All too often in today’s fast paced microwave society the sweet savor of things that take time is forgotten. This is all too true when it comes to sexual encounters.

When a “quickie” has become the regular routine sex can become boring and mundane. For sex to be truly fulfilling, both partners need to experience ultimate pleasure and satisfaction. Nothing is sure to create an atmosphere where this can take place than a slow, deliberate seduction. A sexual encounter with someone who has been properly seduced is worth more than one hundred encounters with a cold fish.

Even when a couple has been together for a long time, it is important to take the time for a proper seduction as often as possible. Obviously, busy schedules and other factors make a quickie every now and then necessary and even fun, but a sweet, slow seduction every now and then will keep the fire burning and help keep passion alive in a relationship.

A true seduction begins long before the anticipated sex act. It begins with the invitation to the date. Whether this is to be a first encounter or you have been married for 20 years, setting up the mood of the evening begins with the invitation.

This can be done quite effectively with a short note or card. A little cologne spritzed on the card helps to get the pheromones working for you hours before the date begins. The note does not need to be overly romantic or wordy to get the job done. In fact, sometimes brevity can work in your favor. It might be as simple as, “Dinner tonight, Pick you up at 7:00pm, Wear heals”. This will get the imagination rolling and the seduction has begun.

By the time the date begins, a thousand sexy scenarios have already been played out in each partner’s mind and the juices have begun to flow. The traditional flowers and chocolate may seem trite, but consider that there is scientific evidence to back up their value in the art of seduction. Chocolate has the same effect on a woman’s hormones as being in love, which is the right balance for the perfect sexual encounter and flowers make her feel appreciated and loved, which makes her more open to expressing herself sexually.

The next aspect of the seduction is done entirely with words. Your job at this point is to make her feel like she is the most beautiful and wonderful woman on earth. It is absolutely vital that you don’t come across as wanting sex at this point.

You want her to feel like you are happy just to be in her presence. You almost want to come across and not wanting sex so you can make her want it first. Touch, should be used subtly. A gentle brush of your hand across her leg, flirty but not overtly sexual at this point.

Once the date has progressed to being alone where the final act can begin things start to really heat up. Kiss just enough to make her want more and then pull back. Touch just a little and then pull back. When she grabs you and pulls you towards her, you will know she is really ready and then the fun can begin.

The art of seduction will not only provide the ultimate in sexual satisfaction for both you and your partner, it will also create lasting memories that can bond you together forever.

First, few people know the definition of pre-boomers. It is those of us born between 1930 and 1945, from the beginning of the Great Depression through the end of World War II. Second, no one seems to know how many pre-boomers there are. The latest estimate is more than 30 million, which is three times more than the rest of those over 65. And last, what’s unique about the pre-boomers? As a sandwich generation, we are the bridge between the so-called Greatest Generation to the Baby Boomers.

We do not remember the pain of the depression, but most of us have vivid memories of WWII and the years immediately following it. For the most part, we were too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam. We did not march in the streets for civil rights, women’s rights or to protest any wars. What we did was grow up believing America was the greatest land on earth and believed in the opportunities it offered those of us who worked hard to get ahead. So we were the driving force behind what ultimately became the longest period of peace time prosperity in the nation’s history. Oh, and don’t forget, we invented rock and rock too.

Our elders (parents, teachers and the community) taught us to be patriots, believe in one another, and believe in ourselves. We still cherish these lessons and practice them to the best of our abilities. It was the pre-boomer who taught the boomers, but some place along the line they didn’t latch on to the American values the way we did. The “me generation” became the symbol of status and the generation of “more.” This pleased the marketers of goods and services, and as the boomers came of age there was a huge group of consumers’ eager to buy what others were selling. I know, because I was one of the admen who targeted the baby boomers and later wrote a book about marketing to them, “The 50+ Boomer: Your Key to 76 Million Consumers.”

After retiring a few years back, I continued to research and write about marketing issues. In so doing, I realized how people under-valued my generation. Marketers, advertisers, the media, you name it; they simply forgot about the pre-boomers. A quick search of Web sites or online articles shows few are directed at my peers. Yes, there are people writing to “seniors” about investments, real estate, retirement planning, and insurance; but there’s not much in the way of current events or nostalgic interests specifically for pre-boomers. In fact, most people use pre-boomer and boomer as interchangeable terms — not all but enough to indicate they don’t have an understanding of the audience they’re trying to reach.

