It's Alive!!!

The Faiser Chief, is coming...

Word.

Friday 10th March 2006

I'm having an average time here in WA. I guess I expected the diving to be> much better & also I've just returned from a day trip to Coral Bay to Snorkel with Manta Rays & Dive. Did'nt see any Manta Rays & nothing amazing during the dive either!! $300 (130 squid approx.) for sweet FA!! Guess nature is like that - no timetable, no guarantees! Also the WA trip started badly. On my first 2 dive Island trip, the boat broke down & we did'nt do the dive I wanted for the 1st dive. The 2nd dive was cancelled. They only do this trip on Wednesdays & Sundays so was well pissed off as it ruined my itinary completely. Doing it this Sunday now with a different company. Fingers crossed. Tomorrow I'm doing a normal reef dive - nothing special expected. I'm hoping to be surprised!! Don't get me wrong I've still seen some groovy stuff (white tip reef sharks, lionfish, stingwrays) but I expected a lot more from one of the top dive sites around the world. Also on the Manta ray swim EVERYONE but me saw a white tip reef shark - so was a bit annoyed but what can you do? Also some of the Dive masters pissed me off - & thats quite difficult cos> I'm very easy going as you know(??!!). Basically we started the dive & one of the dive masters warned us that on entry coral is only 4m below so attain you neutral buoyancy quickly & don't stand on the coral!!! I did this sweetly - No problem.

A chinese lady f**ked it up completely & broke a huge chunk of plate coral. Dive masters said absolutely nothing. Rightly so really as its not as if she did it on purpose & she obvoiusly just needs more experience. 10 minutes later I am examining coral closely (visibility was shit - 6meters maybe). I see a bit ahead directly, go up, & just lightly clip a bit of coral by accident with my fin - limited damage - but I admit careless & I felt bad enough. Felt really shitty when the dive master quickly swims up with "DON'T KICK THE CORAL" written on his board!!!! As if I'd done it on purpose!!!! It was obvoiusly an accident & by the fact that I turned & paused he could see I knew my error already! Maybe I should'nt have been so close to the coral in the first place but the previous day another dive master ticked me off for not watching my Buoyancy & air in my BCD with regard to depth & should get closer to the coral???!!! With too much weight I did'nt risk getting closer. Again not my fault either as if they'd listened to me & let me go in with just 3 & not 4 weights I would not have had to keep adjusting my BCD! Also I was looking after her advanced PADI student (I have my advanced) & he would not follow my lead. It was his first day & I felt she used me to get a point accross to him as she did not want to create an atmosphere with her new student. Really pissed me off. Nevermind. Sorry about that rant - had to get it off my chest. In any case even if all these things were my fault Dive masters forget its THEIR proffesion not ours & we only do it as a hobby! There's nicer ways to put your point across. I've had plenty of other awesome dives, with great dive masters so NO, its not me!! I hope the next 2 days are better. Well gotta go sort my dinner out.

Peace out ;-)

Photos to follow when I get back!

Saturday 11th March 2006

"Its going off at the Ningaloo Reef!!"

The 3 S's : Safety stop, SHARK, SELECTA!!!!!!

Keep hope alive is the moto of the day. Why? Cos my next day of diving WAS unexpectedly AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all the Dive masters today were different but one & I had a chat with him & he forgave me & admitted he was in a bad mood after the chinese lady messed up her descent & broke some coral yesterday. The atmosphere was relieved & more easy going today. I was allowed to use 3 weights today & this ofcoarse sorted my "Buoyancy problem" (Smug mode!!)

Also we saw a plethora of marine life......first, enter stage left, The Wobby gong shark!!!

Please note that this is not the picture I took-just an example. I will add my picture later.

The Wobbegong I saw was lodged & hiding beteen some rocks & coral & was about 1.5 - 2 meters.
Next we passed upon some Lionfish hiding amongst some more coral, then it started going off with schools of fish everywhere creating a cloud of marine life!That was the first dive with the best to come on the 2nd dive....

2nd dive & things kick off. First a 1m White tip reef shark chilling on the bottom of the ocean bed 14m down.

Again I will add my own photo later.
This is only an example!

Quick photo shoot for the Paparatzii & onward to see an Octopus hiding in a crack on ocean bed - it changes colour when I get closer to get a picture. Cool!
Next the Pink Anenome fish. Chilling out I swim 20cm above a 1m Sting Ray hiding in the sand! My dive master warns me. I thinks shes fooling around. Pass cautiously. Turn. Sure enough there its outline is in the sand!!!!!!

Also see some Flounder fish hiding in the sand - A difficult spot!! They hide in the sand & their eyes stick out of sand. They are flat & eyes are on 1 side only -Freaky!

Schools of fish later (too many to mention) time to go home. 3 minute safety stop at 5m for "Captain Danger" ;-)
Twiddle fingers. 3rd minute. Out of no where comes the biggest man eating shark I've ever seen.... :-O !!!!!!!!
WOW thats big, I think as I just see the side & then tail of a HAMMERHEAD SHARK!!!!!!!!!!
I kid you not! It is unbelievable because Hammerheads normaly "hang" deeper & you rarely see anything on the safety stop! It must have been attracted by the hub of electrical activity. So, one of the most agressive sharks comes by to check us out before we get back on board. What a way to end one of the best days of diving I've had. Thankyou God!!!

I Don't have my own picture of this shark. It all happened too quick!




Laters!!