DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

Above: Blair carrying out final personal safety checks

Above: Lined Butterflyfish, Chaetodon lineolatus

After we returned to the ship, I asked her what she was trying to tell me. A small, five metre female Whale Shark had risen from the depths to check out all the dive group. The first group got a superb video of the shark approaching to within a couple of metres after she swam up from about thirty metres directly to meet and greet the divers. The next dive was the shark feed at North Horn. As always, this was a wonderful experience with plenty of sharks coming up to greet us.

There is a resident Potato Cod that come in and a few White Tip Reef sharks. I am a great fan of shark feeds. Here at Osprey, they are part of a long-time scientific study into their lives. Many of the sharks are tagged. Vital data is collected so that we can learn more about sharks. As they say, it is another great example of how scientists will save the planet.

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

Identification of pelagic fish is extremely challenging. My best guess for this magnificent fish is a Queenfish, Scomberoides sp.

DIVE LOG Australasia #410 - February‘25 73

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