- Messages
- 270
- Reaction score
- 6
Air/Water Temps: 88/85-88F
Vis: 30 100+ ft
Crew: Capt. Lowel, Dive Guide Eddie, Chef Daisy, Stewardess Sine, Night watch Joe and Engineers Ben and Jerry
Guest onboard: Kevin & Susan, Fred & Bettina, Alan & Yolanda, Martin, Oliver & Michel, Pierre & Nicole, Alex & Paul and Larissa & Stephane
Dec 29, 2011
Standing on the bow of Star Dancer watching the new guests coming closer in our dinghy to begin the charter. The water ripples as the wake reaches broadside of Star Dancer. The boat slowly responds with a small upward motion like an after thought. Swirling ocean breezes pass overhead, filling our senses with freedom of roaming the planet for adventure. Brought here to Alotau, Papua New Guinea, this outpost on the outskirts of industry thrusts us into a more natural, simple world where the masts of sailing canoes can be seen racing across the rustic orange and red sunset lit horizons each day. The day lingers and the guests settle in. We depart into a black backlit canopy of stars.
Dec 30, 2011
A comforting calm night fades into a glorious sun ball rising slowly over the peak of forest green mountains. Star Dancer weaves through the ragged toothed small islands that fill the seascape. We reach Gona Bala Bala to begin the adventure. In hopes of seeing a giant of the ocean, we are dropped off at a manta cleaning station. Small fish sit atop the coral mound in 27 feet of water awaiting the arrival of the giant to come into view. Sitting with a slight current in our face, the leviathan flies over the coral mound banks hard left and returns over again. The small fish rise away from the bottom and quickly peck at the beast and then it is gone. Heading back for the encounter, the bottom of the ocean is filled with minute creatures that hiding in the soft corals. Seven different nudibranchs are sited as well as box crabs and lionfish. The sun seeks higher grounds in the sky as Star Dancer navigates to Samarai Wharf. Entering the water, descending through pilings of the wharf. Green hard corals cling firmly on the old wood along with brilliant orange anemones finding spaces where the hard corals do not inhabit. Volitan lionfish hang downward in the mid water. Two crocodile fish blend in with the landscape of broken off coral, tree branches and leaves. A school of batfish shimmers across the bland sandy bottom as they flee from the oncoming divers.
Dec 31, 2011
Machine and sea mingle over the night passage to the far reaches of our charter. With the winds blows, we find refuge in the blissful azure sea. Ridges of impenetrable coral stand above the depths with silent dignity. The reef is alive with creatures interwoven with the hospitable coral structures that make perfect shelter for the not so formidable tropical fish. A treat is in store on this final day of 2011. What a better way to begin the new year by diving on the waning minutes of 2011 and as the clock strikes midnight we enjoy the new year under water.
Jan 1, 2012
Waking up to the dawn of 2012, Star Dancer rests above the plateau of Jasons Reef. The divers are seeking small coiled tailed pygmy seahorses on the deeper part of the reef. The small creatures draw quite a crowd. Finding the right gorgonian they rest on. We peer close and they appear in our focus. Tiny gill plates working quickly moving in and out. The divers shake their heads in acknowledging they have spotted a true gem amongst the already spectacular underwater setting. We get a view of a rare animal, a lime green rhinopias perches over the expanse of the reef. Translucent pectoral fins with black and yellow outlines, tassled dorsal fin pinnacles, long pointed snout with a wide gaping mouth, a perfectly camouflaged ambush predator.
Jan 2, 2012
We are lucky enough to dive Peer reef. Even though we have wind blowing, the current is very mild and we will take advantage of the bountiful sights on this vertical sloping wall into the abyss. Bannerfish huddle together on the coral slope at 100 feet and with synchronized movements, they split apart from their tight mass and cluster out off the wall pecking at the water. Far below, a pair of white tip reef sharks follow one another. One turns upward contouring the wall passing in front of our group. Right underneath Star Dancer, plate coral hide 6 juvenile white tips crammed on top of one another sleeping in the hazing overcast sun. In the spirit of adventure, we journey to a black sand dive never dove by Star Dancer. Here cockatoo wasp fish and seahorses rock with the oncoming small shore waves breaking. Razorfish dance in unison through the maze of turtle grass.
Jan 3, 2012
Bunama Village is an all day affair in hopes of spotting the unusual creatures of Milne Bay. Hairy ghost pipefish, a pair of frogfish. Ornate ghost pipefish and seahorses were found in the turtle grass and undergrowth. All day we had villagers paddle out in their canoes. Children of all ages and adults looked on the Star Dancer guests with wonderment, strangers donning bizarre metal plunging in their home waters. Night begins to fall and the village children begin to sing in their canoes all around Star Dancer. The guests sit on the lido deck terrace listening and taking pictures as the sun sets.
