Expeditions: 1 November, 2005 8 November, 2005 11 November, 2005
  15 November, 2005 22 November, 2005 25 November, 2005
  29 November, 2005    

Date: 29 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
Flavoursome food, fantastic diving, fun passengers, and fabulous crew would sum up this week to a tee! With the usual flat, calm seas and 30m+ visibility we started the week with a days diving on the Great Barrier Reef at Bowl reef. Andreas had a close encounter with a very 'friendly' grey reef shark, and with turtles, white-tip reef sharks, shark mackerel and tuna cruising the reef if was a great statrt to our weeks diving. Then it was off to Flinders Reef, 120NM off the coast in teh Coral Sea. Highlights of the 3 days were 4 hammerheads seen at Rock Arch, schooling dog tooth tuna and cuttle fish laying eggs at Watanabe, and of course the shark feed at Scuba Zoo. Since it was turtle egg laying season we also wentashore to Flinders Cay and were privlidged to see 3 large logger head turtles digging nests. Returning to the Great Barrier Reef another fabulous days diving was spent at Wheeler Reef, with 35+ mobula, grey reef sharks, schooling bump head parrot fish all cruising around pristine hard coral bommies, as if this wasn't enough we then had a day and a half at the SS Yongala, Australia's number 1 dive site; eagle rays bull rays, mobula, bull sharks, leopard sharks, tawny nurse sharks, spinner sharks, huge Queensland grouper, Maori wrasse, giant trevally, turtles galore,,, all on the first day!!

Captain Peter entertained us on a couple of evenings with some great guitar playing, Warwick once again fattened us up with his wonderful cullinary skills and the crew once again made what is a great diving destination into the trip of a lifetime!

It was a pleasure having you all on board. by Andrew Sutherland
Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: James Hutchinson
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Richard Salas for taking this great underwater phtograph of a blenny.

2nd Place
Katapurkh Khalsa - grey whaler shark.

3rd Place
Richard Salas - porcupine fish.
Guest Comments
Mary Ellen Hogan, USA. "The sites were chosen so we dove in great conditions. I did some things I'd never done and enjoyed it very much! All meals were excellent, especially the variety offered. I don't have any complaints. What's not to like? Fun, enteraining staff, also enjoyed music, singing and opportunity to visit cay - where turtles were nesting."
Richard Salas, USA. "I felt totally taken care of in every aspect of the trip."
Greg Davis. USA. "The crew! Diving is great, can't change that but the crew made the trip wonderful."
Date: 25 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
With flat, calm seas, no clouds in the sky, a boat load of eager divers and some great dive sites, how could this not have been such a fantastic expedition!!

Day 1 was a t Wheeler Reef with the sunshine sparkling on the pristine white sand and 35m visibility. Rays and sharks cruising amongst the bommies covered in hard and soft corals, free swimming moray eels, shark mackerel hunting in 'packs' snapping up any stray bait fishwere just some of the highlights. And then it was onto the SS Yongala - expectations were high, and after a day and a half, everyones were definitely met. Schooling eagle rays, bull ryas with 2m wing span, Queensland groupers the size of small cars, sea snakes, turtles a pplenty - everyone got to see it all. by Andrew Sutherland
Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: Daniel Foote
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Arild Lauten for taking this clear close-up of a Christmas tree worm.

2nd Place
Luke Mossman - eagle ray.

3rd Place
Adam Puche - shovel nosed ray.
Guest Comments
John Sullivan, USA. "Great diving! Great service!"
Grant & Cathy Every-Burns, Australia. "We have travelled with Mike Ball 4 years ago and enjoyed it so much we brought 4 friends this time. Weather was perfect and dives were awesome."
Judith Webber, Australia. "The diving was great, so was the boat and crew. Great break."
Date: 22 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport

Blue skies, flat seas, good company, great food and awesome diving was what this expedition was all about. Day 1 was at Wheeler Reef, a fantastic platform reef on the inner Great Barrier Reef. With 30m+ visibilityand direct sunlight out first site was just teaming with life; sharks, trevally and shark mackerel cruised amongst the bommies seraching for a feed, whilst the bait fish hung like a living carpet over the hard coral growth. Some passengers were lucky enough to see 2 reef octopusmating in the shallows, whilst other saw reef sharks cruising with a school of barrachda. The afternoon site, the Garden of Eden, provided plenty of photo opportunities with numerous nudibranchs, octopus and moray eels.

