Cod Hole, Osprey Reef, Australia, Nov. 8-12, 2012

Postby Tony Crocker » Fri Oct 04, 2013 6:56 pm

Our first reservation for the 2012 eclipse trip was for the Mike Ball Spoilsport liveaboard dive boat Nov. 8-12 before the Nov. 14 eclipse. http://www.mikeball.com/4-nights-fly-dive-coral-sea Some people stayed on the Spoilsport for the next 3-day trip and saw the eclipse from the boat.

We checked into the Cairns office the afternoon of Nov. 8 and the boat traveled north overnight inside the Great Barrier Reef to Cod Hole. Cod Hole is famous for the potato cod that let divers get very close. One of the divers Anton got this shot of Liz with one of them.
DSC02014.JPG


Our next dive was at snake pit, which has an abundance of sea snakes. This is not my pic but I was approached this close by one of them late in the dive.
211192_js_snakepit-2.jpg


There were only 2 dives on Nov. 9 because one of the passengers developed a skin rash that may have been dive-related so the boat detoured to Cooktown to drop her off for medical observation.

So we were back on the main part of the Great Barrier Reef on Nov. 10 not too far from our first day. Liz decided to rent a camera and try some scuba photography. I've seen the elaborate setups costing thousands of $, but camera technology has been improving so she wanted to give it a try. Here are a few of her pics.

I'm holding a sea cucumber
tony&sea cuke.JPG


Mixed schools of five-line and big-eyed snapper
five-lined + bigeyes 1.JPG


Green turtle
green turtle 2a.JPG


Nudibranch
nudibranch 1-tambja.JPG


Spot unicornfish
spotted unicornfish 2.JPG


Cowfish
cowfish 1.JPG


Cuttlefish
cuttlefish 6.JPG


Green moray
green moray 1.JPG


Lionfish
lionfish 5.JPG


Overnight the boat moved out to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea. The overnight ride in the open sea can be rough as Liz recalled from her first trip to Australia in 2000, but not too bad this time. A couple more of Liz' pics.

Parrotfish with divers
parrotfish & divers.JPG


Here I am with a potato cod
tony 3-pc.JPG


The highlight was the shark feed. The divemaster brings down a trash can full of tuna heads, secures it to a rock with a chain, then flips the lid open with a spear for a feeding frenzy.
IMG_9581.JPG

IMG_9583.JPG

John from LA took the pics above. Liz was trying out the video for the shark feed.

Liz sat out a couple of dives so I tried my hand with the camera.

Coral growth on clam
IMG_2686a.JPG


Getting close enough to moving fish is more challenging.
IMG_2693.JPG


Shark resting on the sand
IMG_2910.JPG


The Spoilsport leaves Osprey Reef overnight and we disembark the morning of Nov. 12.
IMG_2583.JPG


We are on Lizard Island for about an hour waiting for the plane.
IMG_2611.JPG

IMG_2639.JPG


The flight is low altitude over the Great Barrier Reef back to Cairns.
IMG_2650.JPG

IMG_2657.JPG

IMGP3669a.JPG
http://bestsnow.net
Ski Records
Season length: 21 months, Nov. 29, 2010 - July 2, 2012
Days in one year: 80 from Nov. 29, 2010 - Nov. 17, 2011
Season vertical: 1,497K in 2016-17
Season powder: 291K in 2011-12
User avatar
Tony Crocker
 
Posts: 9405
Joined: Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:37 am
Location: Avatar: Charlotte Bay, Antarctica 2011
Location: Glendale, California
Top