Jan 4, 2012
Early morning steaming up towards Duchess Islands and the hard coral a paradise of Whompers and Calypso. The pinnacles of Whompers rise high off the coral ridge. A small treasure is found on the mass of coral. A harlequin shrimp hides under a coral head. Blue fusiliers shine neon in the pale green waters. White tip sharks loom off in the distance. Coral grouper and many other fish sit quietly in the flow of the oncoming current. Calypsos ridge falls from the shallows of just below the surface into the deep. The ridge is fully covered in hard corals. So engrossed with corals that there is a constant struggle for growth. Some corals have died off where the dominate coral as taken over. During our night dive, the shallow reef glows green from the light of the yacht.
Jan 5, 2012
A day at Laudi The jungle environment with the brilliance of the underwater setting. The visibility was phenomenal and so were the sightings. The coral ridge at the point to the falling away sloping rocks and sand in front of Laudi village. At the river mouth we have 5 seahorses in the branches of fallen trees. Looking at every crinoid to find ornate ghost pipe fish. We have a combination of deep reds, oranges and pink pipefish all along the reef. The octopus encounters are numerous. The friendly octopi cruise over the reef during the mid day sun, allowing divers to come in close and follow the cephalopods through out the day. Peacock mantis shrimp litter the bottom in burrows and harlequin shrimp hang upside down hiding in the coral. A large maroon cockatoo waspfish rocks with the surge back and forth acting as a leaf. Down the slope, a 6-foot nurse shark crosses our path. Startling the guests that are used to looking for tiny bits and just coming out of the shadows comes the male nurse shark, almost nine feet long. Together they circle a few guests then dived down the slope.
Jan 6, 2012
Wahoo Point continues to bring pelagics. Mobular rays and wahoo cross by right over the point. Our stop off at Michelles is filled with mandarin fish all through the day. The rainbow colored fish poke in and out of the old dead corals on the bottom. The guests are happy to get a glimpse of the treasure of the reef.
Jan 7, 2012
A fond farewell to the guests from all over the world. What a great week for sightings of all things big and small.
For The Ocean,
Captain Lowel
Vis: 30 100+ ft
Crew: Capt. Lowel, Dive Guide Eddie, Chef Daisy, Stewardess Sine, Night watch Joe and Engineers Ben and Jerry
Guest onboard: Kevin & Susan, Fred & Bettina, Alan & Yolanda, Martin, Oliver & Michel, Pierre & Nicole, Alex & Paul and Larissa & Stephane
Dec 29, 2011
Standing on the bow of Star Dancer watching the new guests coming closer in our dinghy to begin the charter. The water ripples as the wake reaches broadside of Star Dancer. The boat slowly responds with a small upward motion like an after thought. Swirling ocean breezes pass overhead, filling our senses with freedom of roaming the planet for adventure. Brought here to Alotau, Papua New Guinea, this outpost on the outskirts of industry thrusts us into a more natural, simple world where the masts of sailing canoes can be seen racing across the rustic orange and red sunset lit horizons each day. The day lingers and the guests settle in. We depart into a black backlit canopy of stars.
Dec 30, 2011
A comforting calm night fades into a glorious sun ball rising slowly over the peak of forest green mountains. Star Dancer weaves through the ragged toothed small islands that fill the seascape. We reach Gona Bala Bala to begin the adventure. In hopes of seeing a giant of the ocean, we are dropped off at a manta cleaning station. Small fish sit atop the coral mound in 27 feet of water awaiting the arrival of the giant to come into view. Sitting with a slight current in our face, the leviathan flies over the coral mound banks hard left and returns over again. The small fish rise away from the bottom and quickly peck at the beast and then it is gone. Heading back for the encounter, the bottom of the ocean is filled with minute creatures that hiding in the soft corals. Seven different nudibranchs are sited as well as box crabs and lionfish. The sun seeks higher grounds in the sky as Star Dancer navigates to Samarai Wharf. Entering the water, descending through pilings of the wharf. Green hard corals cling firmly on the old wood along with brilliant orange anemones finding spaces where the hard corals do not inhabit. Volitan lionfish hang downward in the mid water. Two crocodile fish blend in with the landscape of broken off coral, tree branches and leaves. A school of batfish shimmers across the bland sandy bottom as they flee from the oncoming divers.
