Stories from the Great Barrier Reef

• Spearing on Northwest Island . This is a pretty technical account of local spearing conditions and descriptions of the different species that are available. Also some practical info.
• Geography of Northwest Island. This page contains a commented map of NW Island and some info about coral islands in general.
• Animals of NW Island This is a description of some of the animals I encountered on NW Island.
• July Reef Trip. This is a story about my first visit to the Reef, two unforgettable weeks in July 1995 during which seeing sharks and giant turtles turned into an everyday experience.
• December Reef Trip. During this trip I did almost no scuba diving, instead I spent loads of time freediving and spearfishing. This is when I really realised what a relief it is to leave the tank on shore. I also spent hours watching giant turtles coming up on the beach to lay eggs and almost got raped by one !
• January Reef Trip. By this time I knew the Island well and had become very selective about my quarry, this paid off and I landed my very first spangled emperor on this trip. This time we were also given the treat of watching thousands of tiny baby turtles hatching and crawling down to the ocean every night. Lots of sharks in the water this time of the year.

Pictures from Northwest Island

• Map of NW Island
• Nikki and Kath under the dead tree
• NW Island viewed from the sea
• Plukky with the small tinny and the big fish.
• Natalie doing dishes at low tide.
• Mark the mechanic
• Beach and dead tree, NW Island
• Alison, Elisse and Mike killing time
• Me and a dead drummer.
• The Tinny on the beach
• Plukky and Jason cooking fish.