Dive Review of Falie in
Australia/Neptune Islands, South Austral

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Falie, Jun, 2002, by John Crossley, CA, USA ( Sr. Contributor 29 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 163.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was a Stan Waterman lead trip that teamed up with the world famous great white shark expert, Rodney Fox, on the three-masted, 80 year old classic sailing ship,the Faile. The cabins were decent size, but 15 divers shared three large toilet/shower rooms, Meals typically included several choices and they were well prepared. The Great Whites were out there every day. We saw about 13 different ones in a week. At most we saw 5 different ones in a day, about 9 to 16 feet long, but most were really thick and strong looking. Four divers could get into a 6ft by 6ft. steel cage lowered from the side of the ship to 60-80 feet, where we would watch the white sharks (and eagle rays, sting rays, and other fish) circle around us. They just cruised around,looking at us, and they seemed like peaceful giants. We were told not to go out of the cage. Off the stern, four divers could stand in a steel cage that floated at the surface, while the boat crew fed the sharks tuna baited on a line that floated right next to our cage. On scuba at just 5 feet deep we could see the sharks come up to feed one at a time. They were very cautious hunters, making several passes before coming back for the big bite. We saw it right up close. They would swim away and come back anywhere from one to 10 minutes later, and always from a different direction in the murky water (visibility 30 ft). Sometimes it would come up right behind us and we would not see it until it was right there. What a skilled hunter! Generally, we did two cages dives a day, and each was a trill. We forgot how cold the water was (61-64) until we got out and froze on the deck in the wind. The third way to see the sharks was on a side feeding, with us hanging over the side rail of the ship to see the great whites go for the tuna suspended a little above the water. It was really impressive to see these giants come half a body length out of the water with jaws wide. After dinner we would listen to Stan and Rodney tell stories of great adventures. In one discussion, we all agreed that we felt not a second of fear during our cage dives with the great whites, but instead a total sense of awe and respect for these perfect hunters. Rodney said that is why he leads these trips, so people can really appreciate the grace, beauty, and aquatic perfection of these great white sharks. After the trip, we had a party at Rodney’s Great White Shark Museum, which is a great exhibit. All in all it was a great and memorable week.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, Indonesia, Philippines, Solomans, Truk, Palau, Yap, Galapagos, Cocos, Hawaii, Cozumel, Caymans, Turks & Caicos, Sipadan, & others
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	61-64°F / 16-18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay inside the steel cages. Group time limit about 40 minutes
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Falie in Australia/Neptune Islands, South Austral

Falie, Jun, 2002,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Falie in
Australia/Neptune Islands, South Austral