Spirit of Freedom, Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Day 5)

The ship sailed back overnight while we slept and docked around 6am. Breakfast on board before a final group photo and then transport back into Cairns. We had all completed 12-13 of the 15 dives on offer (everyone skipped a few because it is just so knackering with the depth, the cold and the ruddy sea sickness feeling .... sometimes it is time to stop for the day and havce a beer instead). Very happy with the new camera and the new dive gear. Ready for some shore leave but we wanted to be back again after a day off.


Farewell to the Spirit of Freedom

Steve explains how to pack and unpack bottles ?!?

Spirit of Freedom, Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Day 4)

Overnight we sailed back over the the Great Barrier Reef. The final full days diving sees the seas flat calm in the morning. "Steve's Bommie" dive site turns out to be probably the best site we have seen for variance of life and quantity of life. Some brilliant sightings including Stonefishs, Lionfishs, and a superb Frogfish.


Crew picking up the first dive

C'aptin

Dead calm

Linda

Victoria and Linda

Frogfish

Stonefish

Linda

This is my favourite photo of the trip !

Spirit of Freedom, Osprey Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Day 3)

The ship remains at Osprey Reef but steams the 25km down to the other end overnight. This is a much calmer voyage although we are still having to take sea sickness precausions.


Crew launching 2nd Tender

Victoria

Linda

Victoria and Linda

Linda

Victoria

Victoria

Steve

Linda

"Smile Please"

Steve

Victoria

Steve

Victoria with Linda behind

Linda

Linda

Spirit of Freedom, Osprey Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Day 2)

After the orientation dives and the evening meal the ship sails overnight to Osprey Reef 110km out from the Great Barrier Reef. This is a submerged atoll in the Coral Sea (25km by 12km). It rises from the sea bed over 2000m vertical. Prior to sailing the captain advises everyone to take sea sickness precautions as it will be 'bumpy'. Boy was it. Left, right, up, down. Don't know how the boat doesn't capsize. Don't know how we stayed in bed. It is making me seasick just typing this ! Anyhow we got there. At Osprey there was a Google boat out nearby running a mapping submersible so you should see it on Google Maps at some time in the future. One reason to dive here is the amount of reef sharks (and sometime deep water sharks) as you can see from some of the photos.



First dive of the day out by tender to come back with the current

Shark swimming above our heads along the reef top

We are just meters from this shark frenzie



Linda emerging from cave



Linda



Steve (now more fish then man) - pink weight belf though ??



Steve (Centre), Linda (Left)

This is an underwater 'smokers bubble' - first time we had seen this was possible to do - cool !



Manta Ray

We spotted this Manta in the distance and amazingly managed to catch it



Linda and Victoria on 5m safety stop