Dec 31, 2011
Machine and sea mingle over the night passage to the far reaches of our charter. With the winds blows, we find refuge in the blissful azure sea. Ridges of impenetrable coral stand above the depths with silent dignity. The reef is alive with creatures interwoven with the hospitable coral structures that make perfect shelter for the not so formidable tropical fish. A treat is in store on this final day of 2011. What a better way to begin the new year by diving on the waning minutes of 2011 and as the clock strikes midnight we enjoy the new year under water.
Jan 1, 2012
Waking up to the dawn of 2012, Star Dancer rests above the plateau of Jasons Reef. The divers are seeking small coiled tailed pygmy seahorses on the deeper part of the reef. The small creatures draw quite a crowd. Finding the right gorgonian they rest on. We peer close and they appear in our focus. Tiny gill plates working quickly moving in and out. The divers shake their heads in acknowledging they have spotted a true gem amongst the already spectacular underwater setting. We get a view of a rare animal, a lime green rhinopias perches over the expanse of the reef. Translucent pectoral fins with black and yellow outlines, tassled dorsal fin pinnacles, long pointed snout with a wide gaping mouth, a perfectly camouflaged ambush predator.
Jan 2, 2012
We are lucky enough to dive Peer reef. Even though we have wind blowing, the current is very mild and we will take advantage of the bountiful sights on this vertical sloping wall into the abyss. Bannerfish huddle together on the coral slope at 100 feet and with synchronized movements, they split apart from their tight mass and cluster out off the wall pecking at the water. Far below, a pair of white tip reef sharks follow one another. One turns upward contouring the wall passing in front of our group. Right underneath Star Dancer, plate coral hide 6 juvenile white tips crammed on top of one another sleeping in the hazing overcast sun. In the spirit of adventure, we journey to a black sand dive never dove by Star Dancer. Here cockatoo wasp fish and seahorses rock with the oncoming small shore waves breaking. Razorfish dance in unison through the maze of turtle grass.
Jan 3, 2012
Bunama Village is an all day affair in hopes of spotting the unusual creatures of Milne Bay. Hairy ghost pipefish, a pair of frogfish. Ornate ghost pipefish and seahorses were found in the turtle grass and undergrowth. All day we had villagers paddle out in their canoes. Children of all ages and adults looked on the Star Dancer guests with wonderment, strangers donning bizarre metal plunging in their home waters. Night begins to fall and the village children begin to sing in their canoes all around Star Dancer. The guests sit on the lido deck terrace listening and taking pictures as the sun sets.
Jan 4, 2012
Early morning steaming up towards Duchess Islands and the hard coral a paradise of Whompers and Calypso. The pinnacles of Whompers rise high off the coral ridge. A small treasure is found on the mass of coral. A harlequin shrimp hides under a coral head. Blue fusiliers shine neon in the pale green waters. White tip sharks loom off in the distance. Coral grouper and many other fish sit quietly in the flow of the oncoming current. Calypsos ridge falls from the shallows of just below the surface into the deep. The ridge is fully covered in hard corals. So engrossed with corals that there is a constant struggle for growth. Some corals have died off where the dominate coral as taken over. During our night dive, the shallow reef glows green from the light of the yacht.
Jan 5, 2012
A day at Laudi The jungle environment with the brilliance of the underwater setting. The visibility was phenomenal and so were the sightings. The coral ridge at the point to the falling away sloping rocks and sand in front of Laudi village. At the river mouth we have 5 seahorses in the branches of fallen trees. Looking at every crinoid to find ornate ghost pipe fish. We have a combination of deep reds, oranges and pink pipefish all along the reef. The octopus encounters are numerous. The friendly octopi cruise over the reef during the mid day sun, allowing divers to come in close and follow the cephalopods through out the day. Peacock mantis shrimp litter the bottom in burrows and harlequin shrimp hang upside down hiding in the coral. A large maroon cockatoo waspfish rocks with the surge back and forth acting as a leaf. Down the slope, a 6-foot nurse shark crosses our path. Startling the guests that are used to looking for tiny bits and just coming out of the shadows comes the male nurse shark, almost nine feet long. Together they circle a few guests then dived down the slope.
Jan 6, 2012
Wahoo Point continues to bring pelagics. Mobular rays and wahoo cross by right over the point. Our stop off at Michelles is filled with mandarin fish all through the day. The rainbow colored fish poke in and out of the old dead corals on the bottom. The guests are happy to get a glimpse of the treasure of the reef.
Jan 7, 2012
A fond farewell to the guests from all over the world. What a great week for sightings of all things big and small.
For The Ocean,
Captain Lowel
