Travel - 2017 06 - Dubai

As we conquered Kilimanjaro a day early we had an extra day to spend in Moshi town. Honestly not a whole lot to do, but that was ok as after the mountain a relaxing day was welcomed. 

The group that I climbed with was all staying at the same hotel so it was also a good chance to say goodbye. Walking the streets to check out some street markets but mostly just head out to lunch and dinner with "Team nDoto".



Dell and I had an earlier flight so we said our goodbyes before bed. Our transport arrived and we got some breakfast boxes to go. The coffee we ordered on the tour our first day hadn't made it to us yet so we had to swing by the home of the owner of Pristine to pick it up. 

Ultimately with all that happened we were getting to the airport a lottle late. Tiny 'international' airport so it wasn't too bad. We arrived about 5 min after the flight closed but as there was only 10 pax hopping on here they reopened for us. 

It's a milk run flight so we boarded a 1/2 full plane. There was one young American lady near me who was busy reapplying her makeup. She already had more than most people headed out for a night on the town. 3 different colour things on her cheek, fresh lippy, plus a pencil thing, eye lash stuff and even got the tweezers out for her eyebrows. Kenya Airways is worth dressing up for I guess.... 

After another short stop in Zanzibar (Didn't get off the plane, but still counts right?) we headed off to Narobi. 2 hour stopover then another 6 or so hours to Dubai. Just before boarding a staff member pulled me aside to inform me that my bag never left Kilimanjaro airport. 

Baggage guys weren't too bad and promised me I'd have my bag on the next flight, of which there is only 1 a day... Shuttle bus off to easily the fanciest hotel I have ever stayed in. Driving into Dubai it felt like what I imagine it might feel like for someone living in a small country town all their life driving into the CBD for the first time. So many tall, fancy, brightly lit buildings. It makes Vegas look like Toowoomba.



Bed and hot shower are nice I guess... I still just as happy in a tent though... Another plus is that the Concierge desk was going to follow up about my bags for me. Saves me making loads of phone calls.
The next day Lyndon got to tick off one of the items on his bucket list, driving a Lamborghini. Pretty fast I guess... 



Cruised over to the Oman sea for a bit of a splash. Water temp was easily low 30's, felt like dirty bath water. With 38°c air temp we were hoping for something a little more refreshing.... Fueled up before the trip home. Lambo is thirsty but at ~50c/lt it's not as much of a concern.

Back through the streets of Dubai we found the cause of a lot of the cities smog problem. Traffic. Probably not the ideal place for the car of choice. With Dell navigating the streets safely (despite other ideas from fellow motorists) we made if back to the hotel late arvo. 

Bad news about my bag, conflicting information. That's never a good sign. Kenya Airlines said they put it on the flight, Etihad said it was never recieved. Online tracking has it doing an airport transfer on a bus. 3 different stories. At least I'm not making the phone calls yet, but if it drags on longer I'll be back in Aus and chasing it myself...

Off to a fancy mall for dinner. Indoor Snow Ski park looked fancy (but not worth paying for) and if you liked fashion the mall might be a good place. I don't.  Was bored out of my mind. Even the one 'outdoor' store had some sports things (like bats) but mostly just apparel. Thought about getting a 'small' plush toy for the Nieces and Nephews though...



Next day was and lazy one by the pool. Had to hang about for the Lambo guy (who was 3.5 hours late...) to pick up the car. Relaxed poolside with a beer though, so no loss. Streamed State of Origin and managed to watch QLD squeeze out a victory. Bag still lost in the netherworld of the airlines baggage carousels.  

Out to the tallest building in the world, The Burj Khalifa. Seems fitting after the recent hike. Lights of the city were pretty impressive, even if filtered through smog.



Another big mall. The biggest in fact (by area.) Again boring for my tastes. Back to the Sofitel. No news on the bag but early to bead for tomorrow's activities.

One thing I hate about travelling, early mornings. Up at 415am to head off to skydiving. I don't do well with mornings but it was bloody amazing jumping out of a plane. Cost/time of enjoyment isn't quite what I would call resonable but just shy of a minute free fall was exhilarating. Loved every second. Good views too. Apparently I appeared 'very comfortable' with the height, no surprises there.



