Diving - 2020 11 - North West Island (Week 2)

Tuesday 3rd Nov

The wind was more intense during the night causing a pole or two in the Nelly/Kerry camp to drop. It was still pretty blowy in the morning but with a few brave determined divers we still headed out. We tried for a spot on the northern end of the island but the current was hopping so we doubled back to opposite camp and dived the 'House Reef'. Lots of finger ridges with sand between. Fairly shallow site, ranging form 4-8m, but as soon as we dropped in there was a large Beehive Coral Bommie with a HUGE turtle in it, mostly obstructed by bait fish though. As we drifted along we finally came across a Nudi or two and as Coralie and I stopped to play paparazzi the others went off and found a nice swim through cave.   

We changed over and went straight back out for a second dive. We had sat for a little while and marked the swim through at the end of the last dive. When we left there was a fishing boat heading past us. They must have thought we found something good as they dropped their anchor right at the swim through, where we wanted to dive...... Plenty of reef, even with the wind blocking us from heading afar, so we dropped in about another 150m north. As soon as we dropped we saw a few Ray's but after taking a quick picture I noticed we were one short. Kristie was still on the surface as she forgot her weight pockets :o We've all been there before once or twice and she was quick to catch up.

   

The rest of the dive were even more stingrays, over a dozen in total. Not many Nudi this site, but we did manage a Flat Worm. 57min into the dive Kerry also found a juvenile white tip reef shark. Back on land for lunch and then I wondered down to the compressor to fill some tanks to find them already mostly done by Mitch and Chi. Unfortunately with the wind swinging around it seemed like the exhaust might have been blowing towards the intake as a few tanks tested high on the CO meter. We reset the intake on a different tree slightly higher up and refilled a few tanks until they were all testing 0. Mitch and I also filled the boat fuel tank used this morning, just about emptying out first 200lt Drum (on top of the ~190lt of fuel we had already used from jerry cans.)  

The Moths have been really bad this trip, first time I have seen these on any of these URGQ island holidays. There is a distinct lack of Rails (ground bird) which I think is playing a part. None to eat the caterpillar. Making dinner is a challenge, being dive bombed by moths the whole time.  

Wednesday 4th Nov

Talking about moths, we had a pan with a bit of scorched stew on the bottom soaking over night. By morning it was almost an inch thick with drowned moths, almost as bad in the washing up bucket.   

A lot more reasonable start times now for dive as the high tide has moved later in the day. 730am we were floating the boat and making our way over to a 'Superman' (strong Current) 'Wall' dive at Tryon Island. It was neither strong current nor was there a wall, but it was a nice pleasant drift on a gentle slope. A few Sea Hares, Flat Worms, Nudibranchs and a huge Octopus to cap off the end of the dive. 

Dive 2 we went off in search of a Bommie that's meant to be just South of the western end of North West Island. We couldn't find it after 10 min of putting around the mark so we gave up and went along the south wall again. Coralie and I went a bit deeper in search of the drop... it must be further west because all we found was a flat area at around 17m deep. Pretty nice dive though, more current than the Tryon dive. We saw a few Nudi's but the best find was a Black and White leopard spotted Moray Eel.  

Back on land to put the boat to sleep for the night. Sitting pretty on it's tyres. SNR tried to organise a game of 500 but everybody was too busy relaxing instead. I went down to the boat when it was fully exposed to unscrew the bungs and release some of the water in the hull. Quite a bit ended up coming out so it was good to get it done. My battery has drained down a bit, running the inverter sucks a bit of juice, it's also the main drinks fridge so opened frequently and warm cans being placed back in. So I wheeled it down to the beach to catch some rays. By the end of the day it was still only 12.7 volts, not bad but I was hoping for over 13. After the housekeeping tasks I went to look at my diving photos from the day. My SD card didn't have any of today's photos. Back in the Camera and I couldn't see them either. The card had heaps of used space, so they were there somewhere... but after trying to find them a few different ways (including Kristie's iPad) I gave up and reformatted the card. Luckily I back up the photos every day! Disappointed I'll miss the photos from the Leopard Moray though.

Jeremy had been fishing with Pete for the day and caught a few fish including a 90cm Cobia, so he was able to cook up fresh fish for dinner. A few of us huddled around a radio to listen to State of Origin game. After the game I went back up the tree again to try send off a message to let people know I'm alive and get an updated weather report. Messages didn't want to go through but weather did... Sunday and Monday look //bad//  

900mm Cobia!

