No.8 MODERN SHIPWRECK (pictures)

Bougainville Reef wreck

We have visited similar wrecks at Middleton Reef, Wreck Reef and elsewhere in the era pre GPS navigation.

Zyuru Maru stranded on Cheetah Shoal, Guadalcanal

This ship was closer to the Solomon Islands than to Australia. Picture has been include as an example.  The long term fate of the vessel is not known. Update 2016 Salvaged and towed to Japan by Don Tas Company (Reg Thomas).

International fishing vessel breaking up in the southern section of The Coral Sea (1974)

No. 7 MER ISLAND (MURRAY ISLAND)

Church onshore

Brothers, home from boarding school in Townsville.
Tritons were/are common near Murray Island.  Not so elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.

 Tiger shark at night - strobe was underwater.

Ben Cropp made two documentary films featuring the culture of Murray Island

Turtle stew

Stewing turtle pieces. When asked what was the preferred food - fish or turtle the answer was a very definite 'fish'.

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Murray Island reef lobsters.

Young men of Murray Island were home from boarding school in Townsville - pictured here aboard Ben Cropp's Freedom III

No.6 (Boats) CORALITA (1969-1991)

Coralita arriving at Osprey Reef (1991)
(At that time the shallow water 'bommies' were covered with green-colored 'grape weed' - very unusual).
 

KENN REEF EXPEDITION (1971) Pages 32 - 37 Fathom

The Coralita trip to Swains, Saumarez and Kenn reefs. Who was there in 1970?

Ron and Valerie Taylor, Walt and Jean Deas, John Singleton and
Gerry Harvey, Dick Oakes, Bob Sands, Snowy Ley, Rob Reed, Roy Bisson, John Stone.
Ross Robertson (aka the phantom scribbler)  was another marine biologist, Captain: Wally Muller. Hostess: Denise Muller, Deckhand (name ?)   

As I recall: John Singleton was invited along by Valerie Taylor who told him we would be cruising, diving among the coral reefs, etc. and he and Gerry Harvey were under the impression this included places like Heron island, Whitsundays, and similar islands. They packed tennis racquets, casual wear for gatherings with like-minded holidaymakers, and expectations that diving was just an extra activity they might embark on. 

You can imagine Singleton’s shock when all the other passengers turned up with spearguns and dive gear stowed on board in plastic garbage bins. First night out into a pounding sea, stuff broke everywhere, especially in the forehead cabins. My top bunk split length-ways and I bunked on the floor wedged in with gear bags. Singleton spent much of the night in the life boat, convinced the Coralita was about to sink. He wanted off at the first island and was dismayed when Valerie then told him we weren’t calling into any island resorts. (funny).  After a day’s drinking and relaxing about on deck he was primed and ready for some stimulating conversations and repartee and all the rest wanted to talk about the day’s diving and how big the fish were. Then buggered off to bed. An intellectual wasteland for Singleton.  (Roy Bisson 2018)

Ron Taylor (1964)

 Fathom #3 (1971)

Not mentioned in Fathom was the point that Australia's number one advertising agency owner and executive was aboard with the future owner of Harvey Norman retail stores - both oblivious this was a diving trip and not an island cruising holiday. In other words no landing on islands. 

79 feet in length, Coralita had a 'Commonwealth Survey' certification - which enabled charter trips anywhere in the world.

79 feet in length  19' 6" beam
twin 190 HP cats
160 KVA and 125 KVA gen sets

8"X 2" Spotted Gum planks, 40 feet long (or longer).
Built by Norman R. Wright, Brisbane. (1969)

The original plan was to develop tourist trips to islands and reefs in the Capricorn and Bunker Group.

A friendship with Ron Taylor helped introduce scuba diving to reefs in The Coral Sea, starting with Kenn Reef in 1970  Chesterfield Reef area in 1971 had See and Sea proprietor, Dewey Bergman investigating the potential for scuba tourists from USA.

Australia's Fathom magazine further promoted Coralita to USA subscribers from issue number 3 (1971).

Coralita after salvage at Cairns.  Both sides of the engine room were blown out by an enormous gas explosion.

After the explosion and salvage, Coralita was purchased by Mr 'Cocky' Watkins of Cardwell, Queensland for the price of one thousand dollars, at auction. Temporarily renamed Alita while being restored, later sold, and finally renamed Bell Cay.

2010 The vessel came to grief in The Swain Reefs (250 km offshore) with approx. 20 people aboard. All were rescued after treading water for some time.

Epilogue.  27 February 2011. Bell Cay is believed to have broken up and washed ashore in the Mackay area of the Queensland coast, according to Alexander Muller - youngest son of the late Captain Wally Muller.

Coralita at Gannet Cay (The Swain Reefs) in 1974 while returning from The Coral Sea.