Back to the hotel to checkout and off to sit in the aircon of a Mall before our night time flight. Caught a movie to kill time on our last day before catching a taxi out to the airport. On the mall wifi got an update about my bag, it should have arrived from Narobi 1.5 hours before I fly out. Though didn't make my flight. See you soon Brisbane!

Hiking - 2017 06 - Kilimanjaro

You can see the combined hike GPS track on Strava

Day 1 - Machame Gate to Machame Hut

Woke fairly early and got an early breakfast before one last hike into town. We went to what we thought was a gear store, where we could find protein bars etc, but it was only a hire/tour stop.

We then got back to the hotel to be picked up and we met our tour buddies. Two Canadian friends and a Step father and his son. Dropped excess gear off in storage at Pristine and then made our way to Machame Gate.

We had to wait at the gate for at least 2 hours while our guides sorted out permits and entry fees. They also weigh all the porters packs to ensure that no one is over burdened before they're allowed to enter the park.

We started the hike and were immediately in rain-forest that looked exactly like Springbrook. Large moss covered trees and red soil. We also had rain for about half of the distance so the track got a little muddy.

Pace was, at times, frustratingly slow. The guides said many times "Pole Pole" (pole-ey) which means slowly slowly. No point getting worn out, we had a full 6 days to reach the summit. One in our group was also feeling the effect of the steeper path so a few extra stops on the way.

Just before camp we reached the Moorland zone, trees thinned out but no view as the clouds were still all around us. Porters had already setup camp, including a mess tent for us to eat in. Wonderful dinner with a short view of the brilliant stars then turned in early for bed.

Day 2 - Machame Hut to Shira Caves

The day started with an abrupt awakening at 540 am followed quickly by some lacklustre oatmeal for breakfast. Eggs on toast were good though, as was the very welcomed and unexpected hot Milo.

We broke camp before most of the other groups. There must have been over a hundred tents standing while our porters were already packing ours down. Beautiful views already above the cloud line.

Once again we were setting a blistering pace. 0.7km per hour. Not a typo. One of our group still feeling the affect (of not being remotely in shape) meant the whole group was stuck at a slow pace. I get it, I understand it, I even sort of agree wih it, but fuck me it's not fun. Especially seeing all the other groups seemingly breeze past us.

Some amazing views of the peak on the way up and only sparse trees now to block the view. Was quite warm in the sun which was also a nice change from the frosty morning.

More of the same after a snack break strolling into camp about 1pm. Really great lunch,  they sure feed us well. After lunch was nap time though I chose to abstain. After nap time we went to check out the Shira Cave which was a pretty cool lava tube though mostly filled wih sediments.

Dinner and a few East African songs before turning in for what is meant to be a cold night.

Day 3 - Shira Caves to Barranco Camp

Spent the night mostly too warm and didn't have a very good sleep at all. Still packed early an got moving. Longer day distance wise today but not as much elevation gain. That said I still broke my on foot height record of Mt Whitney and reached just over 4600 meters of elevation.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Devils Tower which was a rather large lava plug. After a decent climb looking back over the amazing cloud bank (and our helpful helpers) we begun to descend again.

Camp today was in a sheltered valley in front of Barranco wall. Something to look forward to in the morning. I was pretty wrecked (combination of the high altitude and lack of sleep) so I took the chance to nap and felt a lot better. Everyone in the team (of 6) had at least a slight headache, some completly wiped out and 2 nauseated.

Great view of the valley below as the clouds parted late afternoon. Quick dinner then an early night.

Day 4 - Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley

Another very early stary, breaking camp at 6am, to scale Barranco Wall. It took just over 1.5 hours to complete the light scramble. We left early to not have to deal with porters needing to pass with their loads. Though they still managed to catch us near the top.

The peak was partially obstructed most of the day but the views to the clouds behind us were always amazing. Despite my reservations about pace apparently our group is handling the altitude really well. Making the planned camp by 1030am it was agreed we would push onto the higher altitude base camp, only 4km further but 600+ m in elevation gain.

Day 4.5 - Karanga Valley to Barafu Camp

A quick fruit salad for smoko then pushing ever onwards. It was a decent climb from camp to the first ridge before we rollercoasted a short while and then hit the final ascent.

Passing us were our porters with not only gear and food but buckets of water. 25lt buckets. On their head. They did do a bit of juggling with some going ahead dropping gear and coming back to help with the water. These guys are super human.