Thursday 5th Nov

I was up in the morning to skipper the first dive over at Tryon Island. Same 'Superman Wall' as before. One group managed to drift the phenomenal distance of 50 meters from where I dropped them. The others managed about ~200m. Wind was picking up a bit so the ride back was a little lumpy. Quick turn around for the second dive and we discussed doing something closer but ventured out to Tryon once more. This time we were on the South-Eastern edge of the island, a little more sheltered from the wind. This site had a really good Coral Garden. Massive plate coral, probably the biggest I have ever seen. Looked fairly untouched as well, didn't see one anchor scar and couldn't pick any damage from previous divers.  

Giselle has been practicing launching her Surface Marker Buoy (SMB). We launch them just before doing our safety stop so the Skipper on the boat can have an easier time finding us. She looked a little shakey at the start of the trip but is doing them really smoothly now. With the assistance of the SMB Alan R was waiting near us to surface and it was time to head home. Wind had picked up even more and the ride home wasn't very pleasant. It takes ~20min in good water, we took at least twice that. Quite a few waves splashing over the divers on the starboard side. 

Just as we were coming in the channel Peter and the Fishing crew for the day were rounding the last corner to come in as well. Alan D caught the bad end of a wave and landed awkwardly causing a bit of pain. He apparently had a cracker of a day fishing though, by all accounts everyone on the boat did. Tonight was our second group dinner night, Pajama party. Everyone came dressed up to Sunset Drinks (which didn't include a sunset as it was too windy on the beach) and I think Bruce stole the show with his sexy little number. Dinner was great, as always, so many tasty meals to eat. A few rounds of dessert too.  

Friday 6th Nov

Starts are getting later so Jeremy was cooking pancakes for us, with the girls helping with the whisking. Mid cook there were reports of a Turtle swimming around in our 'Swimming Pool' (a thigh deep sand lagoon at low tide.) The girls raced off down to the beach and were very excited to see it. First dive was out near the end of the 'Fish Tail' of the reef, as soon as we poked our head past the eastern extend it got really lumpy really fast. A few min pushing into the waves we turned tail ourselves and hid on the northern side of the reef. Site was called a generic "Tail 1" but we've renamed it Boulder City as there was three large boulders (and many smaller ones) and was a pretty good site overall. It was also Coralie's 700th dive!!

With the turn around time and a bit of bad chop we were a littler later back for dive 2 so we decided to drop somewhere really close at "Kristinas Cave." Named last trip over here for the large swim through under some structure. Found a new Nudi I've never seen before, a White Tip Reef shark was swimming around and a nice Epilep Shark was snoozing in a small hole. Fairly shallow dive but minimal current and rather plesant. 

Back on the island for the afternoon and we started to get some card games going. 500 has been pretty popular this trip but we had a few extra players to join in so I suggested 'Presidents / Warlords and Scumbags / Arsehole' which seemed to go well, but we only had one round before it was time to get ready for Sunset drinks. Weather report came in ok for Saturday but it's looking more and more likely that Sun/Mon is out. We've planned for 3 dives in total, the later 2 being really close in.  

Saturday 7th Nov

Lazy morning with Bacon and Eggs for breakfast before a late morning 945am Dive. I was skipper for the first and we went back to the Boulder site near the tail. Swell was definitely up a bit and a very short swell period which meant we were bashing into waves most of the trip out. Everyone jumped in for the dive but Giselle lost a weight pocket, which apparently had a pretty complicated procedure to put in which was difficult to explain/complete underwater. So while Mitch and Kristie held Giselle down they transferred weights from the weight pocket into the back BCD pocket.   

I went out on the second dive back to Kristinas Cave and dropped in with Kristie and Coralie. I went to the task of setting the anchor to prevent damage to the reef and when I was done I couldn't see either of them anymore. I started the search procedure and half a minute later found Kristie coming down the line again. Coralie had a stuck inflator hose button and had to surface to fix it. In the process her camera came unclipped but luckily Kristie was nearby to see and scoop it up. Later in the dive Kristie also found a Snorkle that Graham had dropped overboard while gearing up. The dive was pretty good, despite the added excitement, with a few flat worms and a few new Nudis.  

Back again for Dive 3 of the day, to just another close site on the House Reef. I think our average depth for the dive was 4.5m . . . Still wasn't too bad a dive; We saw a Persian Carpet Flat worm, Giant Green Moray, White Tip Reef shark and for most of the dive there was a large Humphead Wrasse stalking us just on the edge of visibility. Up the tree for the latest weather report and Sun/Mon still aren't looking amazing. 20-25kn winds and 2-2.5m swell. Both from an Easterly direction though so at least the 'House Reef' should be protected. Despite the weather prediction we still had enough keen divers for at least 2 dives to head out on Sunday. 

