Just received this story for the WAUPS magazine & I asked Maryann if I
could post it off to you lot as I doan have time to scribble out a trip
report myself. She joined our UW photo club late last year and this was her
first dive trip with us. She's also a Kiwi, like moi :-) now living as a
permanent resident in Perth. Viv

(Aussie speak – Cray season = Lobster season
Loo doors = toilet door     Shanties = roughly built dwelling
Plakkie bags = plastic bags      Knackered = worn out)

The Abrolhos Dive Trip (Experiences of a new recruit) by Maryann Evetts

YAHOO! Five days diving at the Abrolhos! Fantastic. I've been diving for
about 18 months and have used an underwater camera 4 times since Ann
Storrie's UW photography classes (that’s how I became a WAUPS member)
Hmmmm! I have a few misgivings about how I'm going to cope with all of
this, being more than just a little inexperienced, but what the hell I'll
try anything once.

I was offered a lift to Geraldton with Owen at the WAUPS meeting. (He can't
be that bad he 's got the cutest little boy) and indeed we shared a very
pleasant trip to Geraldton. We got to the wharf just as the Island Leader
docked, emptied the car, found bunks, and secured our belongings for the
trip. We left about 1pm with fairly lumpy seas and a great deal of noise
but, despite all, most of us were comatose for the entire four hours.

The Island Leader is a very comfortable boat. A supply ship during the cray
season and Captained by Rae. Hannelore and Margaret were the cooks, and Bob
the deckhand. Dave and Margaret brought their boat and enough food to feed
all the starving in Africa. There was lots of room for all of us and our
equipment, including a compressor for filling the tanks. Very spacious but
very noisy, especially when the anchor was dropped and hauled in -
deafening. We were serenaded by the wind all night howling through the
railings on the bow. Alan made a number of modifications that helped
somewhat, but the wind was strong and persistent the entire time. Bathroom
facilities were palatial. Anne had a few problems with the Loo doors on the
first day. They were VERY stiff  She required some timely help from Dave
that prompted a giggle or two from those looking on.

We had lots of laughs, especially instigated by Vivien who has a very
naughty sense of mischief. Ian scored the best T-shirt Award - Who farted?
Wayne - the Evergreen Award for the oldest t-shirt. He also won the Whinge
Award.
Jenny - the S&M Award for the most stubbed toes and bruises.
There were several Good Excuses for not diving awards: Tracey - for
arriving with a cold. Bill - for flooding his computer. And Wendy - the SOS
Award.
Stefan got the Ninja Turtle Award - all dressed in black with chopstick at
the ready.
Ann - the Early Bird Award (there has to be something the matter with a
person who is that chirpy that early in the morning!).
Kurt - the Bookworm Award for devouring a whole Robert Ludlum tome.
Eric - the Food Award for his amazing appetite, especially for Kiwi fruit.
Talking about food, Margaret and Hannelore provided us with fantastic home
cooked food - cakes, slices, goulash, roast and more. Bob the deckhand
BBQ'd one night, including the fish he'd caught the day before. Yum.

We had three and a half days diving, 11 dives all told. We travelled
through all three island groups - the Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaer. There
are hundreds of islands dotted through the Abrolhos. Many are only
inhabited during the Cray season (starts later up there). Some are covered
with shacks and shanties, others with more substantial dwellings. All with
long-drops into the ocean! We had a few forays onto the islands to explore
and photograph the flotsam and jetsam of human and animal life, including
an ospreys nest, orb spiders webs along the cliff faces, coca cola debris
almost everywhere, a nosey seal checking us out, and all the paraphernalia
of the fishermen.

We had a couple of indifferent dives (from the experienced divers point of
view) and some absolutely sensational ones, but I enjoyed them all. Owen is
the Lionfish hunter from hell. I'm sure he can smell them from the boat. In
one dive he spotted 5 of them within a few feet- FANTASTIC. The Anemone
Patches were amazing - I don't think I really need to see another Clark’s
clown fish!

My top 10 diving experiences at the Abrolhos
1. A squid took more than a passing fancy to my torch on the night dive. He
kept coming up and stroking it - got quite persistent!
2. Enticing a squid out from behind a plate coral.
3. A huge school of Spanish Mackerel.
4. Meadows of Clark’s anemone fish.
5. Huge Spangled Emperors and Samson fish beneath the boat waiting for food.
6. A velvety opistbranch - like a velvety pincushion.
7. A pair of exquisite black crinoid shrimps inside a black and green
crinoid.
8.Lionfish, lionfish and more lionfish.
9 Hundreds of Buffalo Bream circling in an amphitheatre, a wall of fish and
shit!
10 A Baldchin Grouper repeatedly bashing a trochus shell on a rock to get a
meal.

The diving for me was awesome. I felt more than a little awestruck at all
the photographic equipment though. There were so many 'oink squeal'
cameras, lenses, strobes, gadgets and the like - mindboggling! At least I
didn’t have to suffer the agonies of deciding what camera, lens, what ASA
film, and how many strobes I was going to use J  (Bloody Owen took 2
cameras a couple of times because he couldn't decide) I have a Nik 4A and a
101 strobe. (I did get adventurous at the end and made a diffuser for my
strobe with two layers of Dewsons plakkie bags).

I learnt so much over the five days. So much advice and help was given
freely and graciously without being patronising, all of which I am MOST
grateful for. My camera skills are finally starting to make sense
especially after getting my slides back.

All too soon we were back in Geraldton and in the car and on the way home.
A glorious rainbow and sunset conclud