Helen's hired a camera for the first two dives today. The first dive -- we really were in the water at 6:30am -- was particularly good as all the fish were up and about jockeying for space on the reef. The first thing we saw though was an octopus sticking out of some staghorn coral.
Surprisingly, rather than loitering as a buddy, bored waiting for the picture to be taken I was actually quite busy looking for new subjects. The advice was to leave a couple of shots for the trip back as you always see something [when you've got a camera]. Helen had [already] run out when we saw the yellow boxfish...
On the second dive Helen had the macro (close up) lens which comes with a staging frame -- shove the frame over your subject and press the shutter -- ideal for anemonefish poking out from their anemone. Except the anemonefish are flighty little buggers and simply don't sit still for a moment when a lens is poked at them. The same is true of the little damselfish and their intricate hard coral home. Normally they're little bees buzzing round a honeypot until a camera appears and they dart inside not to be seen again until the danger has passed.
Helen had run out of film on the way back when we saw the 75cm cuttlefish... We need more time underwater.
The third and final dive was a bit naff, Go swim in the shallows for a bit -- consider it an extended decompression stop...
Back in Cairns we wasted a good hour as all the students plodded through collecting thier temporary certificates [like all meantimes on-board they managed to all be in the queue first] and we all paid any on-board dues (drinks cameras etc.) At the first opportunity, though, we legged it to get on down to Townsville, successfully booking a Sunday dive trip to the SS Yongala [en route].
The road to Townsville was uneventful barring the bug infested Ingham McDonalds (not inside, I'm sure) as a dozen things fell from the outdoor seating roof and the road was littered with, I presume, cane toads which you can't avoid -- indeed Australians might think it their duty not to avoid. A muffled thump every few hundred yards.
We only had money to pay for the first night at Townsville and I was asleep by 10pm. Then awakened to clean my teeth.
Townsville YHA S21.14371 E149.17860 Elev. 26m
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.