It just so happened that Mitch/Chi/Giselle had the same meal plan (Dumplings!) as us tonight so we decided to combine and have a shared meal. Pork and Chicken dumplings, Steamed vegetables and spring rolls went down really well, as did the company and chat.  

Sunday 8th Nov

It was spitting a little this morning, though definitely not enough to call rain. We contemplated collecting Rainwater again for rinse buckets but the tarp has a healthy coating of bird poop now so we thought maybe not. Even on the protected side of the camp we can feel the effects of the strong winds from the other side of the island. It's actually a nice breeze down at camp at ground level but every now and then the tarp flaps up and the tops of the trees are definitely moving.   

I'm off the hook for the 'morning' dive today (leaving at 11am) so plenty of time to start sorting some photos and start to tinker/organize gear for the mass packup. Jeremy and I emptied out a fridge to create a spare battery for charging. In this site (and not being near the panels to chase sun as I was on the boat) the battery had been struggling a little. Down on the beach now but, of course, it's an semi-overcast day. Started to gather some gear that had spread out over the last 1.5 weeks. ThermoCore hanging on someone else's line, clothes over the tent, main packing boxes with scattered gear and half full smaller containers that can be repacked. Stocktake on food (we had some fresh fish, so left over meals, extra Custard from the Firefighters etc and a few things we used more of than we thought we would.) I've finished the Cider right on time and have a few bourbons to tide me over to the end. Still have the emergency Scotch, but if we're doing House Reef dives with the bad weather it might remain untouched until a later trip. 

Monday 9th Nov

With no planned dives for the day (just 3 'maybe' divers) it was a very relaxed morning and the last of the Bacon/Eggs were cooked up. Most of the morning was spent doing a tidy up of gear and some initial pre-packing to make the actually packup tomorrow a little easier. Water drums were decanted and empties rolled to the beach. Dive gear was set out to dry and lose nick-nacks that you always have camping were returned to their allocated position in boxes. We also decanted the last of the fuel drums into our Jerry Cans. Counting the boat Fuel tanks we have almost 275lt left over, which would have been easily consumed with good weather these last few days. When we had a few strong hands free we also moved the compressor from the bunker back to near the fuel depot. We'll move it onto the beach when we can see the barge. 

Continued the slow pack in the afternoon consolidating boxes before enjoying an afternoon swim. One of the nearby campers were a little short on food for their next week on the island so we were able to pay it forward from the Firefighters group and pass on some extra safety meals we had which should keep them going. I took a few things closer to the beach including my table (which was going home with Graham) and my dive gear. When Kristie's and Jeremy's dive gear was dry I packed the drying rack and poles and carried it down as well. Every little bit I can do today is one less thing I have to carry tomorrow. Beside the table I'll also be retiring my camping chair (has served me well for over 10 years) and my Wet-suit which has developed even more holes this trip.

Tuesday 10th Nov  

With the efforts made the day before there wasn't too much in our camp to get done. My tent was down before others had finished breakfast but the rest was left up a little longer. There was plenty of little bugs, cockroaches and quite a few Centipedes that scattered as soon as they were exposed to the light. Another negative about the lack of the little Rails was more bugs, and less excitement as they rush in to claim their feast.  

The pack up for most of the other gear seemed to be going along well. Mitch/Chi/Giselle still had their tarp up for lunch which made a good spot to chill and have a rest. About 1pm we could just make out the barge as a dot on the horizon so the last of the water bottles were filled and the barrels emptied for transport. When it got closer we moved the fuel and empty barrels onto the beach along with all our camping gear we had lined up. It seemed to hang on the horizon for ages, then again hanging off the reef, like we had all the time in the world. When it starts to move in though, it's a mad dash to load! 

Luckily we were the first group to be picked up. We had six crates to load and as it was the ones at the back there was often traffic jams. Once our entire crew was loaded the barge moved up the beach to pick up two other small groups. A few of them came down to help us so naturally the URGQ members with more endurance than most put in the effort to help them too. It was my task to retrieve Diver 1, which was now in very deep water because of high tide, and pack the anchors and be ready to load it onto the barge too. It's an interesting task carrying/swimming with the anchor, in water that's about 100mm over my head...   They lowered the ramp and I drove it up and then we were on our way.

One of the other groups (picked up after us) had walked down the beach when the barge first came in. They pushed past Kristie and the kids to claim 'their spot' up stairs with mattresses taking up a 1/2 dozen seats... It wasn't too bad, still plenty of seats to go around. We also had a few kids beds setup in the middle, which took out about 12 seats too...   We had managed to leave the island a little ahead of schedule but we were still late back to Gladstone. Getting in around 10:30 we stood around for the barge to be unloaded of crates first and then began repacking into trailers/cars/roof racks. 