So I decided to start a blog to reach out to my generation with thoughts, comments and opinions. My hope is to spark thinking, foster discussion and stimulate debate on a variety of topics including the nostalgia of our times. Pre-bommermusings.com has been live for a few months. The reception has been heartwarming, but I’m looking to get more of us involved with more dialogue on more issues.

Myths are best served exploded, otherwise they can overinflate and thus hide the substance of any dish. And if that dish be the national consciousness or identity of a nation, then such over-egging must be avoided, lest it become the overelaborated norm.

In recent times the Tudors have become entertainment currency, and not only in British media. From television series to historical novels to feature films, we have seen a plethora of offerings, mainly stories of Henry VIII and Elizabeth, it has to be said. These often degenerate into costume dramas or whodunits of political intrigue, where accuracy is smoothed out of the history to create the kind of simplistic cliché of plot that mass markets are deemed to demand. “Based on a true story”, that overworked and internally contradictory byline, is now so overworked that it would be better omitted. “Fabricated around historical names” would be better. And though there is nothing wrong with fiction, since it often allows interpretations that challenge received wisdom, there are real difficulties when that fiction is transferred into myth whose acceptance becomes so widespread that it may not be challenged. It could be argued that connotations associated with terms such as Good Queen Bess, Golden Age or even simply Elizabethan are in danger of relying more on fiction than fact. Or perhaps these are nostalgic labels for contemporary ideal states that are thought to be lacking in our own times.

And so what an absolute delight it is to come upon a book such as Elizabeth – The Forgotten Years by John Guy. This is a book that really is based on true stories, since this academic historian of Clare College, Cambridge references and describes any sources that the reader may need to back up any point. Timescales are not stretched, statement is supported by facts and mystery is only allowed to obscure fact when evidence does not exist.

The forgotten years of John Guy’s title refer to the latter part of Elizabeth’s reign. The earlier years that preceded the Armada in 1588, with their multiple plots, proposals, matchmakings and conspiracies are the ones that form the backdrop for most of the fictions. These later years were characterized by war, economic difficulties and political intrigue. They were perhaps dominated by considerations of succession, since Elizabeth, of course, had no heir. It is worth noting here, however, that John Guy, by virtue of a discursive style that deals with issues rather than a mixture of events arranged chronologically, does offer as context much background material relating to the years before 1588. This picture that is purportedly a selective encounter with the later years of Elizabeth’s reign thus contains much rounded and detailed description of her entire reign.

John Guy states several assumptions that must guide our understanding of the period. In the sixteenth century, he says, status did not trump gender. Elizabeth was a woman, and that meant that many of the males at court had little or no respect for her apart from their recognition of her birthright. And, because her mother was Anne Boleyn, whom her father married after his denied divorce, even that was questioned by many, especially those of the old faith, who would also have wanted to do more than merely undermine this Protestant queen. The author, incidentally, is not implying that gender issues are or were different in other centuries. As a professional historian, he is simply defining the scope of relevance that is to be ascribed to his comment. Secondly, because Elizabeth was a single woman, the issue of succession had to dominate her reign. In the earlier years this meant various scrambles to find her a husband in the hope that a male heir might materialize. But later on, in the period that John Guy’s book covers, Elizabeth was too old to bear children anyway. Discussion on succession, therefore, shifted from matchmaking into more strategic and political territory.

In Elizabeth – The Forgotten Years, the queen is portrayed as a fundamentally medieval monarch. She saw herself as descended from God, the assured kin of all others who shared this enthroned proximity to the Almighty. Hence, she could not bring herself to sign the death warrant for Mary Queen of Scots, believing that a decision to kill a royal by anyone would legitimize the practice, and who then might be next to get it in the neck? And since this by definition was a direct attack on God, it also carried damnation as a consequence. Hence Elizabeth’s duplicity in letting it be known she wanted Mary disposed of whilst at the same time denying any responsibility for the act, thus requiring the person who enacted her wishes to be hauled up for treason. These medieval royals were above reason, it seems, as well as above the law. And messengers, it seems, have always been fair game.

