The Adventures of Finding Nemo

For my mid semester break I knew I couldn't just sit around and twiddle my thumbs, so I decided to head out to North Stradbroke Island again. My previous trip there for the field trip got me interested, and I figured it was not too close, I could do some diving, lay on a beautiful beach, and not spend an arm and a leg. So my adventures began with taking the train, for the first time here in Brisbane, to Cleveland where the water taxis/ferry and car barges all leave from, taking the ferry across Moreton Bay, and then across the island to Point Lookout. I stayed at the Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre which is a backpackers hostel type place and they run daily dive trips. I got a discount on my bed because I was diving, so my nightly rate was about $24 AUD. Not bad. Due to the Easter holidays space on the dive boat was limited, but Tuesday morning I was up before 7 am for my first dives in the Pacific Ocean. There were 7 other divers on the boat with me, all from the UK, the coxswain(capt) of the boat and the divemaster. I was paired with 3 friends travelling together who were Advanced and Rescue divers. I was the youngest, seemingly the usual situation I find myself in, but I had the highest certification level. It was kind of amusing to have the coxswain and divemaster kind of look at me for approval after their briefings and such. I didn't really care, I just wanted to go diving! We all loaded our gear onto the boat which was on the trailer and were told to climb in the 4WD. We followed the tractor pulling the boat to the beach, drove along the sand until they found a "suitable location" to launch the boat. I think they just liked driving on the beach, but that's just me. We then climbed into the boat and the divemaster backed the tractor and trailer into the water far enough for us to float, he parked the tractor and then swam out to the boat. We bounced along through the waves and wind for a few minutes to our first site and in we went. I was determined to find that little Disney animated fish, Nemo. We followed the divemaster for the dive, through the little swim through tunnel and around the area while he pointed out the wobbegong sharks and a few other highlights. At first I could only find Nemo's cousins, the black and white clownfish, but Nemo was finally found. After several games of peak-a-boo I got a few pictures and also a workout from catching up with the group after the photo shoots. I saw more puffer and porcupine fish than I think I've ever seen and also more black urchins than I could count. There was not alot of soft corals, which I'm not sure was because of the specific site or area. Between dives we had hot chocolate and gummy snakes. The second dive the divemaster let us explore the second half of the dive because he was keeping a close eye on the guy that nearly ran out of air the first dive. So 5 of us went around together while the divemaster brought the air-hog and his wife back to the boat. I found several of Nemo's brothers and sisters, and possibly grandparents(larger and slightly more rusty orange), one of the largest lobsters I think I've ever seen, who sadly was dead and rolling along the bottom in the current, a small lion fish, and a baby shark of some sort. I think he was a grey nurse, but hiding under a rock and only about as big as my arm it was hard to tell and he wasn't about to come out and tell me. Overall two fun dives, and I can now check off Pacific Ocean on my list of dives. The boat ride back to shore had it's own excitement, and not just surfing the waves. The large pod of dolphins that swam around made everyone smile and there were a few attempts to speak dolphin, but I didn't hear any responses, so I don't think it worked. Our beach landing was rather unique and a first for me. We were told that once we hit the beach to jump out and hold onto the boat. So we jumped as instructed, and watched as the tractor pulled the boat up the sand and onto the trailer. The rest of my time on the island was spent reading and listening to music on the beach, or taking walks along the many trails or the white sand. The wind made it so that all the dive trips returned to the 2 same sites for the rest of the week, and either boat problems or not enough space kept me from diving again. I still thoroughly enjoyed myself, got to relax, and meet many people from all over the world. I'm back now, and have classes on Monday before heading out to Lady Elliot Island on Tuesday for my next field trip. Hopefully a few more dives, this time on the Great Barrier Reef, some turtle hatchings, and maybe a pina colada at the bar. Don't worry it's really for educational purposes, I promise! :-)
Check out the album, Finding Nemo.

http://uqedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025625&l=5e4bd&id=44801562

Cheers!