As the club trailer was out of action before the trip we loaded the compressor onto Bruce's truck... which left a little less room for the rest of our gear... Luckily there were a few people that could take the excess gear with them so we could sort it out in the morning. By the time we had finished rearranging gear it was midnight before we left the port.  

Wednesday 11th Nov

It was only a short 15min drive to the hotel. I had a quick shower and went straight to bed. Most woke fairly early ready to start the day, some found it a difficult sleep... no wailing mutton birds to comfort them to sleep I guess!? Tracey and Kerry headed off in search of Coffee for everyone while others talked strategy. Gary and Marg fronted at the RACQ depot to find that they "didn't have time" !! in the two weeks! they had the trailer to change the tyres.  

To much amusement and jokes in the group chat (I think that's the only way we could have coped) we pondered how long it normally takes to change two tyres... To their credit though, they were pretty efficient (while under the careful watch or Gary and Marg) that morning... It wasn't too long before they were able to get the trailer to the hotel and we could rearrange the excess gear for safe transport.   

We set off shortly after the rest of the group but just overlapped for the lunch stop with a few others before everyone continued their journey home. 

I would like to thank everyone again for all the massive efforts they put in to making the island trips viable. Props to Nelly for organising, Alan D for being the point man on the compressor, Gary and Mitch for their awesome help with Diver 1 duties, Skippers and Surface Watchers and all of us for all the extra little bits of help we offer everyday that add up to a really enjoyable trip away. 

Diving - 2020 11 - North West Island (Week 1)

Max Depth: 26m

Avg Water Temp: 24°

Sunday 25th Oct

After a weekend away and a sneaky hike or 2 I was dropped off at Bruce and Tracy's in the afternoon. They had already loaded most of the gear onto the back of the BT50 with only a few things left to throw in the next morning. After a nice Indian dinner we were able to catch the second half of the NRL Grand Final before heading off to bed for a good rest.

Monday 26th Oct

A relatively laid back morning with a chilled breakfast before disconnecting the fridges and loading them in. After a few more straps were tightened, checked and re-checked we were good to go. Making our way across town we stopped off just before getting to the highway to ensure everything was still tied in as it should be. All looking good so we pushed on. With the relaxed breakfast we appeared to be tail end Charlie for the drive up. Some had stayed up the Sunshine Coast the night before and had a good head start, others left early. We made good time and stopped off at Gympie to grab some fuel. There was a bit of road works but no major choke points for us.

Making it into Childers just on 2pm we stopped for a late lunch and a good stretch of the legs. We got the Gas freezer running again, just to ensure it stayed cold, while we ate. About 3min down the road after restarting Tracey asked if we had remembered that last strap (undone to get the freezer accessible.) We had not. Wasn't too big a concern though as we had contingency rope and everything was still in it's place.  

We pushed on and I managed to doze off for a nap just before 4pm... only to be awaken by a phone call. One of the wheels on the Clubs Box Trailer (with the breathing air compressor on board) had delaminated... and wouldn't you know it... No Spare!! Everyone else was ahead and we were about 45min short. We stopped in Miriam Vale, but the mechanic was already closed. Once we caught up we discussed strategies while people in Gladstone tried to get a tyre from there. Jeremy almost made it, only to find the tyre wasn't on the rim and the shop took their 5pm closing time **VERY** seriously and effectively shut the door in his face... 

The other option was to borrow some boat tyres. Seemed like a great plan. So Jeremy and Alan D took two tyres off and drove back south (as Bruce, Tracey and I started towards Gladstone again.)They got there only to discover that the Stud pattern was different, DOH! A call to RACQ put the trailer on a tow truck and taken the rest of the way. Bit of a cost to the Club but all part of the 'exciting adventures' we have with URGQ...  

Kristie spoke to various parties to formulate a plan for the gear still in the trailer, so at least we have an idea of what's in store for the morning. Pizza for dinner (with enough for leftovers tomorrow) and a relaxing drink before turning in for the night.

Tuesday 27th Oct

Woke early and had a quick last shower (for possibly 2 weeks...) and a slice of left over Pizza for breakfast. On the way to the barge dock Bruce, Tracy and I also stopped off for a Bacon and Egg roll. We were about 20min early but there was already other people there. A few from our group and other groups on the same barge. We quickly unloaded what we could then Alan D, SNR and I went off to recover the compressor from the trailer that was taken to the RACQ Depot. Filling up ~200lt of fuel in the jerry cans we got back to the barge and did the final pack.

