Here is our January 2019 Newsletter
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ENJOY!
Coral Sea Dreaming – Overnight Dive Trip March 2019
It’s time to get excited as the committee have again put together another amazing diving opportunity for you.
Coral Sea Dreaming (Cairns) has made us a very special, introductory offer to spend two days diving with them aboard their live-aboard vessel. They take up to 12 guests (we have 6 places reserved) and have a variety of accommodation on board with both private double cabins and single bunks for groups or individuals. There is air-conditioning throughout the vessel and overhead fans for your comfort. The vessel has hot showers and fresh towels and linen are all provided. They provide a range of diving equipment on board, or members are welcome to bring your own.
With a skilled onboard cook, you’ll be sure to enjoy a delicious variety of freshly prepared homemade meals, delicious cheese boards and snacks to keep your energy levels up. They are happy to cater to any taste, please advise if there is anything special you would like on the menu or if there are any dietary requirements. The vessel is a licensed venue and has a bar onboard with plenty of chilled premium beers, Australian wines and champagne. If you prefer spirits, then BYO.
Diving: Unlimited dives (to your NDL of course !!) and a night dive planned (weather dependent). With access to most moorings out of Cairns, favorite sites to visit for overnight are definitely Miln and Flynn Reef, with some spectacular night diving had out at Norman and Hastings.
Coral Sea Dreaming are providing Nautilus Financial Members a generous discount off the retail prices as an introductory offer (see their brochure or website, link below). Booking is easy by phoning Reservations on Ph. 07 4229 9000 and quote your current financial membership number.
The reserved places (6) for club members is open for booking now with any unsold places going public a week out. If all places are sold and there is still room on the boat, we can book more up to capacity at the same price. Room allocation is on ‘first in, best pick’ basis.
Further details are:
Date: Departs Saturday 2nd March, returning Sunday 3rd March , 2019
Costs: NOT for publication – please refer to your member email or call on phone 07 4229 9000 during their office hours and quote your current financial membership number.
Payment Details: Pay on booking by phone (direct with operator only)
Additionals: This is an all inclusive offer. See website for other details: www.CoralSeaDreaming.com.au
Accommodation: Overnight Trip – both single bunks and double bed cabins available.
Booking: Booking with operator only (not via club or any club member) – Ph. 07 4229 9000 during their office hours.
Logistics: Check in directly on the boat, first left on A Finger at the marina. Boarding 07:45 on the day of departure. Departs 08:00 sharp and arrives back approx 17:00 on the day of return.
The tour is not suitable for children under 4 or people with mobility issues and disabilities.
See website or call for all other information www.CoralSeaDreaming.com.au
Not a member? Easy … simply go to this link and join, membership comes with great offers, unique savings and fantastic buddies to dive and socialize with! Did we also mention discounts from sponsor dive shops and operators all year around!
https://www.nautilus-scuba.net/membership/
Anilao Philippines Trip MAY 2019 – 3 spots left! Closing soon
OVERSEAS TRIP
Club Oscellaris Anilao,Philippines – Closing Soon – 3 Spaces left!
Fri 17th – Sat 25th May 2019
Anilao is consistently ranked in the top Muck Dive destinations of the world, with its abundance of macro life, including rare creatures such as hairy frogfish, mimic octopus, blue-ringed octopus, rhinopias, to name a few, and a huge variety of vibrant and colourful nudibranchs. Anilao also has some pristine hard and soft corals to add colour to the underwater muck diving environment! It’s a must go destination for keen photographers, but would also be an interesting (and easy) dive destination for novice divers and non-photographers alike.
We are staying at Club Oscellaris (7 nights/4 dives per day = 24 dives package), which boasts resident photographers/knowledgeable DMs who will be able to show you all the weird and wonderful critters that Anilao has to offer! Or you can enjoy solo dives to your heart’s content, taking your own leisurely time.
