cool black belly one, flat worm a few Octopus, cockatoo wasp fish ect ect. First dive drifted about 800m. We went 80m...  

Third Dive we tried something different, the wall just east of the entrance. Slightly shallower dive with a really well defined wall. Lots of overhangs and holes to look in. Few Nudi, blue spotted ray and a Giant Green Moray sitting in some stag coral. Jed also got his first hour long dive! Which is a nice achievement for a new Diver. 

The sun finally poked through the clouds at 430pm, bit late for power purposes, but very nice for sunset drinks. Camp hosts also turned up and seemed really nice. Looked like a bumpy ride over on the 1770 flyer though. Compressor seems to be running great. 

When getting stripped of dive gear at camp Tracey noticed another tick on my shoulder. I've had the suit on since early morning and it looked a decent size so we think it was on me for a while. He was dead and came out really easily. Guess he didn't really like being taken along for 2 dives today... oh well. Nice and easy spaghetti bog for dinner before an early night (as I'm on the early dive.)

Day 9

Awake for the early dive but with a drizzle and grey skies I decided to give it a miss. Report came back with Nurse Sharks, Mantas and Octopus. There was a rumour that dive 2 might make it to 'Musgrave Caves' so I jumped on. On the way out from camp Craig lost his sunnies overboard and valiantly dived in to save them, right next to the still spinning propeller... He also had an open packet of nuts for a lunch snack, that he maliciously managed to keep dry. In the end it was a bit rough and the Caves are a deeper advanced site, so with some less experienced divers on board, we took the safe path and headed to Entrance wall. 

It was a perfectly pleasant (read: boring) dive. A nice little Peacock Mantis Shrimp who posed for a bit was the only highlight. Back through the lagoon to pick up more divers. I was skipper and we went back near Manta Bommie for another dive. 

After the dive we dropped off divers and paid a visit to Pete and Phil who had just came back from fishing. We gave Phil a lift to shore and wind made it difficult to get back out of the channel without a bunch of divers to manage Diver 1 in the wind. We had some extra time anyway as we had to wait for the tide to come back in to get over the reef shelf at camp. As it was Gary and I still had to hang out for 30 or so minutes before we could just sneak it over. 

The usual sunset drinks and Dive planning before heading back for dinner. We had a few visitors over tonight to play some cards and ended up having a pretty late night before getting to bed. 

Day 10

Up early-ish for dive 1 and weather dictated we drop in at SURPRISE! Manta Bommie again. It's a good site to dive but I feel like I can start to name the fish... Still there were a few friendly Mantas that hung about and were happy to come quite close. 

Taking some time to look down, rather than into the blue, we also found a Cow Tailed Ray on the sand as well as an Octopus, Conc Shell, a yellow nudi with white spots (which might be a new one for me) and a purple Cockatoo Wasp Fish. Current was nice to drift with just floating along until the next bommie and ducking behind it for some reprieve. 

Skipper for the second and we had to push to beat the outgoing tide. We took off to be called back for Marg to grab her dry bag and eye glasses, left on the boat when she took off her gear form the first dive. More Mantas hanging about and a few Nurse sharks were reported when divers got back. They drifted even further than the first dive. 

Around to the lagoon side to drop divers (low tide means we can't park in front of camp) just after a bunch of tourist day trippers were also dropped off. Divers on a crunch to get back to camp, or over from camp, weaving through the masses of people... who haven't figured out 'keep left' yet...  

For the third Dive we decided to head to the leeward of the island again to try minimise the surface wind (is this record broken...?) and ended up on the wall about 2/3rds of the way from the lagoon entrance to camp. It's an OK site, but would greatly depend on what you can find. Stag coral was interesting sad to see plenty of dead patches but mixed in was some bright neon blue which looked really nice in contrast. 

3 Octopus, 2 turtles (including the first Hawksbill I've seen this trip) plenty of Anemone and fish life. Find of the dive though, for me, was a Persian Carpet Flat Worm. One of my favourite critters to see under water. The pictures don't do justice to the vibrant colours they can have. 

Back to the lagoon again and one of the Yachts moored up in the lagoon decided to anchor their tender right in the middle of the very narrow channel through the coral. Despite 70m away on shore there being a big "No Anchor Zone" sign, with colour pictures and everything... 