With all the dive gear and extras we found that we had used a bit more than our allocated space in the barge crates, leaving a group of 5 to fill a half crate as that's all that was left. We had some spare room in various crates but catching the barge with other groups sure does make space more of a premium. 

Performing a final check on the boat we found the Starboard Bow Tube had deflated a little again. The Cap was on tight and when we unscrewed it, it got stuck and unscrewed the outer valve instead. After quite a lot of effort (and a few choice words) we managed to get it back into the right place, screw it on and inflate the tube. We relaxed a bit after that and enjoyed the relatively smooth run over. When getting close to North West Island we finalised the check over on the boat and found that the Engine Fin had a loose bolt. 'Engineering know how' (a wing nut) gave enough length on the screw to get it tight. SNR and I hopped in for the launch of Diver 1 and got to the task of finding a berth. It's really busy on the island, lots of boats lining the entire shore in front of the camping zone. We managed to squeak it in before the barge could get over the reef edge.  

Photo via Jeremy

We headed off in search of the Camp Host who seemed really nice. They had tried to discourage people from camping near the Compressor Bunker (as we had arranged it's use.) As she was explaining an Old Mate (who's tent was near the Bunker Area) walked past and mumbled "You can't book specific sites" in a grumpy tone at us. Camp host gestured and said; "Sorry but that's the attitude some people have." I said it was fine and he has every right to camp right next to the compressor that we would be running 7 hours a day and that it's gentle humm is really quite pleasant when you think about it, as he walked away with a scoff.   

After that was the task of unloading all the gear. With a few separate groups (and a lot of our extra dive gear) there was a lot to come off. Mostly everyone pitched in and helped, even a few of the camps that were just staying came up. Some were getting Water/Fuel/Ice delivery and they only took theirs then left (fair enough) but others were really helpful and hung about. All in all it was dark before I got back to our tent area. Skipping the tent for the night I managed to get my shade up before a storm blew over with lots of heavy rain. It exposed a lot of ponding areas, one of which was under Bruce/Tracys tent! With their area flooded out they found shelter in Kristie/Jeremy's big tent for the night. Most others only managed the bare essentials too. A little bit of Scotch was had for 'Hooray we made it!' after the rain had subsided before most turned in for the night.  

Wednesday 28th Oct  

I woke up to the birds at about 430 and had a toilet break, going back to snooze until just past 530. First task was to fetch the boat and park it closer out front. Nothing like a nice refreshing swim in the morning. Graham was just on his way back from a Sunrise walk and was able to lend a hand with the Anchor placement. After the shock of last nights landing (for those with us for the first time; It's always hectic... but not THAT hectic) the morning left many tasks still to be done... including me actually setting up a tent. Pretty much everyone got to the task of moving/rearranging/erecting tarps and tents. Then most of the morning was spend tinkering with lights, kitchen areas, boxes and chairs.  

There was whispers of an afternoon dive but they were mostly carried away with the breeze. Most people still tired from a broken sleep and a morning of arranging camp. Low tide struck early afternoon and Diver 1 was high and dry, sitting pretty on it's tyres. Right next to it was a great little lounge pool that was perfect for a swim to cool down from the heat of the day and the work of the morning. Mitch dropped in a line and was getting plenty of bites, but each breaking loose before he could snag them completely. Others not keen on a swim had a good game of cards going and others still spent the afternoon relaxing and reading.  

Sunset drinks was a good catch up to plan for tomorrow everyone was finally setup and could take a moment to relax. Up until the point where the lightning off shore was too close for comfort and the rain started to fall on our heads. We had a chance to plan for the early morning dive, on the boat and going at 7am. As the night went on Kristie did a run to check on the boat and found it a bit sideways. The rear anchor had dragged a little so I chucked another spare on it and a longer rope tied off to a tree. Should last through the next storm... though hope it doesn't come. I was very alert/awake when armpit deep fixing the boat with Kristie, but crashed soon after basically heading to bed at 830. 

Thursday 29th Oct

After the early time to bed I woke around 2am. Needed to head off for a pee anyway so took a stroll to see Diver 1 sitting proud on the tyres. Tide would have just turned and begun coming in. Went back for a snooze before rousing again at ~5:20am. Quick Breakfast then down to retrieve the boat. Jeremy was there to lend a hand and we took it for a small putt to empty out some water. At 6:45 I did a loop of camp to round up the stragglers (Note: All except Mitch and Jeremy...) to get them down to the beach, and it must have worked because they got their hussle on and we were able to launch just before 7. I was skipper and we headed along the Southern edge of the reef to a pretty good drop off. Not long after they dropped in there was a huge Admiral Anchor stuck on a rather large bommie. It was near the top of the high tide and they still drifted about 500m.  