At camp just after 2 and had a late lunch just as the clouds came in and it started snowing. A little wind too and somewhat exposed so it's going to be a cold night.

Started to snow again late afternoon which made for a good visual but felt a little cold. With my warmest shoes being trail runners the toes were feeling it a little. It's fine on the move but stopped for a few hours....

Dinner we discussed plans for the next day which involved a stupidly early start with a 230am wake up to make the summit. One member of our team planned to start an hour earlier to get a bit of a head start.

I also got hit with my first affect of altitude, nausea. Thanks to some beef mince mix. I was given a plate of pineapple and oranges though which I happily wolfed down. A few on our team have already been affected by lack of a appetite so the guides were happy to see me eat. I've also been munching on skittles every day...

Day 5 - Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mellennium Hut

The day started as well as any 230am start could... Cold, tired, layered up like the marshmallow man. Head lamps on to begin the slow 7ish hour ascent.

Steep, dusty, cold, beautiful, brutal. That's how I would describe the ascent. Every step was hard work and it only got harder as the air thinned and fatigue set in. We passed Jerry after and few hours and left him to continue at his pace and the rest of us pushed on. Enjoying the beautiful sunrise on the way.

6 or so hours later we reached Stella point. A junction for different routes before the final stint to the top. The guides offered us hot tea, something I would normally never drink, but I was cold and it was hot. Didn't enjoy the taste and about 2min later I experienced that bad taste again... Everyone felt like rubbish at that point but with the peak only 0.7km away we couldn't stop.

Made it!

My time at the top was short lived I was feeling a bit out of it due to the altitude, only time for a few snaps then I started heading back down to lose some elevation. At times overtaking the porter sent to guide me down. Apparently I'm a pretty fast hiker when I'm allowed to be and not constantly being told "Pole pole" who knew?

Back to camp for a nap, the others getting back not too far behind me. We heard the news that Jerry ultimately turned back about 2 hours from the summit. Better safe than sorry. He was feeling ok mentally but wiped out physically and opted to get taken on a stretcher down to the next camp.

We left straight after lunch and Suley, the youngest of the guides, finally caved and gave me permission to go my own pace. Thank fuck. Loved the look on the faces on the other groups and guides as I whizzed past. Even managed to overtake a porter, though other porters still breezed past me.

On the way down I saw the drop point for trolleys. In the cloud it looked a little eerie. Got to camp a little too quickly apparently, nothing setup yet so I helped with the tents while waiting for the rest of the team/gear. Job (head guide) gave Suley a side glance when he got to camp later... woops! I slipped him an extra tip to make up for it. Mulled around until dinner and was in bed and fast asleep shortly after.

Day 6 - Mellennium Hut to Mweka Gate

Still feeling a bit under Jerry decided to take the 'Tanzania Taxi' out of the park (one of those trolleys in the fog.) We got going at a decent pace taking care on the frost covered rocks. Quickly descended back into Moorland vegetation covered in cloud bank and moss covered trees.

Back into the Rainforest where everything was damp. No rain to speak of but with the moisture in the air it may as well have. They allowed Lyndon and I to 'try and keep pace' with the porters and the 'taxi.' These guys were literally jogging down the mountain, with the trolley, though we were happily following in tow.

Down in record time we had one last lunch, signed out of the park, had some singing and said our goodbyes to the porters and crew. We also distributed Tips for the the porters etc. These tips add up, so be prepared before heading to the mountain. On with the Guides back to Moshi.

Over. Done. Mission complete. To steal a line from our lead guide Job: "This was not a piece of cake, it is a piece of rock" I can honestly say I underestimated the challenge of high altitude hiking. Every step is a piece of information, every hike a lesson. I learned a lot this trip. I eagerly await the next.

Travel - 2017 06 - Kenya/Tanzania

Spent the day tidying up a few last things at home before packing my gear once again for another epic adventure. Needed to be at the airport by 830pm for a 1030 flight so dad got to my place at 530pm... Just to be safe... Had my brother and his partner over for dinner to see the new house. Which worked out well as he and dad could talk all things building. 

Set off to the airport and arrived right as they opened check-in, though the line was already long. Killing time in the line I saw a work mate off on her own adventure.  Cruising around the Mediterranean. Can't help but think that trip is going to be a lot more luxurious and warmer than mine...  

