On Tuesday, August 24, 2004 2:51 AM, Bjorn wrote:

> Finally, after 4 years of having my dreams haunted by weedy seadragons,
Port
> Jackson sharks and other creatures high on the wish list for any
> photographer, I got to visit the Wembley of Diving!

(snip)
> Diving has given me many memorable experiences, but standing in a parking
> lot in 10 degrees C and a mild drizzle, in your underwear, trying to slide
> into a recently washed, and therefore clammy wetsuit, will not make the
top
> 10! Nevertheless, it was a small sacrifice to make, considering the reward
> :-)

Mate!  If you hadn't been on such a tight schedule in terms of being able to
dive, I'd have been quite prepared to can it!!  I didn't like to say
anything at the time, but when we looked at the rolling seas from the
weather side of the headland, that's where we were in terms of distance
travelled from the shelter of the beach!  :-))

> To boot, this was my first shore-dive ever, and I did manage to take a
fall
> while putting on my fins, but we got there in the end.

One of the reasons that I like shore diving is the fact that there are none
of the time constraints of boat diving - and the fact that the climb back up
the hill is 'healthy' exercise!!  :-)

(snip)

> Shortly into the dive, we were overtaken by our first Port Jackson shark,
> but it was too far away for my 60mm lens, and the visibility was not
exactly
> great, given that a full gale had blown the day before. However, shortly
> thereafter, we came upon another, more co-operative PJS, resting among
some
> rocks. After several very close close-ups, it reared up at me to let me
know
> that the shoot was over, and we proceeded towards the kelp instead. We
> searched and searched, and we were rewarded! Strike's Hammerhead let out
an
> almighty burp, and there it was: A male weedy!

For those who are unfamiliar with Weedy seadragons, the males carry the eggs
on their stomach.  A few people have been present at the hatching and it's
something that I'd still like to witness for myself. :-0

> I took lots of pictures, but with the visibility being quite poor, many
did
> not come out as much more than a snowstorm :-) Still, with PhotoShop,
these
> things can be overcome, and a few came out rather nicely.

Mate!  For a moment there, I thought that you must have been diving
somewhere else!!  The vis looks far better than I remember it being.  :-)

> You can see those, and a few others, in a small Shelley gallery on
> http://www.bjornjensen.com/Shelley/

That head-on leatherjacket loooks great - as do the other shots.  It's a
pity that the eastern blue grouper weren't around on that day.  (They were
probably sheltering in deep waterout to sea!)  :-)

> Huw had brought Tim Tams, and although Strike had forgotten the coffee, I
> have had the full Shelley experience. And it won't be the last time
either!

Good!  It'll be great to see you back here when conditions are good.  :-)

> The rest of the day and evening were spent on Strike's Reef, where the 3
of
> us partook of kangaroo, sausages and pork, plus innumerable bottles of
red.
> Suzanne and Sylvia joined us later, and we spent a most delightful evening
> together. It was capped by a very special bottle of Reunion Port,

That was the last bottle of the '86 Clearance Divers Reunion port.  (Bruce
Thompson was CD Officer with the Sultan Of Oman's Navy at the time, and flew
back to Oz for the occasion.  We've since drunk the others, but that one was
being saved for a special occasion and as the 'Fortified Phyco-Plonk' still
needs a bit more maturation it seemed very appropriate to open it.  And, as
everybody knows[???] port goes off very quickly, so it would have been
sinful not to drain the bottle!)  :-)))

>and I was
> back in the hotel about 11 p.m. The following morning will also not make
my
> top 10 list of pleasant experiences, but that was entirely self-inflicted
> and therefore not worthy of sympathy :-)

And you'll get none!!!  :-)))))

> Thank you, Strike and Huw, for sharing this experience with me. It was an
> immensely memorable day, and I hope we can repeat it soon!

Me too!  Preferably in the warmth of summer with a fresh batch of 'Classic
Phyco-Plonk'! :-))

Strike