Back on the boat again for the double dive. We snuck out on good time and had plenty of water to make it off the reef edge before the tide was out too far. We had ~6.5 hours, plenty of time for a double dive in a more remote spot. Mike was Skipper, Bruce driving as Trainee, and not diving so there was plenty of time to head to a further site. We headed to Broomfield Reef just over an hours boat ride away via the the southern edge of North West Reef. With the reef as protection it was a fairly smooth ride. We had a few marks from Kerry's friends to head towards. We poked our nose out past the reef but it quickly became a washing machine with the outgoing current opposite the wind.  

Back tucked in near the reef we dropped in on a brilliant spot with huge bommies and great coral. Quite a bit of life around as well with big schools of Damsel fish, Giant Clams, Nudi's, shrimp and a friendly little reef shark to entertain us on the safety stop. Back on the surface we had fairly calm conditions for lunch, leftover salad from last night. Less than a km to the next site. A lot more of the same type of landscape, towering bommies found among the sand. This time we had Giant Green Moray eels as well as huge clouds of bait fish from a few different species.   

The drive back was a little rough but not too long. We arrived back at the reef edge a little early and had to wait around for enough water to carry us. We hooked onto a public mooring for almost 40 min before we felt we could safely sneak it in. Made it back just in time for sunset drinks. Sadly because of the late arvo return not all the tanks could be filled before the 6pm shutoff time so they had to sit and wait until 9am in the morning. After dinner a few of us played a Japanese twist on the Card game 'Sevens' which made it a bit more strategic. Just as we were wrapping up Kristie and Jeremy came back from their walk with news of a mummy turtle starting to dig out a nest to lay her eggs so a few set off to bear witness to nature. Slightly later night than last night for me, but I was still in bed fairly early. Just after 930.  

Photo by Kristie

Friday 30th Oct

Out for the early dive today with a plan to drop in on a wall I had spotted on the contours of the charts. Wasn't quite as steep as it looked on the charts but it made up for it with life. There was 11 Nudibranch in a 0.5m diameter area. That Bommie itself held at least 22, that we could find! It was a really pleasant drift we barely made it 300m in the ~57min dive time. Jeremy saw a turtle off in the distance and we saw a bit of fish life but the Nudi's stole the show. It was an unmarked spot so we put it in the sounder as 'Rudi Nudi'. On the drive back to camp we saw plenty of turtles having,,, err... 'special time' together.

Back on shore it was a fairly quick change over for the next set of divers to get out. Alan D got to the task of filling tanks and showing a few others how it's done. I took the chance to go for a bit of a wander and check out some camps. Bumped into Bob, someone I had met unloading the barge, with a very impressive tarp setup with Poles and Agriculture Poly pipe instead of ridge line poles. A very neat setup. I Imagine the Star Pickets would add a little weight though. We had a bit of a scare with the Toilet paper situation. As the Camp Hosts had to vacate early, they stocked up a little before they left (on the same barge we arrived on) but supplies were running low. A call was put out by one of the other groups (we think) as Maritime QLD came out with a few rangers and stocked up for us.   

I spent the rest of the afternoon charging dive torch batteries etc and chasing the sun with the solar panels. I also climbed a bit up 'Telstra Tree' and managed to squeak in a bar of phone service to get an updated weather report. Looks like we might have a few windy nights ahead and Tuesday might be lumpy seas as well. After dinner Kristie went off scouting and found two mummy turtles digging holes and getting ready to lay eggs. Giving them enough time to get settled first they then took Kristina and Emma who were both very excited to see the action. Very late night for them though, bed at 9:45pm! They were only barely in bed before me.

Saturday 31st Oct

Wind had picked up a bit and heading out on a lowish tide meant the waves were standing up. Mitch did a really good job keeping the nose of the boat pointing the right direction but even then we had a few splash over the bow. We were soon past it though and with the scuppers down the water quickly drained. Around the southern side was still nice and protected so we dropped in along the wall again. Lots more Nudi and a few bigger fish. Another really pleasant drift, only going about 200m total.  

Lots of bommies to hang around and find plenty of Nudi's on. About 40min into the dive I saw a heap of Ink floating in the water and followed the remnants to find a few very active Octopus. I headed off to Kristie and told her to swim over but failed to mention the octopus, so she thought I was just telling her a direction and got distracted by Nudi's. I sent Coralie off for them and then was distracted by some Nudi's myself. By the time I got back to them Kristie was already swimming off but only from one side of the rock, so I called her back to see the other one tucked behind.  

