Great Blog Entry By Kena Diving Beveridge Reef

[Trim50]

Start at the bottom entry...

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/kena/?xjMsgID=97813

[JeanneP]

Their attracting sharks is just what happened after we were there in 1992. *They are teaching the sharks to associate that boat shadow above as a source of easy food. *

Peter and I spent many weeks at Beveridge Reef. *For the first month we were the only boat there and I went snorkeling twice a day, every day. *I walked the windward reef every day at low tide, and though I saw sharks, none came near me. *I once tried to dive down to take a photo of one of the White Tip sharks lying on the bottom, but as soon as it saw me it swam further into the reef where I couldn't go.

We did not fish inside the reef, and we told all the boats coming to the reef to catch their fish outside the reef, at the entrance into the lagoon. *Since the flow through the cut was always an outflow, it did not signal anything to the fish inside the lagoon.

As easy as that should have been to understand, there's always one person who just can't resist the easy pickings of the fish inside the reef. *And then, within days, any splash off any of the boats in the lagoon and a horde of sharks is right there, looking for free food. *We heard from the boats that came after we had left that they couldn't go into the water, and any food that they threw off the boat, or even someone getting into the dinghy drew a bunch of sharks to their boat.*

Am I allowed to say, "well, duh!" *We waited until nightfall to toss anything into the water, and did very, very little of that.*

Beveridge Reef will probably now be a dangerous shark risk for the rest of the boats that arrive this year. *Oh, well, makes a good story, this battle with the sharks. *For me, though, the non-story of the sharks ignoring me was preferable.

Self-righteously,

J

[Lighthouse]

I'm afraid that this just makes me angry!

[Trim50]

I wasn't so much referring to the sharks as much as I was the description of the underwater views. People and sharks will always tangle I guess.

If someone is dumb enough to screw with sharks 600 something miles from nearest emergency service...well then they are doing the gene pool something of a favor.

I do greatly enjoy Kena's blog and photos...very worthwhile to follow.

[Trim50]

Jeanne,

Something I've been wondering about Beveridge Reef is how fast it drops off to the Abyss outside? Is there good fishing and diving outside?

[JeanneP]

It's pretty scary getting too close to the reef. *On the windward side, where one would never choose to bring their boat, the reef is barely awash at low tide, but looks almost bottomless - the water is the deep blue of very deep and clear water. *

On the leeward side one sails down close to the reef to be able to see the entrance into the lagoon. *The reef here is not a solid wall as it is on the windward side, it's "broken," and it was at least 75' on the depth sounder as we worked our way down the reef, perhaps 20 feet from the reef itself - so yes, it seems to plummet into the abyss.

Entering the reef, the depth is about 35' (as I remember, it's been a while) with scattered coral heads - the water is so clear that they look to be just under the surface, but they were probably 6 feet or more below the surface. *Then, about a mile from the windward reef, the water shallows to a constant 10 feet of blinding white sand. *It's pretty incredible.

[Trim50]

As a diver, I’m fascinated by the exhilaration of the sudden abyss and floating out over the abyss while 100 ft down and looking downward at the spires of sunlight as they lead off into infinity. It is a lot like flying in a helicopter at tree top level around 140 knots and suddenly seeing the Grand Canyon appear below you. The sensation hits the pit of your stomach like a brick…and you find that you like it.

This is why I’m sooo interested in Beveridge Reef.