This unwillingness to sign a death warrant was not a weakness that affected Elizabeth very often. It seems that the mere whiff of a plot or conspiracy quickly resulted in all smells being masked by the odor of fresh ink forming her signature on an invitation to the Tower. John Guy’s book regularly takes us to the gallows with these condemned people – usually men, of course – and offers detail of their fate. A particularly memorable sentence, specifically suggested by the queen, had one condemned man hanged for just one swing of the rope, so he could then be cut down and, still alive and still conscious, witness his own guts and beating heart being placed on the ground beside him. In an age that still believed in the resurrection of the mortal body, these treasonous felons had to be dismembered and their parts separated to ensure they would never have their souls saved. It may have been God’s will, but it certainly was that of His reigning representative on earth.

This Good Queen Bess, incidentally, was in the habit of handing down similar fates quite regularly. She also refused to pay salaries to soldiers and sailors who fought for her, dressed herself in finery while her war wounded received no assistance or pension and were forced to sleep rough. She turned two blind eyes to disease and epidemic that ravaged her forces and population. Elizabeth the patriotic hero also and perhaps duplicitously sued for peace with Spain, offering Philip II near surrender terms if she and he could agree to carve up the economic interests between them.

She handed out monopolies to her courtiers and lobbyists in exchange for a cut of the earnings. A real strength of John Guy’s book is the insistence on translating Elizabethan era values into present day terms. The resulting multiplication by a thousand brings into sharp focus the extent to which national finances were carved up by elites. While parsimonious when others were due to receive, Elizabeth for herself demanded only the finest and most expensive treatment. It was, after all, her Right.

Elizabeth also countenanced an English economy that raised theft on the high seas to a strategic goal. And her courtiers treated the expeditions as capitalist enterprises, with ministers and the like taking shares in the ventures in exchange for a share of the swag. And much of this would be stolen before it was declared or as it was being landed by handlers or mere thieves who clearly learned their morals and behavior from the so-called betters. The market was free, apparently, but those who operated it at risk of incarceration.

Thus, Elizabeth – The Forgotten Years will be a complete eye-opener for anyone who has absorbed popular culture’s portrayal of this age. John Guy’s book identifies the very human traits displayed by this Godly queen and posits them absurdly alongside the attitude of her contemporaries that she was a mere worthless woman.

There are not many figures in John Guy’s wonderful book who come out unscathed, either in reputation or body. Neither does he set out to destroy anyone’s reputation. As a historian, he presents evidence, assesses it and then offers an informed and balanced opinion. This, however, is healthy, for in the current climate populism is too often allowed to merge its own version of history into its message. It does so to achieve some control of a contemporary agenda via the creation of myth, and Tudor melodramas are not exceptions to this rule. Elizabeth – The Forgotten Years demands we remember our real past accurately in all its folly, and in so doing explode many dangerous myths.

It can be quite disheartening to lose something important and not be able to recall where you put it or, even worse, lose memories of certain events. Many are aware of the great benefits hypnotherapy provides for personal growth, but did you also know that it can help you find your lost items? Memory Retrieval Hypnosis has been used by many to retrieve lost items and more.

How can hypnosis help you remember? The answer lies in the way memories work. While memory is a highly complex system that is not yet fully understood, it is known that it involves a two-step process – storage and retrieval. Imagine for a second that a specific memory was recorded on a piece of paper and you filed that paper in a folder appropriately labeled inside of a file cabinet alphabetically. In this case, you can easily retrieve that folder containing the memory. Now, say you have another memory that was recorded on a paper inside of a folder while a lot of chaos was going on and you rushed to get it put away quickly. What do you think happens when you go to find that folder? Well, due to the chaotic events, it could be that you aren’t able to find it very easily. You could’ve put it in the wrong place or even incorrectly labeled the folder.

Our memories are a lot like this. Often times when an event occurs that is traumatic, whether we were betrayed or hurt in any kind of way, or perhaps even threatened, that memory is stored in the deeper parts of our psyche. This is actually a form of protection, although it can become a hindrance. The memories aren’t truly lost, you just do not currently have the ability to retrieve them. Memory Retrieval Hypnotherapy can assist you in unlocking the doors those memories are hidden behind.

When you lose something and have tried everything you can to find it, backtracking and retracing events, but you still cannot remember where you put it, Memory Retrieval Hypnotherapy can help you. The specially trained hypnotherapist will help you to carefully recall the events, which will trigger further memories, leading to your answers. Since, when you are in the hypnotic state, your focus is enhanced and distractions are eliminated, you are better able to recall details that you couldn’t during your normal waking state.