We have provisionally reserved 14 spaces: 
5 x Twin/Double rooms = 10 pax
2 x Single rooms (toilet & shower facilities shared among 3 rooms) = 2 pax
SUPREME DIVE PACKAGE 4 dives per day
Inclusions:
- Room Accommodations (twin share arrangement or single room) – fans only; air cons are additional extra
- All meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
- Maximum Four dives per day (4 day dives or 3 day + 1 night dive)
- Boat and Dive Guide services
- Aluminum 80 cft Air tanks, Weights + belt
If you’d like to sign up or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Akiko, Overseas Trip Coordinator via email overseastrips@nautilus-scuba.net
Gallery Photos by Phil Woodhead
Walindi, PNG – Overseas Trip September 2019 – Book Now- 4 spaces left
Photo by Terry Cummins
Photo by Colin Tonazzi
Walindi Plantation Resort, one of our fabulous sponsors, is an intimate dive resort situated on the shores of Kimbe Bay on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Kimbe Bay is a huge marine protected area with an extremely bio-diverse ecosystem, home to prolific and diverse marine life and pristine reefs. A range of shark species are regularly sighted, including hammerheads and silvertips, with some resident pod of dolphins, schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks, and the occasional sighting of a whale if you are lucky!
Dates of travel will be Sun 15th – Sun 22nd September 2019: 7 nights, 15 boat dives (+shore dives), flying with Air Niugini.
Photo by Terry Cummins
Spots are available for Max 16 pax (14+2 FOC discount; 4 spots left), September is a popular season for diving in Walindi, so we recommend you sign up sooner than later!
Included in the price:
- 7 nights accommodation @ Walindi Resort (see room options below)
- 15 Boat Dives (includes tanks, weights and guides)
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Airport transfers to and from the Resort
Excludes: Dive gear hire, Night dives (subject to availability), Environment & Safety fee (AUD 10 per
diver per day), Other optional Activities & Tours at the resort, Bar spending, Personal
spending, Flights, Dive & Travel insurances (compulsory for Club trip participation)
Photo by Colin Tonazzi
ACCOMMODATION:
2 x Bungalows (Premium rooms) – 4 pax – TAKEN
- Free-standing ‘bure’ style accommodation, all with en suite bathroom, ceiling fans (no air-conditioning), tea & coffee making facilities, a small fridge, closet, working desk and a private veranda.
- These are all located along the beachfront and have water views.
- The Bungalows have one Queen size bed and one Single bed
1 x Bungalows (Premium room) – 1 pax – TAKEN
4 x TWIN Plantation House Rooms (Standard rooms) – 8 pax – 4 SPOTS AVAILABLE
- Slightly smaller, but still with all the same features as the Bungalows.
- Built in a block of 4 rooms so they all share a veranda and located a bit further back from the beach with garden views.
1 x DOUBLE Plantation House Room (Standard room) – 2 pax – TAKEN
1 x SINGLE Plantation House Room (Standard room) – 1 pax – TAKEN
Photo by Colin Tonazzi
Photo by Colin Tonazzi
FLIGHTS:
All flights are with Air Niugini and the full cost of the return air fare is approx. AUD 800-900 (subject to change).
OUTBOUND
Sun 15/09/19 PX 093 Dep CNS 11:45 Arr POM 13:10
PX 244 Dep POM 15:05 Arr HKN 16:10
INBOUND:
Sun 22/09/19 PX 241 Dep HKN 07:00 Arr POM 08:05
PX 090 Dep POM 09:30 Arr CNS 10:55
If you’d like to sign up or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Akiko, Overseas Trip Coordinator via email: overseastrips@nautilus-scuba.net
For more info on Walindi Resort and diving in Walindi, please visit:
http://www.walindifebrina.com/Walindi-Resort
Photo by Colin Tonazzi
NEW Overseas Trip – Manado & Lembeh (N. Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Diversion Dive Travel has put together exclusively for our club a fabulous combination trip of 5 nights in Manado + 5 nights in Lembeh in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Manado is among the highlights of diving in Indonesia. When you’re scuba diving in Bunaken National Marine Park, you’ll witness some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, with outstanding fish variety and world-class steep walls that descend down to as deep as 1600m. The clear, warm waters contain astonishingly high numbers of species, whether corals, sponges or fish. There is also an opportunity to dive further north in Bangka Archiapelago (beautiful coral meadows, variety of marine life) and south in Popooh (muck diving).
Lembeh probably requires no introduction at all, being regarded as the top muck dive site in the world with a huge variety of weird and wonderful marine creatures such as the flamboyant cuttlefish, wonderpus and mimic octopus, to name a few. It is a must for keen photographers, but also for anyone simply interested in seeing rare critters.
The trip dates are Thurs 14 – Tues 26 November 2019: 10 nights/18 boat dives + unlimited shore dive package, flying with Virgin/Singapore Airlines/Silk Air. As this will require overnights on both legs of the journey, the whole trip will be 12 nights/13 days departing Cairns.
