Spirit of Freedom - TRIP Gallery

Mon 7th May 2012 - Thu 10th May 2012

Day 1 and we set sail for Pixie Wall, always a great way to start a journey. Pipe fish, leafy scorpion fish, nudibranchs, trumpet fish, cleaner shrimp, Maori wrasse, sharks, barracuda, schools of fusiliers, the list goes on. After a great couple of dives we're off and steaming to the world famous Osprey Reef.

Day 2 and we arrive on daybreak at Osprey Reef, straight to Around The Bend, a magnificent cleaning station. Divers were excited for the drift down the soft coral wall and weren't disappointed when two scalloped hammerheads and a silver tip were spotted cruising by. Among other creatures seen were white tip reef sharks and the ever curious grey whalers. Dogtooth tuna and job fish also came in close for a look. A fantastic welcome to Osprey Reef. Dive two sees us at Silver City. More grey whalers came in for a sticky beak at our divers. The colourful wall was home to all sorts of anthias and chromis with nemos dotted all over the site. Dive three and yet more grey whalers. Lucky divers had four grey whalers circle them for an up close and personal experience. A large school of flute fish hung on a sand plateau which made for a magnificent scene in the clear waters. Admiralty was next on the cards. This site never fails to impress. Sharks aplenty with lots of little stuff as well. The maze of coral kept everyone exploring while the fantastic visibility meant we could see all the way along the vast walls. So good a dive site that we stayed in the same spot for the night dive. Flash light fish were a treat but it was the massive school of bump-head parrot that put the biggest smiles on diver's faces. Another great day of diving on Osprey Reef.

Day 3 and North Horn was at the top of our agenda. Dive one was straight into a drift with a good current taking us all along the Eastern Wall where beautiful fans, lot's of macro and of course sharks galore were all waiting for us. Dive two and it's the world famous Osprey Reef shark attraction! Divers were tense as the shark cage was lowered. Over thirty grey whalers and white tip reef sharks showed up in a flurry of fins and teeth. We were all lucky enough to have a large silver tip grace us with it's presence. Our third dive was another drift along the Southern soft coral wall. Again there were sharks in abundance but it wasn't just the fish that caught people's eyes. The soft coral on North Horn Wall is absolutely stunning, with large gorgonians and fans mesmerising divers. Castles was our final dive at Osprey Reef and what a send off. An enormous manta ray gracefully drifted by divers making it the most memorable dive for those who had never had the pleasure of witnessing a these majestic creatures in full flight.

Day 4 meant we were back in the Ribbons and at Steve's Bommie. A favourite among the crew, Steve's Bommie boasts all manner of macro while still attracting a variety of larger pelagic life. Today was no exception. Wobbygong sharks, white tip reef sharks, grey whalers, giant clams, ‘disco clams', flatworms, nudibranchs, cucumbers of all shapes and sizes, cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, hermit crabs, coral crabs, lion fish, stone fish, scorpion fish, anthias, chromis, damsels including a variety of different ‘nemos', schools of snapper, barracuda, giant trevally, a huge school of big eye trevally, blue lined trevally and the list goes on. So good we always do two dives there. Next was Joanies Joy and another fantastic dive with the main attractions being a large school of bumphead parrot, a gravid ornate ghost pipefish and a beautiful leopard shark that posed for some amazing photos. Our last port of call was Flair Point where divers spent their last dive hanging out with the local green sea turtle and a large loggerhead turtle. Once again the Ribbons provided a day of amazing diving. Thank you to all our lovely passengers for making this trip another amazing experience aboard Spirit Of Freedom.

Congratulations to Ravi for becoming our newest Advanced Open Water Certified Diver.

Nick Leigh (Trip Director)

Phone :	+61 (0) 7 4047 9150
Fax :	+61 (0) 7 4047 9110
Email :
PO Box 1276, Cairns QLD 4870 Australia

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Spirit of Freedom - TRIP Gallery

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