409 Dive Log Australasia December 24

magnificent sight. There is no better experience that a close encounter with a school of these beauties. Then again, there is! A small Whale Shark swam up to the divers in front of me and they managed to get a good video of it. My buddy was ten metres in front of me and was pointing excitedly at the deep blue water as it swam away and deeper. I failed to see it and was so disappointed to be so close to the whale shark once again and to not see it. The Spirit of Freedom always conducts a shark feed at the North Horn. This is a great way to interact with Grey Reef sharks in relative safety and to learn about their sharky behaviours. I am a huge fan of shark feeds because of this and several other reasons. One of which is the opportunity to get good portraits of sharks. Life on board the boat is about as good as it gets. Murray, our chef on this trip produced an amazing array of meals, cakes and snacks. The crew were so professional and the way the boat was run was extremely efficient. The ten staff working together like a well-oiled machine to keep the operation running smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble. The dive briefs delivered by James our Trip Director on this trip were thorough and entertaining while being informative and useful. Most evenings, Jamie, the resident Master Reef guide, ran an educational session to spread some knowledge of the reef and its history. I was so impressed by the positive environment and genuine friendliness of the crew. All of them were so helpful and cheerful. I have to say that it is one of the best live aboard that I have had the pleasure of diving on

Above: Long Nose Butterflyfish

For more info, https://www.spiritoffreedom.com.au/

Above: The magnificent male Three Spot Wrasse.

Coral Trout and Coral Cod are common all over the barrier reef.

DIVE LOG Australasia #409 - December ‘24 73

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