Dive report - Lighthouse Bay Monday 17 August 2009

We started at Tantabiddi today but the swell was causing a bit of havoc with the visibility so we ran up to coast to Lighthouse Bay for our two dives.  It was awesome traveling up the coastline as the day was gorgeous and humpback whales were incredible!  We had breaching, spy hopping, tail slapping, fin waving and other antics.  A small group of three - two adults and a much smaller whale - were having a conversation that consisted of a lot big splashes, tail waving and general grumpiness it looked like.  Awesome to watch!

Dive one was at Blizzard Ridge and it was living up to its name today. Curtains of sand sifting through the water column reduced the visibility and made trying to take photos a real challenge. Happily, this site has such prolific & mellow fish life that we still had more than enough to see up close: olive sea snakes, schools of snapper, wobbegong sharks, white tip reef sharks, nudibranchs galore, rankin cod, coral trout, bannerfish and moray eels.
WATER TEMP: 22C
VISIBILITY: 3-5m
CURRENT: none
SURGE: mild to moderate
DEPTH: 14m

We moved to Gulliver's for dive two and there was far less sand and debris. The site was rocking with action - huge schools of fish, swimming wobbegong sharks, big white tip reef sharks including one with a great remora on his tail, huge sea stars walking up the sides of the walls, anemone shrimps, cardinalfish, bright parrotfish, turtles, batfish. It was a beautiful and active dive.
WATER TEMP: 23C
VISIBILITY: 8m
CURRENT: none
SURGE: mild
DEPTH: 14m