Diving with a Cuttlefish last weekend! This little guys was like a cat just relaxing in the warm blue water and loving a wee little pat ! This is the first time I have ever seen this just amazing!!

Well we are here we have arrived welcome to 2012 !! I hope everyone survived the new year festivities all over the world !! The year in reflection has seen allot of changes happening in the tourism industry here in Cairns for 2011. I think prices on tours are starting to stabilize a little bit there has been allot of movement in prices over the last year which reflects the economic times felt by the industry. X-mass saw allot of people going out to the Great Barrier Reef with just about every tour boat full everyday over the X-mass New Year period !! Fantastic! It really does show the resilience of Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef. Cairns is a world class facility with amazing landscapes and natural beauty that is hard pressed to find in such concentration anywhere else in Australia. As the Bangkok post put it the World Wonder Down Under! its true everybody is welcome here in Cairns! the lifestyle of this Great Barrier Reef City continues to move forward with people flocking here from all over the world to see her iconic Gem The Great Barrier Reef! Happy New Year everybody ! Nemo says G’day Mate !

So many of the questions I get asked is are there sharks out on The Great Barrier Reef. The answer is yes of course there is but what are the main sharks people see when they take a snorkel or dive trip out to the Reef.

Well from making nearly 2oo dives of Cairns in the last 2 years the majority of my encounters have been with white and black tip reef sharks. These guys are shy very timid and will swim away when frightened.

So my reply to people when they ask the question are there sharks on the reef I say yes there are! make a wish when you see one you are lucky.

I made a 3 day live aboard out on the Reef last week with Pro-Dive Cairns they have a fantastic operation a great crew fantastic dive gear and really good quality sites out on the reefs from Cairns. Here is a little video diving at night just under the boat this little guy came in to say hello. Enjoy the video and where ever you are happy diving.

What an awesome day out at Daintree Station 4WD ATV’s and Zorbing in a giant inflatable ball! Located up in the Daintree what a place to have fun !! Cairns The Adventure Capital of Australia !!

Watch the Video !!! I was working with Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Panasonic Lumix Cameras and a bunch of fantastic local adventure people on a fun little project, where invited to participate in the filming of the Lumix Adventure Film show casing Cairns & All the Adventurous things you can do here in The Adventure Capital Of Australia. Check out the video below:

Every year towards the end of November the Great Barrier Reef undergoes Coral Spawning. In relation to the tides the moon phase and the temperature of the water when everything matches up just right it begins. I plan to go out and try capture some action stay tuned will post up the footage.

Well what a day vis was on our side and well all I can say is have a look at the photos  October & November are some of my favourite times of the year to dive on the Great Barrier Reef here in Cairns. The water temp is now sitting at just over 25 degrees C and well the wind drops down to like 5 knots !!!! Just so nice to be out there !

Diving on Hastings Reef Cairns Australia.

So as promised here is some footage from Tuesday just gone what an unreal day !! One of the most amazing encounters with a little Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Coral Gardens is a dive site located on Flynn reef and has a fantastic drop off wall that goes to about 24 metres! With a bit of current on the move you have fantastic fish life with Moray Eels and large Coral Trout and Mackerel. Check out the footage I was able to get of this little fellow looking for lunch.

Ok so whats been happening ! We have had allot of wind the last month or so and it has been a little rough! But guess what we have 10 knots the next week !!!! Yahoo. So its time to pull out the dive gear get it all ready because Tuesday where out on the Reef !! We are heading to Flynn, Milln and Pellow Reefs !! Awesome. So stay tuned video and photos to come ok

The Great Barrier Reef Cairns Australia

Scuba diving on the weekend Saturday 23rd July we came across this little dude !! Check him out just chillin with as we cruise around in the warm tropical waters of The Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.  Plongée Sous-marine Grande Barrière de Corail Saturday 23rd July 2011: Regarder la vidéo ici:

So I have been training allot and have made my first launch learning to Paraglide. The view from Cairns looking out over The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful views I have seen in the world!! Check the video below

Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef has come alive !! Part of the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival. Challenge Cairns is on for 10 days in this amazing city! Have a look at the video below !!

The beautiful blue skies and light sea breeze season is upon us at last !!! Wow this is the best season for the whole year ! The weather is so nice this time of year 28 degrees blue skies!! I was lucky enough to head out to the Great Barrier Reef yesterday in a De Havilland Beaver Float Plane with Cairns Sea Planes, what an awesome flight. We headed out over Green Island, Middle Cay, Michaelmas Cay and Upolo Cay about 30 minutes in total. I made a qucik little video with my iphone its a bit wobbly but will give you the idea check it out !!!! Thanks to Joel and all the crew at Cairns Sea Planes!!

Well I have just returned from Europe! It got me thinking I love Europe so much, my buddies in France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Italy and Spain and with the lifestyle you can have in Europe, fashion, music, food and fun I can understand the love and life there. So I thought why do i live in Cairns Australia? …. well I was born here so that’s a major start but i keep coming back again and again …. so what is it?

Well I think i have put it down to the lifestyle, we are not stressed, the sun shines bright everyday at this time of year at least and the air is fresh and clean! Nature is at our doorstep from every angle. You can eat fresh food from the tablelands, fresh fish from the oceans the life is clean away from the cities and polution of major urban areas. We still have pristine waterfalls and untouched jungles that are so green and lush and the biggest prize of all one of the great wonders of the world The Great Barrier Reef in all her glory.

You wont find plastic bottles floating in the water or bottle caps and plastic bags …… we look after our enviroment….. I get told this everyday from travellers from all over the world who tell me they are so amazed at how clean our beaches, parks, streets and gardens are compared to other parts of the world.

I guess travel keeps the eye balls open and makes you appreciate the simple things in life …. diving

Currently travelling in Europe some fresh blogs from over here will be on the Eurpoean section Back home in 2 weeks to Reef, Sun and Sand