19. CAPRICORN AND BUNKER GROUP

Shell collector at North West Island, offshore from Gladstone and Yeppoon, Queensland.

Stokesi sea snake at Great Keppel Island. Christine Danaher takes a closer look.

Christine Danaher out of the water

Inside the lighthouse at North Reef, fish eye lens on 6x6 cm film

Reef offshore includes the magnificent platform coral shown below - (which may have been lost during a major flooding of the Fitzroy River).

Large coral (Acropora) at Great Keppel Island  (remote northern side) - possibly later killed by fresh water.


CAPRICORN AND BUNKER GROUP

An example of competition between coral species for living space. Girls in Lycra suits add some color
P.S. from a retired scientist and long term friend:

"This is something discovered and studied by Judy Lang when we were together at Tom Goreau's lab in Jamaica.

The Porites below the table Acropora is stinging the coral above it - stinging it to death where ever the Porites tentacles can stretch out and touch the Acropora.

Judy worked out the hierarchy of Caribbean corals, ie., who can beat whom.

In general, the slower a coral grows the more it must be able to attack and kill a faster growing coral that might take away its space".

Cheers - Dave

Fragile and very large coral formation in the lagoon at Lady Musgrave Island.  Can it survive tourism?

(This is possibility Wreck Island not Wilson Island)

18. TOURISM. NORTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF

Marlin still made from 16mm film frame (exposed at 64 fps).

The beginning of a tourist boom for Cairns and the GBR when Black Marlin were discovered spawning.

"Pixie Pinnacle" is offshore from Cooktown.  It may not look this populated today.

 Big game fishing helped put Cairns on the international tourist map.

Touching coral is not allowed to be shown in official tourism pictures.  Easy to understand why. Plus the fact that coral is sharp and covered thinly in slime.  A cut caused by coral can be difficult and slow to heal.

More pictures from this day will be included later.  It was a day in June when the low tide was at the lowest point for the entire year.  We swam into the shallows and found magnificent coral formations.

My model was an American airline worker from Texas.  I did a special roll of 35mm stills for her own use.

Againcourt Reef is 30 minutes north from Port Douglas, aboard the huge and fast Quicksilver boats. A simple and efficient method and (five stars as well) of visitors "seeing the reef", providing the weather is suitable.   Wind strength being the key.  Less than a predicted 15 knots is best.

Small Barramundi

Barramundi seeking Ben Cropp speared both these fish in Princess Charlotte Bay, Cape York.

Almost a private Island.

The tip of Cape York can be disappointing - there an island offshore that is obviously 'further north'.

Departing Port Douglas for a reef trip.

17. THE SWAIN REEFS (GBR - southern section)

 

VHS video 1983  (The Swain Reefs)

Sea snake is puzzled as to why it can't forage among the coral formations - now covered with thousands of CoT

Outer Swain Reef corals pre a departure from a reef, our destination Saumarez Reef  1971

Crown-of-thorns starfish

Staghorn coral 'forest' Gannet Cay area (1967) The late Ron Taylor using his 35mm movie camera.

The late Ron Isbel  has a reef in 'The Swains' named after him (picture below)

Surf on the 'weather-side'  (SE side) of a reef in The Swains

A 4kg coral trout of average size that has never seen a speargun.

White coral patch suggests crown-of-thorns starfish has been feeding.

The sand cay might be a clue to finding this location again. 

Near Mystery Cay 

Approx 1,500 Crown-of-Thorns collected near Mystery Cay.



 SPEARFISHING THE SWAIN REEFS (1961) By Ron Zangari (2 pages)

Illustrates how the shape and position of a sand cay changes, weather station was erected on the centre of the cay.

16. NORTH EASTERN SECTION (PNG)

 Egum Atoll canoe, PNG.

(Reading Fathom #7 - winter issue 1971)

15. CHESTERFIELD REEF (Territory of France)

This might be a perlicata from Lihou Reef - (all volutes are endemic to their geographical area).

Live specimen - yes a thatcheri.

Orange shell is Volute thatcheri - found by divers at Chesterfield Reef area
Volute thatcheri  is still a very rare shell, found only at Chesterfield Reef.

Ron Taylor driving his own boat.

Self
EXPEDITION TO CHESTERFIELD REEF

Val Taylor - her story of the trip (incomplete) published in the former American diving magazine, Skin Diver.

Marine biologist Richard Ibara (USA)

Richard Ibara and John Harding (senior)

Twin screw motor vessel (TSMV) Coralita, launched in 1969 was 79 feet in length.

Yeppoon Shell Club,  Tom Neilson

Val Taylor uses a medium format camera in a case (housing) built by her husband

Filmed by two 16mm camera's simultaneously

Add caption

Ron Taylor (left) inspired a night dive despite many grey reef sharks around the boat.

Only building on Loop Island

John Harding (senior)

Dewey Bergman of Sea and Sea dive travel, San Francisco

Nesting birds disturbed into the air upon our arrival.

Quest was for volute sea shell known as thatcheri.

Keen shell collector who first searched for a voluta thatcheri