Dive 180 – Inner Lagoon, Lady Musgrave Island

By pfuller

Aug

Dive Number: 180 09/08/11 14.35, Inner Lagoon, Lady Musgrave Island

Wind: 10 north-easterlies???

Tide: ???

Conditions:

Visibilty: 10-12m.

Water Temp: 18c

Bottom Time: 45minutes

Max Depth: 7m

Air usage: 50bar/750psi

SAC: ???? litres/min

Details: After a quick bite to eat on the platform, it was back into the water for our second dive in the lagoon. Some other introductory divers joined us on this dive, and off we went. The vis was pretty bad with a lot of bottom being stirred up, but the coral and colours were much better on this dive, with more reef fish too. We circled around some coral bommies close to the platform, and when we arrived back, i took some photos under the platform which had plenty of larger fish hanging out under it. Not a bad dive, but i still would have loved to have spent more time here, unrushed..with time to appreciate the tre beauty of the place.

Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm , Inon 2000 + Sea and Sea Ys-120 Strobe (fired optically with difficulties)

Photos:

Dive Number: 179 09/08/11 12.35, Outer Wall, Lady Musgrave Island

Wind: 10 north-easterlies???

Tide: ???

Conditions:

Visibilty: 15m.

Water Temp: 18c

Bottom Time: 45minutes

Max Depth: 18m

Air usage: 200bar/3000psi

SAC: ???? litres/min

Details: My lack of planning and Queensland’s winter dive hybernation struck again and had me digging to find options to dive. We headed to 1770, a lovely little fishing inlet. The only dive operation in the region was Dive 1770, but the owner was up in Gladstone doing mining surveys or something for a couple of weeks. My only option was to get a ‘cattle’ boat out to Lady Musgrave Island which cost a fortune and charged extra for diving. All up $250 for a double dive…steep. Against my better judgement i decided just to do it…i really didn’t have any other options. After an hours ride out, we arrived at Lady Musgrave, a beautiful coral cay in the coral sea and unboarded to the platform moored in the cay. Only one other spanish girl was diving, and the dive master, Gus, had to stay on the surface, so he had a friend dive with us as dive leader. We geared up, boarded a smaller dive boat and headed back out of the cay to the outer wall. We dropped into about 18m, and saw a turtle dissappear into the blue. That was possibly the most interesting sighting, and again the diving was underwhelming. Little colour (except the shallows) and a lack of marine life. I’d heard so much about these cays and islands in the southern GBR, but it left me very dissappointed. One of the tour operators told me back at 1770 that you see more snorkelling in the lagoon, and i think i should have taken his advice. The second dive was going to be in the lagoon, so i hoped it would show the true glory of these coral cays.

Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm , Inon 2000 + Sea and Sea Ys-120 Strobe (fired optically with difficulties)

Photos: