The Junk Yard project (lasting for 3 days) started today.  We had more volunteers this time round.  The whole morning was spent making structures and cement foundations.  Nathans friends decided to join in and they’re making the Sydney Harbour Bridge  ..I will put up some photo’s soon.

Today the heat is overwhelming, even working in the shade we were saturated with sweat and all feeling really fatigued.  Around 12.45 the building work stopped and we prepared our dive kits to go out on the longtail and deploy the outer ring of the ‘Tower of Power’  held in position with cement moulds that we’d previously made a week or so ago.   All went well, apart from the boat was weighed down so much by the cement moulds that I thought it was going to sink at one point 😉 

With the outer ring in place, so we spent our remaining time fun diving.   Its astonishing as to how much life now lives in Junk Yard.  I counted 3 porcupine puffa fish, 5 Bristle Tail file fish, squid, clown fish, juvenile sweet lips, lots of wrasse, a giant clam on one of the benches and lots or sea cucumbers and urchins.  The best and most populated item down there is an old fin rack whch has a couple of lean to’s.

At home, Si continued with UK work and whilst waited for uploads he took parts of the bike while I sandpapered them as we’re spraying it black.  It’s going to look so much better than the dirty white colour it is at the moment.

Tonight, we’ll probably go out for food and have an early night as we both feel totally shattered.

Up and out by 6.45am we headed to Deep Down to collect our camera’s and then onto Crystal to collect our dive kit.  The morning boat took us to ‘Chumphon’ where in the last couple of days, Whale sharks have been spotted.  Equipped with camera’s we were eager to get in the water.  We had just under an hours dive saw a few moray eels, lion fish, a massive grouper, huge schools of smaller fish but no whale shark.  We were utterly disappointed.  I bet one’s spotted there tomorrow when we’re helping out with the expansion of Junk Yard (artificial reef) that would be just typical.

Our second dive was a ‘Japanese Gardens’  Within a minute or two of being in the water, an eagle ray appeared and then another.  We couldnt believe our luck.  I got a few nice shots but when all the trainee videographers appeared and decided to swim after them, that put an end to any decent footage.  I just don’t understand why they think they need to chase them (its a learning process for them).  Anyway, Karma got its revenge as one of the videographers, Kat got triggered.  I first saw the Trigger out of the corner of  my eye, it attacked Kats tank a few times before she turned around and spent a couple of minutes backing away from it whilst having her new finns bitten to pieces.  I’m not too sure that I would have been as calm as Kat.  The persistance of this Trigger was incredible.  All n all a very entertaining dive. (Trigger footage to come!)

Back on land we dropped of the camera housings, washed and put away our dive kit and headed home as Simon has a lot of UK work to do.

Later on in the evening we popped down to ‘Vibe’.  Nathan was there with his family and a couple of friends from Qatar & Australia.

Here is the video of my 1st doco course…

I think Andy (the student) did very well..