Holmes Reef - Licensed to thrill...
I won't divulge just how long ago that was but my sister was driving us all crazy with the Bay City Rollers at the time. I then caught a flounder off Middle Brighton Beach and was instantly and hopelessly hooked! From there it became a relentless parental war of attrition as I pleaded, begged and ingratiated myself in an attempt to move further up the food chain with the aid of a 'real' speargun. Christmas morning a year later and I'm terrorising the marine environment with a mini Nemrod Clipper pneumatic. I say terrorising because it had a kick like a mule and the accuracy of a bazooka aimed by a blind man facing backwards on a runaway camel. It did look pretty space-age and impressive though. The kind of thing 'M' might reluctantly hand over to an over-eager James Bond - who'd then pull it unexpectedly out of his sock later in the movie to put paid to one of OddJobs evil plans. Funnily enough, that was exactly how my dad saw it too. Standing in front of the hall mirror, legs slightly apart with the Clipper gripped firmly across his chest, he'd practise his Sean Connery accent for hours. That was until he accidentally blew a hole in mum's kitchen door the size of a dustbin lid and we were both grounded for a week!
A month later I found an Arbalete rubber gun in zero visibility off Mt Eliza and my fate was sealed. The Clipper went into the cupboard in the spare room. Amazingly it's still there, nestled amongst old school photos and my sister's Bay City Roller records; waiting no doubt for its appearance on the ABC's Collectors, where I'm going to discover it's the only one left in existence and accuracy or no, its worth squillions!
  So what's this nostalgic, middle-aged rambling got to do with DiversWorld's Coral Sea Spearfishing Charters you ask? Everything!
You see, since those early days I've speared pretty well all over - from the frigid waters off Victoria's Philip Island; Western Australia's amazing SW tip; Shark Bay; the Kimberly; Torres Strait and most of the Queensland coast.
I've caught tuna in the Maldives; speared coral trout in the remote Banks Group of Vanuatu and been towed behind a runaway mackerel in New Caledonia when my ambitions unfortunately, far exceeded my abilities. I guess you could say I've come a good way since those early broomstick days. Or so I thought, until I joined DiversWorld's fanatical spearo, Quinn on one of his Coral Sea Spearfishing Charters.
 In short? - simply awesome!
Cairn's resident fruit bats had only just begun their evening flypast - looking to pick off any unsuspecting tourist foolish enough to venture out without a high collar and garlic necklace, when I was warmly introduced to my fellow adventurers aboard the cruiser Floreat. To my delight, I quickly discovered that many of us shared similar spearing backgrounds i.e. home-made hand spears and mum's washing up gloves when the water got a little too cold.
 Cake and coffee in hand we were soon steaming out into the darkness and for the next nine hours averaged a good 9 - 10kts as we made our way out to the fabled Holmes Reef.
The Floreat, a 63' steel cruiser with spanking new twin 326hp Cummings has enjoyed a long and distinguished service as a Marine Parks deep-water patrol vessel before undergoing a major overhaul and now available to the rest of us mere mortals.
 She's a solid vessel, with cabins - both doubles and singles enough for ten divers plus crew, as well as huge dining area (that's 'saloon' for the more nautically challenged), large back deck and roof top shaded viewing and barbecue platform. In all, she's a pretty comfy ship.
With a coppered sunrise breaking across the sand cays of Holmes Reef and the wheeling cries of frigate and tern overhead, we dropped anchor in the crystal clear lagoon and soon found ourselves balancing heaped plates of breakfast sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, hashbrowns and fruit prepared by Floreat's gifted chef Beck, who had been labouring away in the galley while we snored obliviously in our bunks below.
 I'll admit, kitting up on the back deck, I was wondering just how the day would progress given  that I had been on club boat dives before which had quickly descended into a mad free for all as everyone competed furiously to be the first in the water and quickly disappeared to every direction of the compass in a mad flurry of floats and fins.
Not with DiversWorld. - Marcus the skipper and Quinn took us through a detailed briefing on the area and conditions, with Quinn matching us up into groups and running us through the safety procedures. No divers in the water without two divers in one of the two large tenders circling; radio communication with the Floreat at all times and all guns treated with the utmost respect were a couple of the key messages we understood very
 clearly.
An hour later we found ourselves slipping into water so clear I felt I was free falling, as I watched the cliff face some 5m below disappear into the inky depths.
 In loose pairs with towed floats and flashers and the tender doing wide circles around us, it wasn't long until  the snorkel muffled cries of 'Doggies!' went up and the first break-away float zipped past me into the blue. Moments later my dive partner, Bjorn drifted up to the surface with a grin a mile wide.
That set the scene for five fantastic days of spearfish heaven as we explored the inner and outer reefs and the vast array of fish in abundance. Coral trout, Tuna, Mackerel, Permit, Jobfish and GT were just a small sample of the fish that filled our freezers although both Marcus and Quinn were immovable when it came to ensuring correct sizes and bag limits were adhered to
With terrific diving, punctuated by fantastic meals, including freshly baked scones, cakes, bread and the obligatory sunset brew and barbecue on the top deck in the balmy air - it all made for an unforgettable trip.
 It was remarked in the car on the way back from the marina that I was grinning like a loon and you know what? I'm pretty sure I still am.
Will I be back for another awesome DiversWorld Coral Sea Charter?...
...Is my mum still looking for her washing up gloves?!!!
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