DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

the historical wreck of the Pandora (another story to tell) to Great Detached Reef and Raine Island. Raine is a partly vegetated 32 hectares (79 acre) coral cay that lies just off the eastern edge of the Continental Shelf approximately 620 km (390 miles) north-northwest of Cairns and about 120 kilometres (75 mls) east-northeast of Cape Grenville on Cape York Peninsula. It got its name from Captain Thomas Raine (1793–1860), the English mariner who discovered it. It is the site of the oldest European structure in tropical Australia - a convict constructed stone beacon built in 1844. But for us divers it is important to know scientist have determined it has hosted the world’s largest population of nesting Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) for over 1,000 years. Raine also provides a home for 30 species of seabirds including the endangered Herald Petrel and the vulnerable Red-tailed Tropic Bird which arguably makes it the most significant seabird rookery on the Great Barrier Reef. In August 2007 Raine Island, along with the neighbouring Moulter and MacLennan Cays, were declared a National Park (Scientific) under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act of 1992. As an important environmental icon, the actual island is totally protected from public access, but the extensive fringing reefs can be dived, and we had come to see at least some of the 64,000 female turtles during their egg-laying season. At Raine Island we had ‘open-decks’ and we squeezed in five dives – three at a site just off Raine and two at a new site we named: Cup Cake’. All five were excellent dives with the coral formations in superb condition. At Raine we encountered masses of different fish, White Tip Reef Sharks, and of course lots of Green Turtles. We hoped to see some Tiger Sharks lurking in the deep waiting for an unsuspecting turtle returning from egg laying but it was not to be. However, Cathie was lucky enough to capture a few shots of a pod of dolphins which seemed quite inquisitive. At Cup Cake we encountered similar conditions to Raine but also were lucky to find a resting Epaulette Shark in a small crevice, a small octopus, schools of Batfish, Trumpet Fish, Sweet Lip and Long Nose Hawk Fish amongst the giant Gorgonian Fans that together with the soft corals, dominated the wall dropping to more than 60 mts. The marine life was so diversified we decided to do a twilight/night dive and were delighted to find Blue Spotted Rays, Painted Crayfish, several species of shells and numerous kinds of starfish.

Jelly.

After one of the wonderful dinners for which Spoilsport is renowned, we steamed to a dive site in the Great Detached Reef called: ‘Oh My Bommie’ (OMB). This was possibly one of the top 10 dives we have ever had anywhere on the planet. Rising out of 40 mts, OMB is a large mass of extremely healthy coral formations with two humps, one coming to within 20 mts and the other 15 mts of the surface. Someone else may have called it: ‘The Camel’s Back’. We have written several articles on Steve’s Bommie in the Ribbon Reefs of Far North QLD and for those that know Steves, OMB could be described as two Steves closely married together by a narrow channel about 4 mts wide with giant Gorgonian Fans,

Large Gorgonian Fan captured in light rays

Lionfish on one of the magnificent Gorgonian Fans

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DIVE LOG Australasia #410 - February 25