Back on the surface the conditions on the NW (where the channel is) were still a little rough but we had plenty of water as we were near high tide so we snuck in directly over the reef. We had a few new divers to train on the compressor but when I went up there was already plenty of hands so I took off on a stroll instead. I also took the opportunity to climb the tree again and check the weather.   

Tonight was our "Heroes and Villains" night on the island so everyone came to Sunset Drinks all dressed up. It's great to see all the various costumes come out that people managed to squeeze into their kit. Other campers on the island usually give us a few smiles too. With the dress up comes the group dinner night. Over in our area, as we had a bit of free tarp space, so we had to do a little tidy up to fit everyone in. Pot luck dinner means lots of questions about who's food was who's and what is/isn't spicy/vegetarian. 

Photo via Jeremy

Sunday 1st Nov

Another single dive out this morning but almost glassy conditions. We went a bit further around than 'Nudi Rudi' to another spot on the wall. The dive started really well with us dropping in on a Manta Ray, but that was one of 2 highlights on the dive. About half way along Graham saw a shark we're still not sure what it is. The rest of the dive was 90% Stag Horn coral with the occasional bommie spotted amongst it. Few Nudi's, but ones we've seen before. Giselle attempted her first underwater SMB Launch which went about as well as my first try... not spectacularly. That's ok though, trips like these are a great time to practice. With a few pointers she was keen to try again next dive. 

The group of Firefighters are off early Monday morning so they've set up a 'Camper Box' reminiscent of the 'Hiker Box' famous on the PCT. Free for all food so they didn't have to carry it back on the barge. Sauce, Flour, Custard, Tinned Food and even some Soft Drink. We scored some flour for Kristies baking and some Custard for desert. They had freezers full of fish they had caught when over, so they needed to ditch some weight/make some space for that. I hid out the heat of the day in the shade, but as it was fairly still wind wise and the heat radiated a bit around camp. 

When it was a bit cooler in the afternoon I took off for a lap of the island, reading 4.5km on Strava.  

Monday 2nd Nov

Early dive this morning, 6:30am. Back over to the wall but a bit closer this time. We dropped near the Admiral Bommie, hoping to drift over it, but ended up going the opposite direction. As soon as we dropped in we saw a Manta Ray swimming off into the distance. Lots of staghorn coral again but spotted with a few Bommies. We found a few different Nudi's, Kristie is starting to learn a few of the ones on the Identification App and is happy to see ones she recognises. Coralie and I also found a Persian Carpet Flat Worm which I love seeing underwater. Just as Alan R and I surfaced and I had handed my camera up to Mitch he pointed out a Dolphin Swimming near by. I popped my head back under and saw it swimming off, too late to retrieve my camera to get a picture. When I was on board the others popped their SMBs and it looked like the Dolphin was going to swim right through the group but none of them reported a sighting when they got up. 

I went Surface watch for the second and we dropped in roughly the same spot, but with the current going the other direction. Reports back were for the fastest current we've had on the trip so far. As a result there were a few fish about but not much in the way of staying steady for Nudibranch pictures. As we rounded the corner of the island we spotted a familiar boat sitting at camp; Pete, Nelly's husband, had managed to make it out on his boat. Good timing as the wind was reported to blow up this afternoon. 

The wind did pick up a little but also swung around to the SE so in front of camp was nice and still. Perfect for sunset drinks and a good night to end week 1 on!

Hiking - 2020 08 - Stinson Crash (O'Reilly's to Christmas Creek)

The morning started with a few long drives. First to get a car to the end of the walk, the furthermost point of Christmas Creek Road, Lamington. Second to drive my hiking buddy and I all the way around the mountain and up to the Green Mountain section of Lamington NP. Better known as 'O'Reilly's'.  

We left just after 7am and were up the top at just before 12. We had lunch at the cafe there, options were a bit limited... should have just got a pie... Ham and Cheese Croissant plus a shared bowl of wedges was pretty filling though.  

About 1245 we finally set off on the walk! The first 9 ish km are on a pretty well maintained section of trails. Very well maintained Border Track for 5km then another 4 on the Albert River circuit getting us to Echo Point and a great view of Mt Warning. Really clear day today with views extending past Mt Warning and over the ocean   

After Echo Point it does go onto more remote trails. Fairly well used though so well worn and easy to follow. When I expressed that thought I got an "Uggh, really?" So maybe my expectations for trails is a little too forgiving...  

It was very well marked as well, you couldn't go 5m without seeing another piece of flagging tape. Quite a few pieces fell on the ground, I only grabbed a few. It was also funny to see the ones with 4 different types of flagging, on the same little tree. As if the fluro orange already on the tree needed the help of yellow and pink too...  

