Star Of Cairns Dive Scene
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday November 6, 2001
They named the Cairns-based scuba dive boat Aquarius 3 after the seafarers' star of the sea.
And the Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea 230km east of Cairns is the playground of all the International scuba divers who sail aboard her.
Dave Cooper the ship's Master, invited me to join him for one of his adventures out into the sea so I could see for myself where the Coral Sea battle was fought during the war in the Pacific against the Japanese in 1942.
I told Cooper I wasn't into the diving caper, as I had enough trouble trying to breathe on top of the water, let alone below the surface.
He replied. "I'll take a 3.3m dinghy aboard so you can go fishing out on the reef and catch coral trout for the ship's dinner".
We sailed out of the Cairns marina at sunset with a party of nine International divers and a crew of four.
Three divers came from Switzerland, two from Belgium, two from England and one from Germany, the other from the good old USA.
Aquarius 3 is 18.55m (70 foot in the old scale) with accommodation for 16 guests in two or four-bunk state rooms.
Scuba divers on an adventure aboard Aquarius 3 have the opportunity to take 19 dives over five days at sea, including four night dives.
Steve Mitchell and Craig Stiff were our two Professional Association Diving Instructors (PADI) while Darren Foley filled in as the ship's cook and my personal fishing guide, when we fished the coral reefs.
To save the living coral out on the Coral Sea, Cooper didn't drop anchor into the coral reef.
Instead, we tied up to moorings sunk into the ocean floor by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority.
And, according to the scuba divers I spoke to on my first trip out to their playground on the Coral Sea, the Holmes Reef is considered one of the world's most famous dive locations.
It's no wonder when you consider scuba divers not only can see the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, but also sight some 7000 species of fish.
But, looking after the environment was the main concern of Cooper.
No rubbish was allowed to go over the side of the ship, instead it was all placed in garbage bags and placed in the shipis freezing compartments below decks.
Even the cigarette butts were saved from the ash trays and frozen down with all the other rubbish to be taken back to Cairns for disposal.
Some of the exciting scuba dive spots on the Holmes Reef we visited included Amazing, Nonki, Turtle Grave Yard and Flora.
Nonki, a Japanese word meaning relaxing, would be the most exciting dive spot of all.
It's a spot where divers can actually see organic fans of live coral growing in caves and waving as the ocean currents flow by.
An added attraction for the divers is the sighting of an exotic rare butterfly fish, only found on Nonki reef.
However, the highlight of the Coral Sea adventure for the international scuba divers was the shark feed on the last day when all the fish caught was fed to the sharks.
The shark feed begins with the crew tossing fish tied to the end of a rope off the dive platform at the stern of the ship.
As sharks zoom in for a free feed, crew members actually pull sharks out of the water with a fish clenched firmly in their jaws.
But, this was only a ploy to attract more sharks to the ship's side in readiness for the climax of the trip, the shark feed.
Species of sharks lured in for the spectacular floor show included tawny nurse, grey whaler, white tipped and silver tipped sharks.
All of these species are harmless to divers, but inquisitive and bait stealers as I found out fishing off the stern of the ship at night.
Finally, all the scuba divers hit the clear blue water to form a semicircle on the sea bed below the ship.
A stainless steel triangle with fish speared on the bottom rod was lowered to the ocean bed.
Hundreds of sharks and other fish then zoomed in for a giant seafood smorgasbord until all the speared fish were eaten.
I wished I had done a spot of diving beforehand so I could have joined the rest of the divers and viewed the shark feed from the ocean floor.
Instead, I witnessed the entire shark feed through a glass bottomed viewer while hanging over the side of a dinghy.
I think I will take a few lessons in scuba diving before I go back to Cairns for a trip to Holmes Reef out on the Coral Sea aboard Aquarius 3.
For a brochure or more information on an Aquarius 3 adventure please phone Cairns Travel and Sportfishing Adventure on 0740-40516449, fax 0740-405393.
© 2001 Illawarra Mercury
