Photos from the Great Barrier Reef (high bandwidth)

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Hi all,

Late last month I attended a geologic conference in Cairns, Australia. While I was down there, I took advantage of the opportunity to see the Great Barrier Reef. I did three nights on a live-aboard dive boat with a company called Mike Ball Dive Expeditions. It was the experience of a lifetime - absolutely amazing diving.

Folks seemed to enjoy the dive pics I posted earlier this year, so I thought I'd share some from this trip too.

The first few are actually not underwater, but aerial. The dive boat had already been out on another section of the reef for a few days, so the people in my group flew out to meet it. We took a Cessna Caravan (big single engine turboprop) about 1 hour north of Cairns to a place called Lizard Island, where the dive boat was waiting for us. The cool thing about this flight was that it was all at just 1000' above sea level, so the view was amazing.

Here's a shot of the Cairns airport. Most of the mainland coast is like this - river estuaries and swamps (with some stretches of beach). The main parts of the Great Barrier Reef are several miles offshore.

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Here's a shot of the reef. You can see how far it is offshore from the mainland.

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Sandbar on the reef. Note the little speck on the sand.

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Closeup of the same sandbar. I've decided this is how I want to spend my retirement.

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Another dive boat (not ours)
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You can see the divers in the water
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The Caravan's shadow on the left edge of this shot gives you an idea of how low we were.
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On final approach to the landing strip at Lizard Island. The Catamaran on the right side of the bay is our dive boat, the Spoilsport.
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Here's the Spoilsport from the water's surface - we used a zodiac-type tender boat to get out to it.
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Our part of the expedition was the southbound leg from Lizard Island back to Cairns.
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My cabin. There were only 16 guests on my expedition, but the ship has space for 29, so I got my own cabin.
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Getting ready for the first dive at a site called the Cod Hole.
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I believe this is a turbinara reniformis.
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This clam was nearly a meter across.
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Big softies and a closed brain. We were down around 80 or 90 feet here, so the color isn't so great.
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Nice tables (and the end of someone's flipper...)
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Some kind of sweetlips, I think
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Clown tang and a Moorish Idol
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One of the giant potato cod for which this dive site is named.
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Another potato cod. These guys are big - maybe 4 feet long and massive.
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I took an underwater photography course on the trip. This shot of another cod was taken by Lawrence, my instructor (I'll credit all his other shots below as well - the rest were mine).
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Looking down on a nice coralscape
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Following my photo instructor through a narrow canyon
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At the end of the canyon in the previous shot, we found a couple white tip reef sharks hanging out under a ledge
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This is a slightly fuzzy shot, but it's a neat subject - a ghost pipefish, maybe an inch or so long
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End of the first dive - everyone is making their way up the mooring line. Notice the slant to the bubble columns - the current at this site was pretty significant. We had to take the tender out to the entry point and then drift back to the dive boat.
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The second dive was also at Cod Hole. Here's a pair of Foxfaces I found
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Nice blue-tipped acro - a. gemmifera?
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An itinerant turtle
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Here's another shot taken by my photo instructor - you can see why he's the instructor
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The second dive site was called Challenger Bay. We did one night dive when we got there (no photos from that) and then another in the morning. The night dive was my first, and it was "interesting" because there was significant current. The last stretch back to the boat required swimming upcurrent through open water. Without any visual references other than the diffuse glow from the dive boat's lights on the surface, it was impossible to tell how much progress we were making into the current - a very strange feeling for me as a neophyte. Fortunately, my dive buddy was an experienced instructor, so I just followed her and kicked hard...

From the day dive the following morning, here's a Klein's butterfly
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Garden eels - looks just like the group of garden eels Sarah and I saw in Thailand
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A puffer
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This guy had a menacing look to him.
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Pair of threadfin butterflies. The water is cloudy in the lower right because some kind of goby is stirring up the sand off the right side of the frame - the butterflies were waiting to grab anything stirred up by the goby.
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Here's me, skinny legs and all, looking for photo targets - shot taken by my photo instructor
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Forster's hawkfish
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The coral just goes on and on
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The third site was a pinnacle rising from the bottom called Lighthouse Bommie.

Here's some clarkii clowns from that site
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There were a few of these large jellyfish floating around. These are *not* the deady box jellies you hear about on the GBR - they tend to only be around in the summer, and usually closer to the mainland shore. The type seen here is not considered particularly dangerous to people, although I still made sure not to come into contact with it
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Here's my photo instructor hamming it up for the shot
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LPS coralscape
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Dendrophyllia coral. I can only take partial credit for this shot because my photo instructor really showed me how to set it up nicely.
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Macro on the polyps
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Large bubble coral
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More from Lighthouse Bommie - we did two dives there.

