Robert McCusker tagged posts

Second try after no joy first time. Met up at 10m, then down to 30m for hammerhead watch. Viz poorer than first try, some luminescent plankton, slight stinging, some surgeon fish, but no sharks. Finned back to reef at 15m, still no sightings. Looked for turtles, no joy there either. Bleached coral sowing signs of regeneration. Small triggerfish, wrasse, butterfly fish (not surveyed)

Down to 32m into overhang – not the one expected as bottomed at over 36m!. Two nice sandy bays in coral at 28m, lots of live coral and oriental sweetlips, soldierfish.Two long pipefish sighted 10m lower. Orange lined triggersfish, grouper, blue wrasse. Nice coral blocks in the sandy bays, but bleached and dead coral elsewhere. Aborted attempt to get to coral table at 12m due to current.

Third attempt tp meet up with the hammerheads. First two were nice dives, but no sharks. Into the war at first light, then meet up with others at 10m then down slowly to 30m and waited. Visibility relatively low at around 10m. First saw a shadow, then a scalloped hammerhead passed at a three metres. After about 15 minutes, saw a further three hammerheads at the edge of visibility. Back to the reef at at 16m after 34 minutes with no more sightings.

Off the beach approx 20 mins by truck from hotel. Slight surge at reef opening, so permanent rope takes you to a small swimthrough out into the reef wall. Last in, picked up one of the German girl’s computers lying on the bottom. Two lion fish in the cave., rays just outside, nice fin along reef wall multu-varietal corals, including gorgonya, brain and fire.More lion fish on return to swimthrough, plus lots of butterfly fish and one smallish grouper.

Twoo hours out from Hamilton Island on tourist boat, arriving at pontoon complex. All gear was hired from Dive Centre, but pretty good. Into water on walk in platform with Achim and one other, who aborted early due to heavy swell. Ten minute fin to point of descent.Down to fabilous coral, great swimthroughs and school of white tips, (around eight) enormous grouper chewing away at the coral. Suffering from slight cold, so chewed air, but stunning dive! Map coordinates are approximate

Superb sunn first day of holiday. Rib dropped roup of four a few metres from the Piton Wall. Sheer drop, with only the gentlest slope in parts! Continious finning to stay on station, with some barracuda and two lion fish. Shoals of trigger fish. One large grouper, and two smallish turtles. Drifted back to the beach and cam up at the dive shop.

Mystic man water taxi from Jalousie to Anse Chastanet hotel. Waited 45 mins fror recalcitrant Americans. Good briefing using Marine Park Artboard. Off from hotel beach then bouyancy check at 3m. Superb reef, with very strong current running beyond the western point. Very hard finning against it. (Why?) Small cave with turnaround but no interesting marine life inside. Mark went back to find two missing Americans, but they had already aborted the dive and beached.

Strong current on surface and just above the wall. Down shot line to excellent canyons and swim throughs, including one blind canyon needing a u-turn. Angel fish red and grey snappers, barracuda and small groupers

Started with bouyancy check, added 1kg to existing. Nice check out dive, with lots of marine life, good coral beds One hour out to the dive site, anchored in sand for lunch. Observed French boat with russian divers destroying the coral!!!

Short visit to Rodrigues on biz, so early dive for later low level, umprssurided flight. Up nd down through rock caverns. Not a lot of marine life but an interesting, different dive. Jane unable to equalise, so remained shallow. I heard that she got bent and potted on a later dive. OK in the end, thank goodness.