While having a final beer before the flight there was another traveller on a phone call complaining about check in (line too long) so he skipped to the baggage drop and was blaming the staff when they told him to join the actual line... Some people always think their time is more important than others. Karma worked swiftly apparently as his bag was also 3kg overweight. 



Two long flights, 19 hours in the air + stopover time, later (though I got a relativly decent sleep on the first leg) and I arrived in Kenya. Dell got to the hotel about 2 hours after me giving me time to have a shower and relax for a second. 

Dinner out tonight to meet the crew he's been travelling with on his prior tours and give him a chance to say goodbyes. We went to a really good resturant called 'Carnivore' which was a Brazilian BBQ type setup (unlimited meat on a stick) with everything from Crocodile to Ostrich meatballs. No Zebra steak thought... will have to get that later.



Fell asleep instantly as my head hit the pillow back at the room. Felt like a long time since I left Brisbane already. Early start to head out to Hells Gate national park.

Long drive out on some... interesting roads. Hired mountain bikes at the front gate and rode the 8km to the Hells Gate gorge. Hundreds of Warthogs on the way as well as Giraffe, Gazelle, Zebra and Water Buffalo. 

[caption width="1920" align="alignnone"]Photo cred: Lyndon[/caption]

Did a 4 hour hike down into Hells Gate which was a pretty nice slot canyon. There was also a lot of geothermal vents pushing put some pretty hot water and a few shallow caves to explore. 1230 we started heading out of the canyon and it was a fairly hot climb. Not only the sun beating down but the steam and boiling water venting from the rocks.



The 8km back on the bikes seemed harder. While the elevation was pretty flat so were our tires. Old bikes and each of us having a slow leak making it take a bit of extra effort to get moving. Had a nice break when a herd of Springbok lept past in front of us. Long drive back to Narobi. At one point stuck behind a line of trucks and managed to cover 2km in about 30 min...

[caption width="960" align="alignnone"]Photo cred: Lyndon[/caption]

After we finally got back Lyndon took the opertunity to have a swim in the pool but I relaxed until dinner, some swanky Rooftop bar. Was relativly early night but I couldn't get to sleep until just after midnight. 

Down for breakfast at 630 so we could be ready for the transfer pickup at 7. At 715 with no-show we called and were promised 730. At 750 we finally got a shuttle to the bus to get us to Moshi, the base of Kilimanjaro. After a 2 hour ordeal to get through customs (Kenya's exit customs took just over half of that time) we were in Tanzania! 

The peak was totally obscured by clouds most of the trip but for a brief period the sky's opened to let us visualise the task were about to undertake. 



Got our introduction to Pristine travel when they picked us up at the bus stop and a brief run down on Moshi. Hit up the 'super'market for some snacks and off to dinner at a recommended place. Was dark as we walked back but sticking to the well lit street it didn't feel unsafe. Most of the market stalls were still there just packing up.

Able to sleep in a bit and have a nice relaxed breakfast in the morning. We were picked up at 9am to head up the mountain a little for a coffee tour and short hike out to a waterfall. 

The track up was similar to the easier sections of the CREB track in Cairns which seemed pretty fun in the back of a 4wd Van. About 3/4ths of the way up we got a flat so the village sent down two bikes to get us the rest of the way.



Very self sustained mountain village with lots of different food growing amoungst the coffee trees. We went through the manual process of picking, skinning, roasting and grinding our own beans and the coffee wasn't half bad. This particular coffee plant is only grown on Kilimanjaro. 



After our brew we headed off on the short hike to the waterfall, just over 4km return. Lots of bush tucker advice on the way learning the various trees that can have medicinal use and even stopping to pick some cherry guava. Beautiful tall falls with nice pool at the bottom so it was too hard to resist a swim. Surprisingly not as cold as expected.



Back to Moshi town late arvo to chill a little until dinner. Before that we had our mountain guides come over to do a pack shake down. All welcome advice, they know the conditions up there, my only change was warmer gloves. My mittens (that I've snow skied with) apparently aren't warm enough. They also suggested a second thermal top, as mine will be 'dirty' after a few days. They know not the ways of Hiker Trash.