Carnation coral (dendronephthya). I think my photo instructor took this shot, but don't remember for sure - we were sharing the camera
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Sea snakes. We were told these guys have extremely deadly venom, but they don't bite if they're not provoked, and their fangs are short. They were pretty oblivous, but one of them snuck up behind me and brushed my arm - definitely a "just keep cool" moment. From there, the snake snuck up on my photo instructor, who was kneeling on the bottom, trying to set up a shot. The snake swam in between my instuctor's legs and looked like he was starting to feel trapped, bumping his head around. The instructor had no idea it was there, so I was faced with having to decide whether to let him know. I thought if he were to be startled when I pointed out the snake, it could make the situation worse by panicking the snake... so rather than risk that, I let the situation play out on its own. As I'd hoped, the snake found his way out from the instructor's legs and swam off. The instructor never knew until I told him on the surface. He didn't seem too concerned, though - apparently these snakes really don't use their venom on people very often...
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A pair of Maroon clowns in a GBTA
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A nudibranch approaching a sea urchin. I screwed up the color balance on this shot, and this was about the best I could correct it to in post-processing
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A pair of lions cruising the reef
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One of the lions and a diver
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More from Lighthouse Bommie. Here's a pixie hawk
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Another passing turtle
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Pair of redfin butterflies
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This one was taken by my photo instructor - a long-nosed hawk
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Nice blue-tipped acro near the top of the bommie
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The next site was called Andy's Postcard. Here's a silhouette of a unicorn tang I took there
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Not sure what kind of coral (or maybe sponge?) this is - could be a chalice? The colors were nice. It was nearly a foot across.
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Took this shot because it reminded me of my ATL Raspberry Lemonade (but much bigger!)
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Couple shots of a melanopolus clown in a GBTA
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Lionfish looking like a bomber plane.
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Another Forster's hawk, with a pink birdsnest behind him
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[vol_reefer]

More from Andy's Postcard. Soft corals (that's as good as my i.d.s on softies get!)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376911185526370"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0C-7SPmI/AAAAAAAABUo/obPwPDPazsk/s800/aus0808-133.jpg" /></a>


Another coralscape, with a Moorish Idol in the back right
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238378073241356498"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ1Gn6_CNI/AAAAAAAABgc/UDvO4RKgSbU/s800/aus0808-135.jpg" /></a>


Ornate butterfly (on the left)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376941948119298"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0ExhqKQI/AAAAAAAABU4/KxSvcQc-ys0/s800/aus0808-136.jpg" /></a>


These tabling acros were several meters across
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376970009011730"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0GaD5ZhI/AAAAAAAABVI/vk-WO0Mqt9o/s800/aus0808-138.jpg" /></a>


I had to look this one up - it's called a mirror, or oval-spot butterfly
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376978772243714"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0G6tNtQI/AAAAAAAABVQ/x6VFjmOc9sw/s800/aus0808-139.jpg" /></a>


Big trumpetfish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376986821308210"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0HYsQrzI/AAAAAAAABVY/HqvgQF3RL50/s800/aus0808-140.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

The next site was probably my favorite of the trip, called Steve's Bommie. We did two dives there, plus some snorkeling with Dwarf Minke Whales that visited our dive boat.

The density of colorful fish at this site was incredible
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377028465406162"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Jz0_MNI/AAAAAAAABVo/l6jOmsU8tV8/s800/aus0808-142.jpg" /></a>


Nice contrasting colors on a couple table acros
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377065053982274"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0L8IYjkI/AAAAAAAABV4/qof4sP3hfbw/s800/aus0808-146.jpg" /></a>


An orange-lined trigger swimming away. Acrodave - note the fungia up in the rockwork like I was telling you about. I saw a lot of that, and actually didn't see any on the sandbed. Not what the books tell you to expect.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377077273576322"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Mppww4I/AAAAAAAABWA/8SP_z6dVMak/s800/aus0808-147.jpg" /></a>


Another Moorish Idol
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377088541820946"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0NToUiBI/AAAAAAAABWM/00skfLyJXXQ/s800/aus0808-148.jpg" /></a>


An arc-eye hawkfish in a turbinara coral. Looks just like the coral Randy gave me a frag of
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377103605264290"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0OLvub6I/AAAAAAAABWU/C0AogrinBxQ/s800/aus0808-149.JPG" /></a>


Purple-tipped acro of some kind
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377115958048482"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0O5w29uI/AAAAAAAABWc/aRyxmoFLWwU/s800/aus0808-150.jpg" /></a>