Shark diver aftermath, Osprey Reef aboard Coralita with Captain Albie Ziebell

No.5 MARINE EXPLORERS - 20th century

Ben Cropp - International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame 2000  

Ben's Bio -In 1964, Cropp won the coveted world Underwater Photographer of the Year, following in the footsteps of Hans Hass and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and the same became the first Australian producer to sell to the giant US networks.

After making several specials for the United States’ NBC and ABC, Cropp released into syndication 12 episodes of the series The Coral Jungle, hosted by Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame. Another series of 10 specials around Australia, entitled This Rugged Coast, were sold worldwide. Cropp then made 15 one-hour films for The Disney Channel, one of which, The Young Adventurers, was nominated for an Emmy Award.

To date, Cropp has filmed and produced over 100 wildlife adventure documentaries, all sold worldwide. Cropp’s documentaries are a mixture of underwater wildlife and adventure. His most successful was March of the Crabs. Recent productions are on dugong, the deadly box jellyfish and sea snakes. Ben’s two sons feature in most of his films, and have become skillful cameramen.

Cropp lives in Port Douglas, Australia where he operated, until recently, a Shipwreck Museum. He has discovered more than 100 shipwrecks, including the Pandora, Australia’s most important.

In 1999 Cropp was awarded an Order of Australia AM for his marine and coastal conservation work and promotion and awareness of the Australian marine environment as a documentary filmmaker.  (International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame - directory 2000).

Ben's boat and dinghy (before the shark bite at Batt Reef).

ALBY ZIEBELL

Captain Alby Ziebell with wife Irene, purchased TSMV Coralita from Wally Muller and made major upgrades including destinations visited, for her international travelers. An unfortunate series of accidents followed. (See 'Coralita was a charter boat', post #6)

Mrs Irene Ziebell

Captain Alby Ziebell  (1949-2003)





COUSTEAU CREW 

J.Y. Cousteau film crew (below)

  Diver Marc Blessington from southern England and underwater cameraman Michel Deloire, at Cairns, Queensland aboard Alcyone.


The team worked in The Coral Sea during 1988

 

 

RON ISBELL

Captain Ron Isbell ventured to Saumarez Reef in the 1960s
operated mainly in the Capricorn and Bunker Group with occasional trips to The Swain Reefs where Ron Isbel Reef  (sic) is located today. 

A spear fishing champion and charter boat owner-captain, Ron Isbell launched his purpose-built Sea Hunt in 1968 from his base at Gladstone, Queensland.  It was some years before he installed an air compressor for scuba diving as the early divers were interested in free diving spear fishing.

As the popularity of scuba exploded Ron catered for both scuba and spearing – managing to keep both groups happy by taking them to separate sections of reef. Only possible when very few boats are working an area.

His favorite area was the Capricorn and Bunker Group offshore between Yeppoon, Gladstone and Bundaberg. In the early days this and Cairns was the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns had not got off the ground with an international airport so anyone wishing to avoid the long trip north went to the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef.

The ‘Great Barrier reefs’ leave the coast further north and extend well offshore, the southern section being The Swain Reefs (The Swains) – a vast area where less tourists venture.


Inshore is the Capricorn and Bunker Group, the most scenic low white-sand islands with vegetation and trees with surrounding coral reef. These are separate from the chain of more than 2000 reefs commonly called the Great Barrier Reef.  "A more accurate title would have been Great Barrier Reefs", said marine biologist Dr. Robert Endean.

WALLY MULLER

Riversong  Engine was a 48 HP Gardner.

Wally Muller using a sextant during his first voyage to Chesterfield Reef in 1971

Wally Muller with the salvaged shipwreck anchor which probably saved Coralita during a cyclone at Middleton Reef in the southern end of The Coral Sea (1972).

(You Tube) Wally Muller honoured by International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame 2015

WALLY  G. MULLER remembered by Muller's Reef in The Swain Reefs.

1964 expedition  - Riversong ventured  approx. 240 miles offshore.

Featuring Captain Wally Muller and the fishing vessel Riversong.

Ron Taylor's SLAUGHTER AT SAUMAREZ (1964) 360P

Ron Zangari  a regular "unpaid" deckhand for Wally Muller including the filming expedition "Slaughter at Saumarez" (1964).

SPEAR FISHING DETAILS by Ron Zangari (2 pages)

 




RON TAYLOR

Ron Taylor from the cover of a French magazine, crowned in Tahiti (1965) "World spear fishing champion"  the only Australian to have won this title to date (2017).

In recognition is Ron Taylor Reef - The Swain Reefs, southern section Great Barrier Reef.
Note: This is a partial list of explorers known to the author who have Great Barrier reefs named in their memory. Search elsewhere for a complete list which will include marine biologist Dr Robert Endean, also a colleague of this author.