Indian dinner tonight was fantastic, apparently these are 4th generation Indians brought here during British colonisation. On the way the clouds parted once more as if to beckon us towards the summit.  

Tomorrow we start the main event. Only a paltry 9km in distance, easy right? We'll see if I feel the same way after 1200m + of elevation gain starting at an altitude of 1840m...

Diving - 2017 04 - North West Island

Like most camping trips packing started the weekend before. Sorting out which gear to take and what to leave behind is often a hard task.  As we're setting camp for a little under 2 weeks a few luxuries were able to creep in. Fridges tested, new battery for the solar and refilling the gas bottles also needed attention.

14th - On the road again.

I had packed everything the night before so I was able to get a nice early stary.  Planned for 5am but woke up a little early and was able to seek away by 445. Quick stop in Childers for Smoko then onto Gladstone. Made it there with plenty of time to spare so after Murray and I packed our crate we headed off for lunch.

Arrived back to find almost everyone else busy packing their crates and watched as they were lifted onto the barge. Had a cider and relaxed while waiting for departure time. 6.5 hour barge ride... seemed a lot longer.



Dark when we landed and first we helped unload another set of campers. They took up 1.75 crates (I used almost 1/3rd, almost, and I had dive gear!) Some of their more bulkier items were 6 x 8.5kg gas bottles, 2 chairs... each... and a full size fridge (in addition to their crate space). Seriously, bigger than my house fridge....

By the time we unloaded and moved our stuff the short, but extinguishing, distance from the beach to camp sites it was almost midnight. After all was said and done, and a wind down Cider, I got to bed at 0030. Been awake for 20 hours.  Still lots at camp to set up. Only bothered with fridges, tent and bed. Shade and organising can be done in the morning.

15th - Who needs a comedian when you have campers?

Didn't have the best sleep and was awake at 630. By 7 all my kit was fully sorted and I was able to relax with breakfast. Andrew put on a show for the next two hours trying to figure out how to put up his new tent with the often reluctant assistance of his teenage daughter.

Rolled some of the water drums closer to camp. 200lt barrels but with 3 people and the camp trolley it wasn't too hard. Started raining pretty heavy around 915 but luckily most people were fairly well setup by then.

At 1030 I did a quick loop trying to drum up interest in a dive but most people were still faffing with their setup. Getting their kitchen setup, making tarps taunt again and rearranging seating positions. Those that were done with camp were still wiped from last night and replied maybe after lunch.

At 12 there was still some people organising camp... but we found 6 plus a skipper so we headed out by 1. Just beat the tide, barely. Diver 1 dropped us on the house reef then scuttled back to shore.



Vis was about 10m and it was a nice warm 27°c. I was expecting better vis but it was windy yesterday and we were fairly shallow. Should be much better when we can get out to some proper sites tomorrow. Saw the usual little things and a pretty large green turtle.

Mike walked out the punt so that we could float our gear back in over the reef (was too shallow for Diver 1). Still must have some hiker calves hidden away as everyone else told me I was pulling the punt too fast!

Late lunch and then I jumped on the compressor. Only 6 tanks and barely 1/2 empty so it didn't take long. Sunset drinks and a few tidbits of information before dinner and an early bed time.

16th - How's the serenity?

Awake again with the sun for a slow-paced morning. Tide was out and the plan was 830 for the first dive. We had to walk the boat out a bit as it was still too low to float with everyone on board. Made it over the reef shelf by 8:50.

Diving off the northern side of the island around lots of reef bommies. Not the most amount of life I've ever seen but slightly improved vis on yesterday. Also diving in the 3mm suit today. Bit cool at the 40 min mark but warm enough.

Back on shore for a relativly quick change over for the second boat load. Despite the quick change by the time they were back it was already getting shallow so we pulled the pin on the third dive. Afternoon around camp with the pleasant humming of the compressor... for a while...



One of the safety blow off valves in the compressor was leaking air. Thinking it might have been the filter we got to work repacking it. All fitted (after a little light bulb moment with the cap hooks) and back on. Still blowing off air... after some trouble shooting we narrowed it down but daylight was fading and further work was scheduled for the morning.

17th - Keep on swimming!

Still air in the remaining tanks which was good enough for us. Headed back out to the northern side to a nice spot with lots of crevasses and bommies.  Saw what would have to be the biggest painted cray I have ever seen.  Massive. Noticing a distinct lack of nudibranch here though. Not sure why.

