Cheers from Down Under!

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I am currently in Cairns, Australia. I completed my 3-day, 2-nite live-aboard trip and am now half way through my travels. Later, I leave for Hobart, Tasmania for 2 nites. The diving on the Great Barrier Reef was pretty good. The visibility was far less than Maui (15 ft vs 80+ ft) but still saw some cool things. Also saw another shark (about 3 ft long) and had my camera but he wasn't close enough for a good shot. I know, this again sounds like "the one that got away". He was a white tip reef shark. Also some a lot of nudibranches which are pretty small creatures that attach themselves to the coral. I have some pix of them as they can be very colorful. Also did a nite dive which is always cool. Åll you can see is what your flashlights see. It's a whole other dimension to diving. The weather was great and the people very friendly. The dive shop even put on a free beer and pizza hour at a bar in town last nite. Couldn't resist!

Hope all is well,
Darren

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Photos

Blue coral
These are actually separate, but attached to the coral. When you place your finger nearby, they recede into the coral.

Hawk-billed Sea Turtle
The shell looks hand-painted and they like having them scratched.