The site is named for a well-known local diver who died in an accident. This was his favorite site.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377127945759026"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Pma86TI/AAAAAAAABWk/Be0gZG2OdX8/s800/aus0808-151.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

More from Steve's Bommie. Macro shot of a yellow nudi
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377138379395378"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0QNShkTI/AAAAAAAABWs/-ox9y6z8bsA/s800/aus0808-152.jpg" /></a>


Here's a few shots of a school of some unknown (to me) species of yellow fish.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377151794122466"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Q_Q2DuI/AAAAAAAABW0/haySuhX2bw8/s800/aus0808-154.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377161796781970"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Rkhqh5I/AAAAAAAABW8/ne233ob6C4A/s800/aus0808-155.jpg" /></a>


Long-nosed butterfly
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377193915968562"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0TcLebDI/AAAAAAAABXM/srLIqABTGlY/s800/aus0808-157.jpg" /></a>


Pink skunk clown
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377206595444706"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0ULaf3-I/AAAAAAAABXU/wbx7rGikUHc/s800/aus0808-158.jpg" /></a>


Sqiurrelfish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377230789983906"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Vli7PqI/AAAAAAAABXk/6rnLywGiEzQ/s800/aus0808-160.jpg" /></a>


Looking up toward the top of the bommie - anthias.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377245281340034"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Wbh7yoI/AAAAAAAABXs/kIh8JcsaA28/s800/aus0808-161.jpg" /></a>


Look closely - a yellow leaf scorpionfish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377256388433730"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0XE6El0I/AAAAAAAABX0/Fux4ctcVpgo/s800/aus0808-162.jpg" /></a>

 

[phish guy]

wow, awsome pics. love the melanopolus clown in the GBTA. looks just like mine, if only i had a big anemone for her.

 

[vol_reefer]

More from Steve's Bommie...

Not sure what these guys are - kinda looked like squirrels, but not as reclusive
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377300298550450"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0ZofDzLI/AAAAAAAABYQ/IvLc1ZWSA_w/s800/aus0808-163.jpg" /></a>


Coral Beauty
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377311425935698"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0aR8COVI/AAAAAAAABYY/Ihs2IUQy7Ak/s800/aus0808-164.jpg" /></a>


Coralscape
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377328859370978"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0bS4fVeI/AAAAAAAABYg/51VofNV4BMM/s800/aus0808-165.jpg" /></a>


More anthias
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377378133343010"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0eKcUeyI/AAAAAAAABY4/lybmBOxgVT4/s800/aus0808-168.jpg" /></a>


Coral beauty, anthias, orange-lined trigger, and I think a fairy wrasse. This combo wouldn't last a minute in an aquarium!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377394011762114"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0fFmB7cI/AAAAAAAABZA/CCzEiSbOw7k/s800/aus0808-169.jpg" /></a>


Miniatus grouper or coral trout, lurking under a ledge
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377437983524210"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0hpZtxXI/AAAAAAAABZY/oMTJLAfkH14/s800/aus0808-171.JPG" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

More from Steve's Bommie...

Another coralscape
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377480742338098"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0kIsNfjI/AAAAAAAABZw/_0aiRu_02U4/s800/aus0808-174.jpg" /></a>


Found him!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377487007665218"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0kgB-zEI/AAAAAAAABZ8/yQkzI9xT7Ig/s800/aus0808-175.JPG" /></a>


And his dad
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377496554496962"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0lDmH48I/AAAAAAAABaE/HKY_e8Bi0L0/s800/aus0808-176.jpg" /></a>


More of that school
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377560771515634"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0oy0p1PI/AAAAAAAABa0/PLwVBs2uPqE/s800/aus0808-177.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377177451523042"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0Se2C6-I/AAAAAAAABXE/sZaAVokM_7A/s800/aus0808-156.jpg" /></a>


A pair of spot-banded butterflies
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377619266353346"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0sMu6OMI/AAAAAAAABbU/pxbwvQTjZbM/s800/aus0808-182.jpg" /></a>


Dwarf hawk
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377632215461746"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0s8-N73I/AAAAAAAABbc/j3lVx05wE1U/s800/aus0808-183.jpg" /></a>


Here's another school - this one was vertically-oriented. This shot was taken by my photo instructor
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377522716645218"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0mlDql2I/AAAAAAAABaU/H1A1fE0g12Q/s800/aus0808-185.jpg" /></a>


Same school
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377658274533746"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0ueDL0XI/AAAAAAAABb0/BrzvSykPeEU/s800/aus0808-187.jpg" /></a>


Feeding time. Apparently overcrowding is not an issue in this tank.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377647394892898"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0t1hRrGI/AAAAAAAABbs/B2UCSL70nYg/s800/aus0808-186.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

