FNQ/ GBR - good & bad news
 

Missing divers - good procedures make for a good outcome -

http://tinyurl.com/bp3vvf

Forget the snakes and crocs, avoid the the mozzies -

http://tinyurl.com/b95sxv

Levels of fear and threat are not related.
Yes, avoid mosquito bites if at all possible but particularly in built up areas during the day.

Feeling sorry for those suffering extreme weather. North Queensland coastal areas have floods, the southern half of the continent has heat waves and in the northern hemispere severe winters abound. We have had a lot of rain but it is not hot (or cold) and no local flooding on the Atherton Tablelands except the far north around Julatten and Mt Carbine.

And of course some may say a bigger threat than any of the above is the other driver on the Bruce Highway (when it's navigable).

Update - dive company not to blame

http://tinyurl.com/cb9nbs

No-one from FNQ who knows anything about dive operators would have thought Mike Ball's operation would be responsible for a couple of idiots who swam in the opposite direction to where they were told to go. So am glad to see the finding of Queensland Health and Safety. Mike Ball is a long standing dive operator with an impeccable safety record and some of his dive operations go as far north as Papua New Guinea.

Farremog the link pic you posted has nothing to do with a Mike Ball dive boat, his company doesn't go near a pontoon.

And an update to FNQ weather - 440mm is average rainfall for March, here at end of March there's been about 145mm, most of that fell in first week. Perfect weather right now with about a 6km breeze this morning, humidity has dropped and an ideal time to visit reef before the SE's spring up.

Still wonderful weather in north Queensland!

Damn, I wish it would rain.

Perfect weather where I am as well and I wish it would rain ( for about five days straight). And BTW, the abovementioned link which this good news messenger posted was from the national broadcaster.