2014 May - Oct
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During May to October I enjoyed eleven boat dives with Let’s Go Adventures at Broughton and other islands outside of the Port Stephens heads. Once again many of the dives were with Let’s Go Adventures' dive guide Jake Miller and this time I was to learn just how adventurous Jake is with food.

A lot of people are squeamish about eating Boiled Ox tongue. I am. Jake Miller said he wasn’t. Challenge on. This delicacy was to be prepared for Jake’s lunch on a trip to Broughton Island by none other MV Tomeree’s Skipper and Master Chef, Steve Hunter. I’d only seen Steve serve up powder soup and rolls during Tomeree surface intervals - hardly a culinary orgasm. But Ox tongue if gently boiled in a pot of water with carrots, leeks, celery, onions, a few heads of garlic, some peppercorns and a big bouquet garni and served with green sauce, can apparently be nothing short of ecstasy. Steve’s recipe was a little different though, stick it in some boiling water for a while and then serve. Surely Jake wouldn't eat the tongue? But yuck – he did!

Three dives were at North Rock Gutters one of which was with my UK friend Jamie Watts. Jamie stayed with Mary and I for a few days in Port Stephens and we had a busy time, knocking out a few new joint articles for future magazines, giving a joint talk to Snappers, the Newcastle NSW underwater photography club as well as doing some local dives including the grey nurse sharks and wobbegongs of North Rock Gutters.

One dive was at Looking Glass Island with Jake and his mother Sarah.  Visibility was pretty good but unfortunately, there weren’t many Grey Nurse sharks to be seen.

The remaining seven dives were at Cabbage Tree Island. There’s always the chance of seeing something special outside of the Port Stephens heads. On one occasion I watched Seals sunbathing on the north side of Cabbage Tree Island while a Hump Back and its calf surfaced nearby. Port Jackson sharks are my favourite sharks and it’s not unusual to see groups of them in the shallows of Cabbage Tree Island. I dived “The Pinnacle”, three isolated sea mountains south east of Cabbage Tree Island. It is said to be 35 metres deep but I reached 32 metres and couldn’t see the bottom. I also dived the Island’s north east corner which has wonderful sponge gardens and rock formations and “Little Trawler” five times, once with Jamie Watts.