John Sumer (left); Jacques Mayol (center); Wally Gibbins (right)
Jacques Mayol predicted that, within a couple of generations, some people would be able to dive to 200m and hold their breath for up to ten minutes. Today the no-limits record stands at 214m (June 2007), and the record for breath holding underwater at 11 minutes and 35 seconds (June 2009).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32CPqclg0xc
(John Sumner – 8 minutes)
Aboard Coralita (1974) Paul Wilmott (left)
TSSS Runic one of Shaw Saville’s refrigerated ships, the world’s largest at the time, ran aground on Middleton Reef near the southern border of The Coral Sea where it becomes the Tasman Sea 19 Feb 1961.
Wally Gibbins at Heron Island in the early 1960′s was the star adventure diver welcomed by management.
(The late) Walter Hamilton Gibbins and John Sumner were partners in a Solomon Islands adventure and shipwreck salvage plan. A suitable vessel was purchased and was being fitted for deep water salvage when Wal, sadly, passed away at his home base of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Wally Gibbins pictured at Sawtell N.S.W. (1990)
The shark fight was at the height of JAWS movie hysteria, involving a White Pointer shark in a cage. Originally offered to Ben Cropp who declined due to ear problems, the job was passed to Wally who was helping Ben discover shipwrecks at the time and appearing in Ben’s documentaries.
The stunt would have paid Wally $1 Million in 1976 had the promoter not had a heart attack. A Tiger shark would have been substituted for a White Pointer shark if one could not be caught.
A captive shark in a cage is a sitting duck. Little truth was known of White Pointer sharks in 1976.
The RSPCA and other groups were vigorously opposing the plan.
REWARD
Each postcard has a description of the shipwreck printed on the reverse side.
Runic text to be inserted here:
Long liner in shallow water near the Runic (1974)
Wally Gibbins (1930 – 2006) was making films with Ben Cropp when they both dropped in on the YONGALA shipwreck, SE of Townsville, Queensland.
The ships’ bell had not been found. Wal had a fair idea where it should be. He’d studied the layout of the ship and swam to where the bell should have been. Nothing there.
Out on the sand was a large clump of barnacles and a part of the ship. It looked as if this had broken away from the structure. Judging by the shape and weight Wal concluded it must be the prized bell.
Getting it to the surface would have been an effort for most people. For Wally, who’d salvaged giant shipwreck props (in 250 feet of water on air) this would have been a walk in the park.
When being cleaned, the delight on the faces of Ben and Wally would have been a memorable sight.
Here was the prize find of the most famous shipwreck (for divers) in our Australian waters.
The above picture is a reconstruction in 1983 under the Coffs Harbour Jetty.
The bell had been removed from Wal’s own former sea shell and shipwrecks museum, especially for this picture. Some 16mm footage was also made – which has remained in archives.
John Sumner (a shipwrecks expert and long term friend of Wally Gibbins) is considering publishing a limited edition postcard using this image, and others featuring shipwreck bells.
All information readers may care to send on the ownership of such shipwreck bells will be forwarded to John Sumner for his research. A worthy cause indeed, even if only partial details can be obtained.
Photographed underwater at Coffs Harbour Jetty, 1985
YONGALA Steamship foundered in gale off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland 1911
YONGALA wreck in 2002