Back for the next dive, I was skipper and we headed around to the South a little. By all accounts a decent spot. Eagle rays and quite a bit of other life to see. Retured to shore and the compressor was still being diagnosed.

Mid afternoon, after hours of work, Paul and Grahame finally isolated the fault, the aqumilator valve at the bottom of the final filter, preventing back flow from the tanks. With that cleared we were back in action!

Later in the afternoon a few batches of turtles hatched, always thought they only hatched late arvo/night... the camp hosts 'saved' them from the gulls... by putting them into buckets. Apparently to later relase them at night.



Baby turtles are cool and all... and they do look very cute... but think of all the poor seagsulls they stole breakfast from! Watching them spill out of the buckets and sprawl down the beach was fun though.

18th - Rain rain go away

Bit of rain overnight but by all accounts tarp held and nothing got wet.  Because of the tall and shady trees, in conjunction with cloudy skies my battery and solar was struggling to keep up with the fridge. I moved it down the beach so it could get some good sun. Only frozen stuff in it, so I can make the small walk to get stuff once a day to defrost.

Skippered the first dive. We tried going along the northern edge of the reef shelf but didn't see anything too impressive and doubled back to near a spot dived a previous day. I jumped in for the second. Was a slightly deeper dive at 15 (as opposed to 8ish) with some good structure. Lots of fish but again no nudibranch... Did see a Octopus putting on some colours and plenty of discarded line which was surprising.



Pete and and Paul found a big anchor and put it near ours.  They surfaced a little away so I went back down with a lifting bag to float it. They must think we're still on the Curtin clean up! By the time we surfaced it was raining pretty hard. Luckily Cheryl,  Michelle and others back at camp made sure everything was undercover, thanks guys!

We were also greeted upon return by another batch of baby green turtles swimming off to find a new home. I filled the tanks from the last dive before sitting under my shelter and watching the drizzle. Rain doesn't seem to bother the birds.

19th - Another day in paradise

Rained most of the night and woke to 20kn winds which were due to be increasing. Low tide in the morning so boat scheduled to launch 12 ish.  With the wind and rough seas the call to scrap the dive was made by 1030.

By some miracle the wind had dropped by mid afternoon and a few went out for a dive. Sun started shining too so I was able to get some much needed power in the battery. Unfortunately the reprieve was only short lived.



Wind and gusts made for poor conditions again so it was just a single dive today. It was group dinner night which worked fairly well. The rain even held off all through dinner and when it started we were all able to hide under the shelter of Paul, Jack and Grahame's tarps.

20th - Round and round I go

Tide was our for the morning so it was a good time for a quick lap of the island. 4.3km according to the GPS watch. A few Sea Eagles to be spotted off the SE edge of the island. At high tide there are a few rocks and trees to navigate past but low tide sees beach the entire way.

Got my first hit of bird poop on the loop. Mid beach, one seagull in the sky and nothing else around... Lucky shot right on my hand... it only took just under 40 min, including the pit stop to wash my hand.



In the afternoon we snuck out for a dive. Wind still hammering anything except for the small area sheltered by the island... even then it's still choppy. Pete manned Diver 1 while we were under and weathered some very heavy rain fall. Dive itself was ok, Alan and I saw out first nudibranch of the trip.

Still raining on and off and the wind not abating, I took shelter in my tent and watched a movie on the laptop.

21st - Try on Tryon

Up early, before the sun early, to beat the tide and attempt a Double dive run over to Tryon island. We didn't make it far before making the call to turn back. Putting around for another site to dive but eventually decided to drop in near the channel.

As it was the spring high tide it turned out we had plenty of water so we ducked into shore to pick up Grahame to skipper so all 7 of us could dive. With the wind and outgoing tide vis was poor. Barely 3m near the reef wall. A little better further out, though not by much.



On the up side there was plenty of blue sky today. Lots of sunshine to recharge everything and dry out from the previous days of rain. Afternoon dive went out, again only able to dive in the small area sheltered from the wind. On a trip like this I'd normally have a hard time picking a top 10 photos... this trip I might have trouble just getting 10 worthy to chose from...

22nd - No rest for the wicked.

