2010 January to April
Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Australia (172)Australia (172)
Expand ACT, Jervis Bay (1)ACT, Jervis Bay (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)
Expand NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)
Expand NSW, Cook Island (1)NSW, Cook Island (1)
Expand NSW, Forster (2)NSW, Forster (2)
Expand NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)
Expand NSW, Jervis Bay (2)NSW, Jervis Bay (2)
Expand NSW, Julian Rocks (3)NSW, Julian Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)
Expand NSW, Merimbula (1)NSW, Merimbula (1)
Expand NSW, Montague Island (4)NSW, Montague Island (4)
Expand NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)
Expand NSW, Nelson Bay (45)NSW, Nelson Bay (45)
Expand NSW, Nymboida River (1)NSW, Nymboida River (1)
Expand NSW, Oakland wreck (7)NSW, Oakland wreck (7)
Expand NSW, Seal Rocks (3)NSW, Seal Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Shellharbour (1)NSW, Shellharbour (1)
Expand NSW, Solitary Islands (1)NSW, Solitary Islands (1)
Expand NSW, South West Rocks (8)NSW, South West Rocks (8)
Expand NSW, Swansea (3)NSW, Swansea (3)
Expand NSW, Sydney (14)NSW, Sydney (14)
Expand NSW, Tweed River (1)NSW, Tweed River (1)
Expand NSW, Wollongong (2)NSW, Wollongong (2)
Expand Queensland, Coral Sea (2)Queensland, Coral Sea (2)
Expand Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)
Expand Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)
Expand Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)
Expand Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)
Expand Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)
Expand Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)
Expand South Australia, Edithburgh (1)South Australia, Edithburgh (1)
Expand South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)
Expand South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)
Collapse South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)
Expand South Australia, Point Lowly (1)South Australia, Point Lowly (1)
Expand South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)
Expand South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)
Expand South Australia, Second Valley (1)South Australia, Second Valley (1)
Expand South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)
Expand South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)
Expand South Australia, Wool Bay (1)South Australia, Wool Bay (1)
Expand Tasmania, Derwent River (2)Tasmania, Derwent River (2)
Expand Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)
Expand Western Australia, Busselton (1)Western Australia, Busselton (1)
Expand Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)
Expand Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)
Expand Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)
Expand Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)
Expand Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)
Expand Fiji (4)Fiji (4)
Expand French Polynesia (2)French Polynesia (2)
Expand New Zealand (2)New Zealand (2)
Expand Papua New Guinea (1)Papua New Guinea (1)
Expand Tonga (1)Tonga (1)
Expand Vanuatu (1)Vanuatu (1)
In January 2010 my dive buddy Mick Todd and I drove to Port Lincoln from our home town of Sydney. I thought the long journey would give me sufficient time to enlighten Mick on the inadequacies of his UK football team, Manchester United and to offer him salvation through conversion to following that ultimate football colossus: Arsenal Football Club. Sadly there was enough time even though we detoured to photograph Leafy Sea Dragons at Rapid Bay, stocked up on wines in the Barossa Valley and took in an emergency stop in a pub to watch on television the closing stages of an unlikely Australian comeback against the Pakistan cricket team. Another time then.

Eventually we reached Port Lincoln, checking into the Marina Hotel. We were hoping to see Great White Sharks and were up early the next morning ready to board Calypso Star at 6.30 a.m. for our journey south to the Neptune Islands where Great Whites are often seen. We had great sea conditions, dolphins playing around the bow of our boat. Mick slumbered oblivious.

Once Calypso Star reached the Neptune Islands, a shark cage was lowered in the water and “chum” thrown into the water around the cage. In all Calypso Star had nineteen clients aboard and we were split into groups of four, each group to have 45 minutes in the cage. The chum quickly attracted a large number of Bronze Whaler Sharks, a shark I had never seen before. Then and all too briefly, a three metre Great White Shark cruised by.  It looked very menacing.  The first Great White I had ever seen and I was just stunned by how powerful it looked, certainly more intimidating than any other shark I had seen before.

Mick and I were the last to enter the cage. The Great White was long gone but the Bronze Whaler Sharks were still there in great numbers. Suddenly one of the Bronze Whalers stuck its head right into the cage and I managed to capture the moment with a photograph. Of course I was hoping that the Great White would return and we were generously given eighty minutes in the shark cage but we were out of luck on this occasion.

Three months later I returned to Port Lincoln with Mary Royal, my fiancee and again Calypso Star took me in search of Great Whites. This time however the weather was awful. Most of the passengers were sea sick with the notable exception of Mary but the unfortunate inclusion of myself! In the big seas and poor underwater visibility, no one would have known if a Great White had been present.