While many are using Memory Retrieval Hypnosis to find lost things, you can also use it to recover hidden memories. Are there certain topics or words that really push your buttons for no apparent reason? Well, it could be due to a life event that occurred, but you do not remember. Since the event was traumatic for you, the memory was put far away, deep into your psyche, so you could carry on with life. The only problem is it remains in your subconscious and still has an effect on you. Memory Retrieval Hypnosis can help you recall the events and connect the dots, so that you can heal from it and be free from the negative effects of it. Professional hypnotherapists not only help you to remember, but also to heal, so that you can move forward in life.

Whether you wish to recover old memories or find lost valuables, Memory Retrieval Hypnotherapy can help you. Using the power of hypnosis, you can unlock doors to hidden memories, allowing you to find answers that you may not have otherwise been able to realize. The memories do not have to be serious or bizarre, they could be quite mundane and simple, yet still you do not remember and they create obstacles. You do not have to get stuck at these roadblocks; Memory Retrieval Hypnosis is an effective tool to help you break down those barriers and move onward to make great strides and progress in life. Have you lost something important or are there obstacles hindering progress in your life? You should try Memory Retrieval Hypnosis. Thousands are using this non-invasive treatment modality every day to help them recover misplaced valuables, find answers to any irrational fears and phobias, and more. You don’t have to fight the battle alone, when you have a great professional hypnotherapist in your corner.

I am frequently contacted by new organizations trying to secure grants. When I say “new” I mean brand new with zero budgets. Perhaps you are one of them? You have a great cause, a 501(c)(3) status, and no money to move forward. Many new projects believe grants are the best way to get off the ground, and there are many novice grant writers who would like to convince you of this. In my opinion, this is not the best strategy.

More times than not, a funder does not want to be the first investment. A new nonprofit needs to show they have some money, and they have been putting it to good use. For many this may seem like an impossible task, but it’s not. This is basic fundraising. Here are five easy suggestions:

1. Garage Sale: You probably had one as a kid. This is a great way to announce to the community the formation of your new organization. Explain all proceeds go back to the cause. If you and your board members contribute, there’s a good chance you will reach your first $500 goal easily.

2. House party: Pull on your relationships for the first funding. Announce a spaghetti dinner at your home and explain how the $10 a plate is supporting the mission of your new nonprofit. If you have a relationship with a church you may even host the event there and have the added support of the congregation after Sunday services.

3. EBay: Yes, a new nonprofit can grow quickly using technology and this is just a tip. Technology resources are so plentiful I will leave the topic to its own dedicated article. Until then, eBay is a basic step for even the novice. Explain in your selling the funds are being used to support a new nonprofit.

4. Recycle: Recycle newspapers and cans and take them to the local recycle center. You and your board members may even request family and friends to recycle. Explain you are more than happy to pick the materials up from their home on a schedule and that all proceeds are going to a good cause.

5. Board Members: We advise new nonprofits to have at least six on their board prior to pursuing grant funding. Funders perceive boards as being a built-in system of checks and balances to manage the money they invest in the nonprofit. Six is a good number. If each of your six, as they come on to the board, donate $50, you have your first $300. If each of the six commits to $25 for the next four months, your grand total within four months is $600.

Combine these efforts, and your nonprofit may well have its initial $5,000 to $10,000 within the first four to five months of its existence. Organizations with budgets this small are good candidates for the next step: small grants from local foundations.

Have you ever tried to stop thinking? You know that this is impossible and there is a reason for that. There is a power flowing to and through you and it never stops. You can call the power whatever you like.

For some it is energy for some it is spirit but that is not important. The important thing here is to be aware of the fact that this power is passing through your mind and it is without any form. It is the mind that forms the power to whatever the mind pictures.

Now what does this mean and how to understand this forgotten law?

This means there is an infinite supply of substance which is flowing to and through you. And you have the power and freedom to shape this power to whatever you want.

But it also means that you and only you are responsible for your results. If you look back and you don’t like what you see then you know you will have to change the cause of everything and that is your thinking.

We call the law of thinking the forgotten law but this is only because most people are not aware of the power over any situation in their life. And that is because they have the ability, power and freedom to think what they want to think and in so doing control their life.

It may not be so easy to control your thinking and therefore control your life but you can be sure of one thing. And that is that you do have the power to do that otherwise you wouldn’t have that option.

So if you are questioning you ability to change your life by changing your thinking don’t be. Because everybody has that ability and power. If you need more help than the other person which is possible then you will attract it. You will get that help that book that person that recording.

To learn more about the forgotten law, the law of thinking and how to control your thinking get your FREE pass to Tele- seminar interview with Bob Proctor by clicking the link.

