Esmerelda the stonefish - or perhaps "where's Wally?"
Fitzroy Island sits just off the North Queensland coast, a short one-hour boat ride from Cairns. Departing early (7.30am) on a Saturday morning gave us a full two days on Fitzroy Island. Once on the island we were able to check in immediately which was fantastic given the early hour, and then it was straight into theory. After lunch we hit the water to put all the knowledge into practise. Fiztroy Island has fringing reef, and while the visibility is less than the outer reef, shore diving offers flexibility in the form of longer dive times and diving when you need to rather than according to a boat schedule. Saturday afternoon we fitted in two long dives, and as they were shallow air consumption was not an issue. After an evening session of reviewing photos and workflow practises, a relaxing dinner and some good company it was time to enjoy the comfortable beds and luxurious rooms that Fitzroy Island Resort offers!
Sunday morning started with a breakfast buffet and then we started into the day’s activities. We reviewed video techniques, macro techniques, composition and lighting then hit the water for more practise. Lunch and review, then more practise! The variety of subjects that we could practise on at Fitzroy was great: lionfish, stonefish, anenomefish, coral bommies, whip coral, schools of jacks, white tip shark and much more. It was a great weekend and it is always rewarding to see the improvement in photos that comes with each reviewing session.
Australian Conservation Foundation