Even more from Steve's Bommie

Heraldi angel
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377667386717282"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0u__stGI/AAAAAAAABb8/uFOBvP4yaXE/s800/aus0808-189.jpg" /></a>


Eastern triangular butterfly
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377683284954482"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0v7OIjXI/AAAAAAAABcE/1yHhe-IomU4/s800/aus0808-191.jpg" /></a>


This surgeonfish thought he belonged in the big school of silver fish.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377709544647202"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0xdC7qiI/AAAAAAAABcY/gPiMm4IKT2E/s800/aus0808-193.jpg" /></a>


More of the pink skunk clowns
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377722133419090"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0yL8VFFI/AAAAAAAABcg/7lZ_6A6j2yQ/s800/aus0808-194.JPG" /></a>


Another arc-eye hawk
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377744604060754"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0zfpv3FI/AAAAAAAABcw/BL_KkhTyjPQ/s800/aus0808-196.jpg" /></a>


Barracuda circling near the dive boat. He was around 3 feet long.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377784029560210"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ01yhhPZI/AAAAAAAABdI/wJQ5g-yU5rM/s800/aus0808-201.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

These are the last shots from Steve's Bommie, of the Dwarf Minke Whales. They were all taken by my photo instructor. I have to be honest, I never got as good a look at the whales as these photos show - they sort of came and went several times, and I happened to not be in the water when they got closest. One of them actually came up to within a meter of one of our divers. Apparently, they're quite curious.

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377511686402626"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0l792ckI/AAAAAAAABaM/c75AAml8U0I/s800/aus0808-202.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377530328585538"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0nBaflUI/AAAAAAAABac/WQ9A5rzWINw/s800/aus0808-203.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377538575615122"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0ngIvRJI/AAAAAAAABak/uVt6mrRU8k8/s800/aus0808-204.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377555304885282"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ0oedTrCI/AAAAAAAABas/zSOTXVesiws/s800/aus0808-205.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

These next shots are from a site called Pixie Gardens

Schultz's pipefish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376720239434178"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz33mMGcI/AAAAAAAABSU/kycghRye1Ds/s800/aus0808-206.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376727316968818"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz4R9mtXI/AAAAAAAABSc/sTdEW5637po/s800/aus0808-207.jpg" /></a>


Maroon clowns
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376755677705842"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz57nVNnI/AAAAAAAABS0/z5Sd__bbxpo/s800/aus0808-210.jpg" /></a>


Look closely between the branches
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376761936484306"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz6S7il9I/AAAAAAAABS8/RjGRGgIvzWY/s800/aus0808-211.jpg" /></a>

Here's a macro of the same coral colony. The blue is a baby hippo tang
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376773741696834"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz6-6H10I/AAAAAAAABTE/iCfW2BpoAkY/s800/aus0808-212.jpg" /></a>



Large (couple meter?) acro colony with thousands of green chromis.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238378099500128002"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ1IJvkFwI/AAAAAAAABgs/zd5sflc97wE/s800/aus0808-213.jpg" /></a>

Coralscape
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376791983657490"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz8C3WEhI/AAAAAAAABTU/k3btVfzc6aA/s800/aus0808-215.jpg" /></a>


The gullies along the reef front were littered with stag colonies that looked like they might have broken off from above, fallen in, and continued to grow out.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376805843372242"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz82fwiNI/AAAAAAAABTc/R5fBV2A7Uvs/s800/aus0808-216.jpg" /></a>


Contrasting acro growth forms. Bottom may be a. turaki? I screwed up my white balance on this and couldn't fully restore it in post-processing
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238376814133912898"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJz9VYYJUI/AAAAAAAABTk/ATc7-cJQbu4/s800/aus0808-217.jpg" /></a>

 

[vol_reefer]

Last dive site, Flare Point. We only did one dive there, and unfortunately, my camera battery ran out part-way through. But that did at least allow me to relax and just enjoy the scenery a bit more.

Naso tang
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377792062550930"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ02Qcu85I/AAAAAAAABdQ/koI4pr3mkRY/s800/aus0808-218.jpg" /></a>

Chromis and a bicolor angel
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377824520864546"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ04JXZgyI/AAAAAAAABdg/wOCiv7HPrQM/s800/aus0808-220.jpg" /></a>


Staghorn thicket
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238377850688836274"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ05q2VErI/AAAAAAAABdw/g_3URaI5hOY/s800/aus0808-222.jpg" /></a>


Coralscape
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jemoersch/Australia/photo#5238378110542903394"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jemoersch/SLJ1Iy4XeGI/AAAAAAAABg0/eaa5uglR3iU/s800/aus0808-223.jpg" /></a>


Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Jeff (vol_reefer)