Then it was onto the SS Yongala, Australia's number one dive site, for a day and a half of fantastic diving. Schooling trevally racing across the wreck pouncing on any wayward bait fish, eagle rays hanging in the current, Queensland grouper patrolling on the sand, guitar fish gliding across the wreck like some prehistoric creature.... too soon the diving was all over and it was time to return to land. by Andrew Sutherland

Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: Daniel Foote
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Rick Ho for this winning photograph of two silhouetted divers.

2nd Place
Anita Kwong - shovel nosed ray.

3rd Place
Harry Waldrauch - nudibranch.
Guest Comments
Todd Haling, Australia. "Easy diving and good relaxed company. Excellent crew."
Tui Couch, Australia. "Diving support given by all the staff."
Chuck Clayton, USA. "The crew, dive sites, food and accommodation were all first class." Keep up the great work!"
Date: 15 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
Our expedition started off with 2 days on the Great Barrier Reef where pristine coral gardens were observed with 40m visibility. At Faraday Reef passengers saw grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, pelagic species harrassing schools of bait fish. With clear water most remarked on the feeling of diving in an aquarium. Many species of anemone fish, turtles, lion fish, nudibranchs and pipe fish were all seen in the first 2 days of diving.

We then ventured out to the Coral Sea where the caves and swim throughs at Rock Arch were highlights, a very unique topography of 1000 foot walls, natural arch formations and great swim throughs. Sharks, barracuda and hump headed parrot fish were the most frequent topic of conversation from the divers. At the Cod Wall there were lion fish, clown trigger fish, barracuda adn inquisitive grey reef sharks. We then moved to Scuba Zoo for the shark feed were everyone had a great close-up view of over 20-30 sharks.

The night dive at Scuba Zoo received great reviews with silver-tip sharks buzzing the night divers. With a glass out for the last 3 days of the expedition. At Wheeler Reef and the world class SS Yongala the expedition ended with superb diving where at Wheeler Reef diver swam amongst beautiful coral formations, barramundi cod, white-tip reef sharks, frog fish, octopus, turtles and lots of nudibranchs. 2 days at the SS Yongala with under 10 knots of wind and 20m visibility divers explored Australia's best Dive at it's best; large groupers hung at the bow with shovel nosed rays cruising the top of the wreck, bull rays, sea snakes, turtles and the usual critters.

A truely wonderful experience and excellent expedition. by Richard Kennedy
Trip Director: Richard Kennedy
Photo Video/Pro: Daniel Foote
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Sam Roberts for taking this great underwater photograph of a juvenile barramundi cod.

2nd Place
Adam Pearce - sea star.

3rd Place
Gerry Brennan - turtle.
Guest Comments
Michael Merrithew, Canada. "Great service, great crew, great weather."
Dan Lammers, USA. "This was just a great trip!"
Roberta Brennan-Brooks, USA. "Everything was wonderful. Dan helped me so much with photography - the crew was so friendly and helpful."
Date: 11 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
Diving on the Great Barrier Reef and at the Yongala doesn't get much better than what we've had over the last 3 days. Our first day was spent at the world class Wheeler Reef. the morning was spent at Student Bommie, with turtles, sharks and barracuda cruising in amongst the pristine hard coral and lagoon rays feeding in the beautiful white sand. The it was off to the Garden of Eden, another site on Wheeler Reef which is just covered in bait fish - millions of them! The Amphitheatre was discovered by the terrible trio of Mike, Vic and Jen - a swim through opening up into a cavern thick with life; sponges, corals and bait fish. And who could not forget about 'Raysville', an area where 25+ mobula cruised, flying in loose formation around the divers again and again, silhouetted by the setting sun. There's not many sites that could surpass our 1st days diving - the SS Yongala being one of the very few! We spent a day and a half diving this spectacular site and with manta rays, eagle rays, bull sharks, guitar fish, huge Maori wrasse and 2m long Queensland grouper, not to mention the resident turtles and sea snakes, all spotted... this site lived up to it's reputation as the #1 site in Australia.