Just after 4pm we came across the sign for Rat-a-Tat, a welcome sign as the woods start getting dark around 5... We took the turn off and went the 50m down hill to a nice, big (ish), flat site for camp. A nice flowing stream only meters away made water collection easy as well.  

Setup with more than enough light but then had to bring out the head lamps for dinner. Sadly one was dead on arrival with no spare batteries. Made do with just mine and phone lights as required. Without torch light we could look up through the small gaps in the canopy and see that there was an amazing clear night sky. After dinner, and a few sneaky MnM's for dessert, we brushed our teeth and turned in for the night.

It was a very relaxing morning pack.So much so that when we were still nice and warm in our bags, just past 7am, we heard a group of eager hikers (I had learned were doing the same trail as a 1 day adventure) hike past the Rat-a-tat turn off. After a little more snooze time and a leisurely breakfast we finally broke camp around 915am. Straight into an uphill stretch. The track was still well/not-well defined (depending on your view point) but then amount of flagging has certainly dropped off. 

I started picking up all the old flagging tape that had fallen to the ground. Feels like there's more flag waving here than at a parade... 

Despite the easy to follow trail it was a little over grown for some of it. Quite a bit of Wait-a-while vine to cause snags as we brushed by. The steep uphill slowed our pace, almost as much as the steep down sections did. Uphill sections thick with wait-a-while certainly hindered progress too.  

We stopped off for lunch at Kalinya Lookout, shortly after Mt Thorakban. A really nice little lookout in the sun. The westerly winds have blown up bringing with them dust and hazy views. Still able to make out Mt Warning through it. Most of the walk has been sheltered but the cool breeze was still reaching us at the forest floor making for a mostly chilly day.

Next it was up to Point Lookout for another short break before doing the final 800 ish meters into Stinson remote camp. Not the best sites to select from but we made do and found a flat spot. I set off for water down (then back up!) a pretty steep trail. Beautiful creek though, and good way to warm up.  

Just after 5 we heard a few voices and a pair that had come up from Christmas Ck strolled into camp. Conversation was basically; 

Them: Did you know you have to book here? 

Me: Ahh, yeah.

Them: Oh, we saw that there was only one spot and it was booked out. 

Me: Yep, would have been us...  

Them: Oh... Do you know where the wreck is?  

Showed them the path to the wreck, and the one down to water (they said they had plenty) and talked about where we came from. As I mentioned Point Lookout, not far away, they decided to push on and get the wreck on their way out tomorrow. I said they could stay, an meant it, but also glad they kept going. Hopefully they'll make it before dark. They seemed interested in the sunrise over Mt Warning after I mentioned it would be nice.

Around 6pm it was just starting to get dark so we made our dinners then retreated to the warmth of the tent and sleeping bags soon after.

The next morning saw yet another relaxed pack-up. Everything was squared away by 9am but we left our packs at camp to do the short (but steep, a precursor for the day...) side trail down to the Stinson crash site. A big tree had fallen in the last year and efforts were made to uncover the area. I honestly can't remember there being too much wreckage left when I first did it (20 years ago) though.  

We then started the steep uphill to get back to camp and crossed paths again with the guys from yesterday. They had made it to camp with light but it was dark by the time they finished setting up. The wind, which we felt but barely, was apparently quite strong up there. Only one braved the cold winds for sunrise.

After retrieving our packs we started down towards Christmas Creek. Deceptive at first it seemed like a nice trail but it soon picked up grade into the near vertical grade I remembered. Hey, at least this time it was dry, not muddy.  

We took a careful and cautious approach to get down. Flagging tape had picked up in frequency again making it easy to follow but the sheer steepness made for slow going. Climbing down over roots and rocks we eventually made the scramble. Someone had left a rope for a more direct route which was handy.  

The old route was up to the right and then along a thin ledge before going up. The new (red) was obviously straight up. But not too difficult.

Onward and... downward? The trail descends 500m in under 2km, with the steepest 150m elevation drop in just ~200m horizontal distance. Makes for some pretty cool tree roots though.  

Finally reaching Christmas Ck we took a sigh of relief and were able to ditch our packs and head a little further up stream to Westray's Grave. The end to his ill-fated journey seeking help after the crash.  

From there it was back down the creek line, picking up our packs once again and finishing the final 3 ish km to our car. A few fallen trees, as well as a Strangler with the host tree completely gone, were only a mild inconvenience to the now seasoned hikers. One decent rock hop across a creek later and we were finally finished.  

The only thing left was yet another drive up to O'Reilly's to get the second car and then the long drive back down and home. Probably took a little longer than expected but with a bit of motivation could be condensed into an easy 2 day hike.