Ryan M. Oliver’s debut fantasy novel Soldiers of Fire is the first in a proposed five-volume series titled Beasts of Men and Gods. Lovers of J. R. R. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, and other classic fantasy authors will love the world-building, adventure, and humor reflected in every page of this incredible epic.

The story opens when an elderly man named Nestor has a terrible dream of war coming to Ruxar, a continent made up of five kingdoms which have lived in peace for as long as anyone can remember. Nestor soon meets the warrior, Aedan, whom he foresaw in his dream, and manages to convince him that war is coming to the town of Brédon where they are both strangers. Sure enough, the neighboring kingdom of Hydraria attacks the town, to everyone’s astonishment. In creating a resistance, Nestor and Aedan soon establish themselves as leaders in fighting the enemy, and along with another warrior, Aloysius, they become known as the “Soldiers of Fire.”

From there, Oliver goes on to tell an enthralling story of secrets and revelations. At first, no one can believe that war has come to Ruxar. Characters travel to Brédon themselves to witness what has happened to the town. Nestor, Aedan, and Aloysius commit themselves to spreading the word to the other kingdoms about the Hydrarians’ hostilities, but they find it difficult to convince anyone of the dangers.

Oliver deftly handles multiple subplots that arise as the Soldiers of Fire go their separate ways to warn Ruxar’s people of the danger. Intermixed with their stories are scenes that gradually reveal the nefarious plans of Ulysses, King of Hydraria, and the motivations that drive him-motivations that are religious at their source-and shocking to the other characters as they are gradually revealed.

Add to this mix of chaos and war a series of incredible mythical beasts who are everyday reality in Ruxar and you are in for an exhilarating adventure. Each kingdom in Ruxar is linked to one of these powerful beasts-the manticore, the hydra, the cerberus, the gargoyle, and the dragon. The people of those lands-some more than others-have taken on many of the characteristics of these beasts. Gargoyles have prophetic visions, and hence, Nestor of Gargolia can see visions. Aedan is of Dragonia, and slowly, he realizes dragon-like qualities are awakening in him. These animal traits are little more than hinted at for some of the characters, but their inherent tendencies will likely be evolved in future books.

Finally, throw in an evil warrior princess who likes to be known as “Blade Maiden” and you have plenty to love, including characters you love to hate.

The conclusion had me on the edge of my seat as it hinted at the great revelations yet to come in the series. Fortunately, at the end, Oliver provides a sneak peek into the first chapter of Book 2: Forgotten Fathers to whet our appetites.

Soldiers of Fire is the start of what looks to be an incredibly entertaining journey through a fantasy world like none created before. If you love Game of Thrones, Greek mythology, or just an escape from the real world, you’ll love this new series.

No one is immune from the sad experience of grieving the death of a loved one. Yet, until death comes into our lives and a significant person is no longer with us, our culture teaches us to deny death and minimize the impact it has on the quality of life. Then if we are lucky, we get a crash course in mourning from a counselor, clergy person, or social worker.

No matter what we learn at that time, we have long been saddled with the burdens of half-truths and false beliefs perpetuated by well-meaning adults. Those assumptions and beliefs make it difficult to reach the ultimate goal of all grieving: accepting the reality of the loss. Acceptance means saying an intellectual, but more importantly, an emotional “yes” to this major change in our lives.

Acceptance only comes through the concerted efforts of the person who is mourning. Contrary to an old piece of misinformation, time does not heal all wounds, unless the mourner does his/her grief work. Or, as a mother once said to me after the death of her 17 year old son in a car accident, “Time doesn’t help unless you work between the minutes.”

The key understanding is that you must take daily action toward acceptance and reinvesting in life. All of this is easy to say but difficult to do. So what form should the action take? Here are five beginnings.

1. Talk to yourself every day and night that you will get through this dark soul-searching experience. What you say to yourself not only affects every cell in your body for good or for bad, but it will heavily affect the much needed action that only you can initiate.

2. Although essential, positive self-talk alone is not a panacea. You must start engineering small successes in order to realize you can adapt to this major life-change. This is the key factor. Make a plan to get you through this particular day (even the next hour) or one that you believe will be difficult for you. Maybe working part-time would be a success for you or getting through your tax return by yourself for the first time. Find something and go for it as it will strengthen your inner life.

