During March and April I enjoyed 24 boat dives from Let’s Go Adventures’ Tomaree at Hole in the Wall, North Rock, Elephant Rock, and Boondelbah, Cabbage Tree and Looking Glass islands plus two previously unnamed sites. The first unnamed site lay to the west of Broughton Island and rose to a height 5 to 7 metres below the sea’s surface. We named it Steve’s Reef after Steve Hunter, our Tomaree skipper. The second lay on the east side of Broughton Island and was named “Malcolm’s Cove”. Both names were recorded it in the Ship’s Log of Dive Sites. Let’s Go Adventures’ often employs overseas instructors for a season and during this period it was great pleasure to meet American Erica Heller.

Two dives were particularly outstanding. One was at North Rock Gutters with underwater visibility generally around 15-20 metres. I began the dive on my own, finning slowly towards a large group of sleeping Grey Nurse sharks and sneaked in between then so that they were all around me, over, under and beside me. What a fantastic experience – completely surrounded by dozing sharks. I knew that I was very privileged. The sound of the approaching dive group disturbed them and they drifted apart.

The other particularly good dive was at newly named “Malcolm’s Cove”. (I can’t see this name sticking!) I photographed a really big Cownose ray resting on the sea bed directly in front of me with a group of divers on the other side. I had never been so close to one. I’m sure it was only possible because by sheer chance a group of divers approached it from one side at the same time as I approached it from the other. It seemed that the pincer movement left the ray uncertain and it did not move.