We have reserved 5 nights each in Manado and Lembeh with a maximum capacity for 18 pax:
Thalassa Manado Resort
9 x Seaview Hilltop Rooms (twin/double)
Thalassa Lembeh Resort
8 x Seaview Bungalows with private terrace (5 x doubles + 3 x twins)
3 x Split bungalows (single rooms)
All with air-conditioning and private bathroom. Single supplements apply for sole occupancy with the exception of the single Split bungalows.
For more info on the resorts, have a look at their website:
https://thalassamanado.com/
Inclusions:
- 10 nights accommodation
- Full board meal plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- 18 boat dives
- Unlimited house reef dives
- All airport and resort transfers
- Free wifi
Additional extras:
- Return flights from Cairns to Manado (see below)
- National marine park fees
- Nitrox and gear hire
- Drinks
- Other land-based excursions
Please check your emails from Overseas Trip Co-ordinator, Akiko for more information regarding Flights and Deposit/Payment. Approximate price above for financial members only! If you have any further questions please email Akiko overseastrips@nautilus-scuba.net
Overseas Trip! Tubbataha 2020 – SOLD OUT – Join the wait list
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ALREADY SOLD OUT – Let us know if you’d like to be on the wait list We have chartered the whole boat: All Star MV Stella Maris liveaboard (21 pax), diving the spectacular marine nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site that is the Tubbataha Reef, Philippines in the middle of the Sulu Sea. Since Tubbataha was discovered in the late 1970s, it has become recognised as one of the most remarkable coral reefs on the planet and is ranked among the top ten dive sites in the world. Because of its isolated location, Tubbataha can only be visited on a liveaboard boat. Divers can experience the reefs’ dramatic underwater terrain, great biodiversity and regularly encounter large marine life such as sharks (hammerheads, whalesharks, grey reefs & white tips, and at times even tiger sharks!), dolphins, turtles and various rays, including mantas. Dates of travel will be WED 29 APRIL – THURS 7 MAY 2020 (8 nights in total: overnight in Manila on 29 April 2020, 6 night liveaboard, 19 dives from Thurs 30 April – Wed 6 May 2020, overnight flight from Manila to Cairns on 6 May 2020). This trip has been specially designed by Diversion Dive Travel/DivePlanit for the Nautilus Scuba Club. For details re: the trip, please read the brochure below developed by Diversion Dive Travel. Contact overseastrips@nautilus-scuba.net for more info and how to join the wait list.
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November Newsletter
Hi Nautili,
Here is our November edition of the Nautilus Newsletter put together by Phil Woodhead.
- Club Meeting Wed 28th Nov – Guest Speaker – Samantha Aird
- WANTED: Pre- 1985 photos – images – data of the Reef – for a University of Queensland Project
- and more… Click the image below to view Newsletter
ENYOY!!
Sign up for our monthly newsletter here
October Newsletter
Hi Nautili,
Here is our October edition of the Nautilus Newsletter put together by Phil Woodhead.
- Club Meeting Wed 31st – Guest Speaker – Phil Woodhead – Anilao Philippines (Overseas Trip May 2019)
- WANTED: Pre- 1985 photos – images – data of the Reef – for a University of Queensland Project
- and more… Click the image below to view Newsletter
ENYOY!!
Sign up for our monthly newsletter here
2019 Photo Comp Rules
The 2019 Nautilus Scuba Club Underwater Photo Competition is fast approaching.
All Club Members are invited to enter, so start sorting or taking pictures & save the date!
This year there is a change in the categories which will allow each member to enter more classes. The full categories and rules are set out below. In summary the changes are:
- Macro, wide angle, portrait and Behaviour will all be open categories
- A new Category “Life on the Reef” will be restricted to photos taken on the Great Barrier Reef.
- Two new “Portfolio” categories have been introduced where members can showcase their skills across the range of categories.
The entries will be collected in by midnight on the 31st of May and sent away for Judging. Results and exhibition of prints will be on Wednesday 26th June at a venue to be decided. More info to be advised
Competition rules and entry form are attached below:
Check out our Merch! NEW Seahorse T-Shirt
We have lots of great club merchandise available at club meetings and by emailing merchandise@nautilus-scuba.net
New special edition Seahorse T-Shirt $25 (in stock & available to order)
Octopus T-Shirt is on Sale for $20 (limited stock)
New 2019 Calendars $10
Check out the rest of our Merchandise here