Party night turned into a great guitar session with our skipper, Peter, running the show, backed by a trio of singers who made up for their lack of singing ability with their enthusiasm and choreography, this expedition was a resounding success. by Andrew Sutherland
Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: James Hutchinson
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Gail Wong for getting this great silhouette of manta rays.

2nd Place
Justin Skaife - manta rays.

3rd Place
Gail Wong - turtle.
Guest Comments
Toni Watson, USA. "Friendly, accommodating staff."
Axel Berger, Germany. "Big variety of outstanding animals."
Tracey Tritsch, Australia. "Going diving with my own buddy - after nearly 250 dives this is my first trip with a 'real' buddy."
Date: 8 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
Well, what a fantastic expedition; mobula, manta rays, eagle rays, bull rays, lagoon rays, bull sharks, white-tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, turtles galore.. the lst goes on!! With our usual great weather, great crew and fantastic passengers the last 2 days and a half days have been fun filled and with the superb diving who could ask for more. by Andrew Sutherland
Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: James Hutchinson
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Mary Tillman for getting this great moray eel photograph.

2nd Place
Simon Larkin - guiter fish.

3rd Place
James Tillman - turtle.
Guest Comments
Don Lee, USA. "The whole group enjoyed both vessels. Great crews. I appreciated the way they took care of my people, especially the less experienced divers. Thanks a bunch."
Kathy Webb, USA. "Great crew, great diving."
James Aryton, UK. "Fantastic dive sites."
Date: 1 November, 2005 Vessel: Spoilsport
It was definitely7 a diverse international feel to Spoilsport this week as we departed on another fabulous adventure to the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea and the world famous SS Yongala. Russian, Ukraine, UK, Scotland, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand were all represented this week, which led to some very amusing conversations between all the great diving we did. 2 days on the Great Barrier Reef set us uo for the rest of the week, and with 30m+ visibility in the Coral Sea the diving there was glorious; tuna, mackerel, sharks and trevally cruised by while all teh beautifiu reef fish hung out near the reefs, appearing to be suspended in the crystal clear water.

Scuba Zoo, our shark feed, attracted around 30 gray reef sharks, plus a 2.5m silver-tip shark joined in the feed. But, as usual, the Yongala was once again a highlight of the expedition. With exceptional visibility and little current on the 1st dive it couldn't get much better than it was. Huge Queensland grouper, trevally feeding in their hundreds, sea snakes the length and width of drain pipes, prehistoric looking guitar fish patrolling the wreck, bull sharks in the sand and schools of 1m long Maori wrasse harrassing the bait fish...

Above water highlights included Pam obtaining her PADI Openwater and PADI Advanced Openwater in one week, our skipper winning the cross dressing competition (surprisingly only one entrant!), Mike and his amazing magic tricks, and the hihg standard of the guest photo competition.

Our thanks to all for making is a grat expedition, especially Greg, the group leader from Flatiron Scuba. by Andrew Sutherland
Trip Director: Andrew Sutherland
Photo Video/Pro: Daniel Foote
Guest Photo Competition

1st Place
Congratulations to Volodymyr Dvirko for photographing this colourful sea squirt.

2nd Place
Greg Eddy - lionfish.

3rd Place
Timothy Martin - turtle.
Guest Comments
Pam Schoeb, USA. "Wheeler Reef; going from zero dives to finishing my advanced diver course. Just being on the ocean and getting to dive it."
Nancy Clair, USA. "I really appreciated all of the help I received. The food was great and plentiful."
Geoff Milne, UK. "Great crew, superb diving, hard to identify one better thing."