Me though? A nice big sleep in. Wind still hammering the boat stayed parked in the morning. It's not a very early start, but after yesterday was early enough to deter people from setting the alarm. Rain had also returned on and off most of the night, which continued into the morning.

I did a figure 8 of the island, using the inland track that cuts across the middle. Even mid morning it's a little dark in the thickly vegetated centre. Got a little wet from the rain but no bird poop today, which was nice.

Afternoon dive over on 'Jacks Place' which seems to be the best diving in the sheltered side. Big swim through and a bit of life, including a few turtles. Better vis than yesterday too. Had planned on a night dive but the only other one keen, Pete H, felt cold on the arvo dive so we pulled the pin.



Fisherman neighbour had some luck wih his day and gave our group a decent size fish to share amoungst us. Our fishermen seem to have their catches caught by sharks before they reach the boat. With Pete D pulling the head of what would have been a good size Red Emperor today.

Big game of cards over at the Reed establishment but ultimately still an early night.

23rd - Tide goes out tide comes in

I had the day off today as Diver 1 takes another trip to Tryon. By all accounts a bumpy ride but they made it there. Reports of a lot of current and as the wind still blowing diving was done on the sheltered side.

I spent all day lazing about the beach enjoying the sun and watching the tide. The others got back as the tide was out so they anchored off the reef edge and walked in.

Another spot of rain late afternoon but all cleared out before the group dinner. I'm on the boat again for tomorrow morning so a fairly early night to bed.

24th - Try try again

This time heading out to Tryon was a lot easier. Carsten took the helm and safely navigated the open seas to arrive us at Tryon. Still a bit too windy to dive the south side of the island. You could get in but surface watch would have been uneasy.

Lots more fish at Tryon. Better coral too and we were a little deeper. Saw some reef sharks, turtles and a rather large Epelipt shark.  Current did pick up a little just strong enough that swimming against it required a bit of wffort. Tuck in next to the reef and it was fine though.



Second dive was much the same slightly less current. Also managed to find another Nudi and shortly after Abbie did too.

The ride back was even smoother and we cruised along at almost full speed. With only 4 on the boat the was even room to lounge.  Tide was way out so we had to leave the boat out off the reef and swim/walk in.

The others managed to fit in a lunch time dive on the house reef. Using the punt to walk out their gear. After the boat recovery Pete, Paul and Jack turned about and went out fishing.

25th - Where are those Pack Mules?

Much of the day was spent packing down camp and carting non-essential great to the beach. Barge arrives at 7am tomorrow so have to be ready.

I did manage to sneak in a snorkel late morning but then allowed the afternoon for things to dry. Some pottered around all day taking one piece here and one piece there (as I did) and others seemed to go all out till they were finished and could stop.

Most people were down at the beach into the night finishing off refreshments so they didn't have to carry them back onto the barge.  Quite a few were sleeping on the beach as well. My tent is quick to pack so I left it until the morning and had a good sleep.

26th - Beautiful day to be arriving

Woke up to a scream, a mutton bird had flown into Kirsten. Since I was up I packed and had already finished and had all my gear on the beach before my alarm was due to go off.

Watched as others brought what remained of their gear down. Some doing their entire pack in the morning... early start and still bringing gear down as the barge was here dropping off its departing passengers.



Seas were almost dead calm and hardly any wind. Best day weather wise and we get to use it to depart... At least it was a calm ride back.

Made land just before 3pm and finally got all the gear off the barge and into the Hilux by about 4:30 to set off home. Relatively easy run home and I was snug in bed by 11:30pm.

27th - All the fun bits

Most of the morning spent cleaning sand off all my gear and airing it out in the sun. All done by smoko and all was left to sit back and let it all dry.

Diving - 2017 03 - Moreton Island

It was time again for Clean Up Australia day so Liz organised another awesome 4 day weekend over on Moreton. I met with a few people at the Manly boat ramp to take our dive boats over. Ken from Point Lookout Scuba was bringing his boat over as we had 23 divers.



The water in the bay was a bit bumpy but as we were rolling with the waves it didn't feel that bad. We made a straight shot out to Tangalooma then started cruising up the inside of the island. About 5 min south of Cowan Cowan ken suddenly stopped and we went over to find out that his main tank was bone dry! Still showing 170lt on the gauge... we put him under tow until he figured out how to siphon from the Aux tank and got going again.