After we managed that, and got back out Kristie and I still had about a 40min wait before there was enough water over the reef to park near camp. Craig met us as we were finally able to get in and sent us off to get dry as he got Diver 1 situated for bed. Thanks Craig! 

 

 

Just before sunset drinks the Camp Hosts came to find someone with Marine Radio experience... for some reason that was me (???) I was able to ascertain that they had their volume incredibly low... so at least they could now send/receive to our boat and our hand held. We couldn't, however, raise the Coast Guard (who they were meant to check in with.) Neither could we off the boat. Pete also mentioned that he had trouble getting onto them when he left Port yesterday... keen for an update...

Tonight was another dress up night, Olympic theme. I still had my Soccer Referee uniform from back in the day (and line flags.) We were split into teams and through the afternoon/night there were various games. The Clay Nudibranch construction seemed to cinch the win for the Jamaican Team. Though Jeds amazing sports trivia knowledge did claw back some ground. Senior, of course, was awarded a Red Card for some... creative... solutions to the Marshmallow relay race. 

Day 11

Sleep in today with no skipper duties. First dive was 730am and with people stirring I was still awake by 7... lazy morning though I was able to chill out at breakfast and enjoy the sun, which has sorely been lacking the last few days. There was a quick turnover for the second dive, so quick we almost left without Bruce, who was switching Regs. We dropped in on the house reef as Manta Bommies are just around the point and it was particularly blowy.  

As soon as we dropped down we saw a nice green Turtle that hung about for a little bit. Kerry found a huge (4-5 inches) Nudie we circled back for and the we found a few more not too long later. A bit shallower we still found a huge Beehive Coral. Such a large overhang on it I felt like I was entering a cavern.  

Kristie was out front of the pack and found a Manta that barely stuck around for one lap before shooting off. As we continued on we were nearing the end of the dive and under a mushroom shaped rock I found one of the Neon Blue trimmed nudibranch, got a few quick shots before meeting the others on the safety stop.  

Back on shore and dried off I headed off up a tree to see if I could get phone service. I think a few messages got though but no responses before I had to climb back down. I then had every intention of joining a few others on a low tide reef walk but may have been distracted by a cold can of cider and a 'Nearest to the pin' game a few of us invented while tossing empty cans towards the can crusher...  

Another bit of a fizzle for a sunset but tasty snacks as always. Spag bog again for dinner before an earlier night to bed... because of the aforementioned empty can throwing game...  

Day 12

Another night of heavy rain and another gazebo succumbed to inundation. You really need the anti-pooling devices. I use pool noodles, but Broomfields and Dodds have compact little plastic corner clips that seem to do a good job too. Lucky the new Compressor Gazebo has built in anti-pooling. 

I had to be up a little earlier today to take Diver 1 out with Gary and Al D to collect a mooring line left behind by Pete. With the rough conditions it was a hard task to do solo on a boat, control the position of the boat and work the line at the same time. As soon as we got back there were keen divers on the beach ready, which was great to see. Quick turn around and I took them out to house bommie. A good dive for those that hadn't been there to see the massive overhangs of the Boulder Coral. A few squalls of rain came over making surface watch a little more uncomfortable. Luckily though it does tend to calm down the chop of the water to make it easier seeing the bubbles of the divers. 

I jumped in for dive 2 at much the same place and saw a bunch of the usuals. Find for this dive was probably the Yellow Cockatoo Wasp fish Nelly spotted. There was also more Morays an Octopus and a Peacock Mantis Shrimp, that was well and truly retreated into its hole when pointed out to me. 

Lazy afternoon again but I managed to get out on the reef walk this time. Not a huge amount to see this time, a Sea Hare was kinda cool as were the dark orange Crabs with beady red eyes. Other usual life, like the Epaulette shark, Octopus, smaller morays etc seemed to elude me though. 

