The first we heard of \\The Julian Rocks\\ was a magazine feature in the Californian SKIN DIVER magazine, in 1962.
In those days we were based in Sydney and when traveling north there was an urgency to get to Tweed Heads ASAP.
Byron Bay was not on the common list of hot spots. The Julian Rocks often missed the blue current that was common further north at \\Nine Mile Reef\\, \\Cook Island\\ and especially \\Flat Rock.\\
Plus an abattoir at Byron was not a pleasant thought, the blue water seemed to pass well offshore often missing \\The Julians.\\
PEOPLE AT BYRON BAY: **Bill Silvester** saw a good potential and was first to establish a dive shop in town. **Bob Beale** and **John Heyer** were the next players, Bob is still in Byron, now with National Parks and Wildlife.
Maurie Vierow (pictured above, in 1981) is today a senior inspector with a state government department responsible for inspecting dive shop filling stations.
On the last dive I had with Maurie, (one of the few times I’ve been diving **without**an underwater camera), what amazing sight occurred did I miss getting on film? **A wobbegong shark eating a live sea snake!**
We now understand why there are not too many sea snakes in southern semi-tropical waters.
The venomous sea snakes get swept south in currents but don’t seem to last long.
Snakes have been noted washed ashore on Bondi Beach in rare examples.
Captain Ron Isbell (centre), Jaws author Peter Benchley (right), Cameraman, Stan Waterman (left) in Australia 1975