Quick turn around at the house before heading out for our first dive. Dropped onto the tram with Coralie and we headed off to the Nautilus Statue to try and fine some names. Bugger that for a joke. Over an inch of growth on it already! It's only been down 11 months. We still had a bit  of a look but moved onto the other wrecks quickly.

Back for a buffet wrap lunch and filling a few tanks before heading out for a drift on the Pines. Love the drift dives here. Didn't see as much as usual but it was still a good dive. The best was probably a cool green turtle with barnacles over its back. After getting to the surface we saw he boat way off to the north. It had caught the wind and drifted a fair bit further than us. 20 min waiting on the surface and even had and super yacht send out their tender to ask if we were ok. Some even got to shore to wait. All safe in the end and back to the house to enjoy the sunset and and few beers.



Up early for a morning slack tide clean up dive. Pretty successful dive with full buckets and a few anchors returning to the surface. One bucket did float off though... we'll get that on the next clean up...

I must have had a few too many beers last night because I thought it was a good idea to dye my beard pink! Really though his year I'm supporting an awesome cause, World's Greatest Shave. Thanks to the awesome effort of friends and family I easily exceeded my stretch goal and promised to go pink if I did. Still time to support if you wanted to head over to World's Greatest Shave.

It's a much more involved process than I imagined. Have to give a huge shout out to Kerry Morgan taking the time and her expertise to make it happen. Would have been a rough patch job without her. In the end if camp up great.

It wasn't long before it was time to show off my beard to the fish so we dropped onto the Bremmer and begun another clean up dive. Current was a little high at the start of the dive but manageable and eased off during. There was a lot of rubbish and line on the northern end of Curtin. Plenty of discarded anchors as well.



Back to shore and I jumped on tank filling duty. A boat load headed off for a drift dive and another group took the 4wd to Cape Moreton for the lighthouse walk. A few beers while listening to the humming of the compressor seemed like a good choice to me.

Dinner was a great curry made by Graham followed by drawing names out for the 9 spaces (12 people) to head to the Cement Co wreck for a dive. After the dust settled my name was on the list. It meant another early start for the longer journey but I think it's worth it. Bit of a rough ride out with wind chop and some big swell. A few fishing boats trawling right near Flinders  (A protected No Fishing reef) as well as some Spearos just off the reef but still well within the Green Zone. Current was too strong at Cement Co anyway so we tucked in back at Flinders for an easy dive.



The others back on Curtin had another good clean up dive on the slack low, collected lots of rubbish and saw even more. Back on tank duties while Coralie and Marja got stuck into sorting out the rubbish. They had a few helping hands over the weekend but they definitely did the bulk of it. A few people had to get back so they could work Monday but before they loaded up a 4wd and headed back to the Tangalooma Wrecks to catch the ferry we squeezed in a group shot.



The rest of us staying behind jumped in for the slack high to fill a few more buckets. So much rubbish collected but still so much more work to be done. There was one point where I collected about 1.5kg of sinkers in under 2 minutes, must have been an unlucky day for that fisherman.

Back for another brilliant dinner (thanks everyone who prepared and helped with food over the weekend!) and some good conversations. The next morning was a late start, slack tide wasn't until ~0940 so we were able to sleep in. Soon though hunger drove me to light up the BBQ and get breakfast going. It wasn't long before the smell got everyone out of bed and get ready to start the day. I was skipper for the morning dive so I swam out to collect the boat, not realising that they key was removed and safely stored the night before... so back in, than back out... For the life of me I couldn't get the engine to kick over. Choke, More Choke, Less Choke, advice yelled from the shore. It wasn't long until Ken pointed out that I forgot the dead mans switch, whoops! After that was sorted it started first go.

Photo Cred: Ken Holzheimer

We were expecting bad weather but it was smooth waters all round. Being Monday there was also no-one else out on the reef. When the divers went under it seemed like I had the entire ocean to myself. They floated a few anchors not long into the dive that I putted off to collect before returning to our own anchor to wait for divers to return. Back to shore for a leisurely pack up. Although it was pretty heavy carrying anchor chain and bags full of lead sinkers back to the boat so we could get them home... The trip across the bay was ok but a bit of wind chop meant that by the time we got back to Manly we were as wet as if we'd just done another dive...