Sunset drinks had a bit more formality today as we tried to agree on a plan for tomorrow (packing the barge.) We settled on 1 dive, as some campers require the majority of the days light to pack up. After dinner was a few more drinks and chats before heading to bed for our last night on the island 

Day 13

Casual morning getting wet for a 9am dive. We do have to pack up today but the barge isn't due until 9pm. Dropped in on the house Bommie area again and immediately saw a huge Nurse Shark chilling under a Boulder Coral ledge.  From there we briefly caught a glimpse of another Manta before continuing on to see Octopus, Giant Green Moray, a normal Moray and a few Nudis and a Turtle.  

Back to shore I was taking off the wetsuit for the last time so I did it in the ocean to give it a bit of a rinse and avoid sand. As I was exiting a wave picked up a chunk of coral and smashed it into my foot... I had been pretty good this trip until then...  

With gear out to dry Kristie and I started to tinker at packing up. Inside the tent was mostly vacant, boxes consolidated to save space etc. Shelters and kitchen stayed up for lunch and I tried to have an arvo nap, to no avail, as I knew I wouldn't sleep well on the barge.  

As the day dragged on people started to stream back and forth taking gear to the loading point on the beach. Some people have different strategies, packing up pieces here and there spread out over the day, where others get stuck in during the morning leaving only bare essentials up. Some choosing to leave final packs to near the end. I like tinkering about over the course of the day. Though with the occasional rain shower it's good to have a pack down where you can cover things to keep them dry.  

When we got to the tent we discovered no less than 17 Giant Centipedes (Ethmostigmus rubripes) hiding under the ground mat and the awning of the tent. They scattered pretty quickly when exposed to the light. We were lucky that unlike others (inc Tracey who got bitten!) we didn't have any inside during our trip.  

Eventually dinner and packing was done and we joined others for our final sunset on the beach to wait out the final hours until the barge arrived. Eventually we saw the barge in the horizon, steaming our way. That last little distance comes up fast and as the the tide was already high enough for the barge, they came straight in. A few people needed to disconnect gas fridges in a hurry. 

Loading is always a big push, but we mostly have it down to a fine art. A little disappointing to see a few bed rolls getting put out before all the gear was loaded, let alone the boat. Though most people do their best to help where they can. When the loading was nearing its end Gary and I swam out to Diver 1 to pack away the tires, pull up the anchor, and get it ready.  

A bit of water had got in so we drove about a little to get some out. We also collected a sea cucumber with the tires so safely saw it back home. Soon the loading was finished and the barge pulled away from the island and we lined up to hit the ramp. 

Much much better conditions than last trip meant I could hit the trailer, hanging on the barge ramp, dead on first try. But just after I did a little wave pushed us sideways. Backing off a little and another small wave corrected course and we were on. Once on board we also realised a Mutton Bird had tried to sneak on with us too!

 

Finally able to head up stairs to sort bedding for the night. Even with only 20 people the floor space seems to be premium. With that sorted I headed for the showers to wash off 2 weeks worth of Sand, salt and sunscreen (+ the bird poop.. I then spent the next 5 or so hours trying to get to sleep. 

Day 14

I finally fell asleep around 3am, then felt like I was awoken almost immediately around 515. The Barge was pulling into port so time to pack bedding, what little use it was is worth it. 

They took the crates off the barge with their forklift and soon we were loading them into cars and trailers. Quite a few good helpers to load all the extra gear (Club Tanks, fuel, sort the boat and lift the compressor etc.) It wasn't long before most was sorted. We said our goodbyes and started heading out around 715.

We stopped off at a Cafe 40min south of Gladstone for a quick bite before continuing on. Stuck for ~20min in road works just south of Tiaro, where we missed the roadwork light change by 1 car... but it seems we got lucky as it built up a little before those behind us hit the same spot. Another quick stop for an early lunch and we got to Kristies early afternoon. Then the fun but of any trip could truly begin... clean up!  

Sandy ground sheets, bird poop covered tarps and tent, lots of other boxes all sandy and needed to be sorted and packed away. At least the grass likes all the poop... We seemed to budget better with food this trip too, with not too many leftovers. You always need a few emergency stashes In case the weather is so bad the barge can't get out. 

All in all, despite the weather not being with us, another fantastic Musgrave trip with URGQ. 195 dives completed over the 2 weeks, with 5 night divers amongst that.

Thanks to Kristie and Belinda for some additional land based photos!