A measly two days after the AG awards ceremony Jayne Jenkins, the Vice President and coordinator of the Australasian scholarship arm, whisked me off to Lord Howe Island to meet Tas and Loz of Pro Dive Lord Howe.  The newly married couple run a fantastic dive shop on one of the most incredible islands I’ve ever visited.  Rising up from the sea in epic proportions are the twin mountains of Lord Howe – Mt. Lidgbird and Mt. Gower.  The dramatic landscape of the island is matched – if not exceeded – by its incredibly unique reefscapes.  As the southernmost coral reef in the world, Lord Howe is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  Coldwater corals live side-by-side with bizarre plumes of red and green algae – apparently as neighbors, not competitors.  The colors on Lord Howe’s reefs are more spectacular than any tropical reef I’ve ever been to.  Deep reds, bright greens, fluorescent blues and pinks; it was absolutely extraordinary.

Unfortunately the weather during half of our weeklong stay was pretty shocking, and not at all conducive to diving, so we had the chance to explore the island’s gorgeous topside.  During the four days of nice weather we explored cold, rocky reefs, shallow coral reefs, and sea grass beds; and to our delight we found nudibranchs of every size and description, caves filled with lionfish, morays and lobster, schools of catfish, and everything in between!  I’ve put together a video of the dives that Tas and Loz will be using at DEMA to promote tourism and diving at Lord Howe: