DIVE LOG DECEMBER 25 ISSUE 415

Nauticam housing is now my dive buddy and we love getting out amongst it all! I may not be as good as I was spotting that elusive scorpion fish, that crocodile fish, etc., because I’m concentrating on being a solo diver, navigation, the camera selections etc. However, I find I’m really drawn to the big picture images, the drop offs, the walls, the close-up-wide-angle shots. There’s always a surprise out there, and that is where my set up is great. I’m even now starting to play with the camera’s video option. I also love chatting with the tourists who share their stories about how wonderful their day has been. How amazing and beautiful the corals are. Fish everywhere. It puts a smile on my dial, and of course, if I manage to capture them in a photo underwater, I’m able to send that memory to them. Finally, let’s talk about research and data. My (Terry) PhD thesis on the sustainability of scuba diving off Cairns in the GBR Marine Park gave me some very interesting insights as to why day trips to the reef are so popular. Obviously, there are two major types of dive excursions for certified divers offered out of Cairns: day trips on Evolution, AquaQuest, SeaQuest, Tusa, Reef Magic, Dreamtime, etc., and live-aboard experiences on Mike Ball’s: Spoilsport, Rum Runner, OceanQuest and Spirit of Freedom. While the day boat and live aboard offerings are distinctly different there is an apparent, and complex, cohort of certified divers that prefer day vessels to do multiple daytrips to the reef during a single visit to Cairns. I (Terry) ascertained through conversations with over 500 divers that this practice potentially gives them a break from the repetitive diving experienced on a live-aboard. This cohort feels it provides an opportunity to dive with different operators at a wide range of dive sites, have time-out to experience other activities (e.g. the Daintree, Bungee Jumping, Whitewater Rafting, Go-Carting, etc.), possibly with non-diving companions and the option to take breaks between dives to participate in the local night life (e.g. night clubs and the Casino). So the take-away message is don’t give up on exploring day dives when visiting not only Cairns, but other areas where fantastic day boats, live aboard vessels and other activities share the same space. Of course the very, very best option is to do a couple of day dives to warm-up for the often more advanced dives you will commonly experience on live aboard trips. Even with all our diving experience, when we travel up the big pond to say PNG, we will do day dives at Walindi Plantation Resort before jumping on Oceania or Febrina for 7 to 10 days at sea. This not only places an element of safety into an extended dive vacation but also gives you an extremely enjoyable variety of underwater experiences in one region. To find out more about diving opportunities off Cairns, right along the Queensland coast and onto our near neighbours in PNG and Fiji, please visit our website: www.dive-queensland.com We hope to see you out on our magnificent dive sites soon.

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DiveLog Australasia #415 - December’ 25

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