3. Recognize how far you have come. When you review your day, give yourself credit for where you are in your journey. If it has only been a month or several months, note that you are still going and will continue to persist. Every day tell yourself you will keep at it and know that things will change for the better. Your consistent action to adapt will make the difference. Celebrate your progress with a friend you trust and who knows your pain.

4. Examine why you are where you are in your grief work. What skills have you used? Or what hidden talent have you uncovered that you didn’t realize you had? Something has gotten you this far. Your ability to organize? Your commitment? A belief? Your faith? Knowing you are not alone or how to relate to caregivers? Keep using whatever it is and working on developing it even more. In short, recognize and use your strengths.

5. Start and end each day with gratitude memories. This will be especially useful when you feel that downward spiral and anxiety over your loss starts to creep in. Review your day for the good things that happened-an old friend called, you found the key you misplaced, got a raise in pay, your computer is working well, etc.-and fully immerse yourself in the good feelings. This is sound mental health in the making. Also, review your life with the deceased, and pick out some gratitude memories. Focus on all you received and again immerse yourself in the feeling of being loved by him/her and a Higher Power.

In the final analysis, your action resulting in small successes, will be the determining factor in eliminating unnecessary suffering from your time of mourning. In the process of adapting, get rid of the notion that you can’t have some moments of joy and inner peace. We all need them to balance the sadness and negative thoughts that constantly seep into our thinking. It’s okay to smile, feel good, or have a laugh without feeling guilty-that’s part of the action you can take and another small success. It will recharge you as you return to continue adapting to your great loss.

It is said that you never forget your first love. Underwater, as in life this seems to ring true. Shipwrecks were my first love and I have not forgotten them. As soon as I laid my eyes on a shipwreck I was fascinated. My very first dive on a wreck was on the scuttled J4 submarine, located in Victorian waters. The experience left me gushing.

‘This was absolutely the greatest! I so want to do more wrecks. We penetrated into the wreck and weaved out way through about half of it. It was so peaceful in there, the light beaming in through the cracks and the holes. The sub was awesome with lots of fish swimming around it, especially around the conning tower. The whole thing is covered in gorgeous growth and coral and whips, so colorful. The wreck is almost all together, except for a little bit that has broken off. It’s long and tall and incredibly beautiful sitting there at depth. It was so very, very cool. I can’t say enough about it really.’

So what is it about these derelict bits of metal and wood that gets the hurt pumping and means love at first sight? Why dive shipwrecks?

Clearly my favorite part of the experience was penetrating into the wreck itself, guess I was a cave diver in the making… but my fascination didn’t end there. I was impressed with the sheer size of the sub, the colors, the marine life and the history of the site. Diving shipwrecks has a lot to offer and it seems like there is something for everybody.

The J Class Submarines are amongst over 45 vessels that were deliberately scuttled off the coast of Victoria between 1910 and 1971. Dumping obsolete vessels at sea was common practice and was widely recognized as a legitimate way to dispose of worthless ships. The Government set up a designated area for scuttling wrecks in order to contain the practice and this area is now known as Victoria’s Ships Graveyard. The Ships Graveyard is the resting place for ships of all shapes and sizes, from dredges to tugboats, from steamships to paddle steamers. Today this area is a magnet for divers who are keen to sink their teeth into a bit of rust and enjoy some superb wreck diving.

The scuttled wrecks often form an artificial reef that creates a habitat for countless marine life. The sponges, hydroids and zoanthids that cover many of the wrecks, coupled with large amounts of animals on site make for a breathtaking dive. Thus even if the wrecks themselves aren’t an attractive proposition, the creatures that call them home will keep you coming back.

Having said that, I think the wrecks themselves excite most of us. There are interesting bits of ship structure and machinery to examine, not to mention the occasional artifact. Although I must admit that water is responsible for a funny and rather curious phenomenon. A boiler on land in just a boiler, yet a boiler underwater becomes terribly interesting and warrants closer examination by anyone with a scuba tank. Still, for those that know what they are looking at and enjoy the remains, the machinery and the artifacts that can be found on wrecks, getting to inspect these up close can be a thrilling experience.

Not all ships lying on the bottom of the ocean were scuttled; most vessels were lost in catastrophic circumstances. Over 800 ships are known to have foundered in Victorian waters since 1835 and most of these met a sudden and violent end and have never been relocated. Australia is an island and as such it has a rich maritime history; most of the transportation of goods and persons for over a hundred and fifty years was done by boat. All kinds of vessels can be found in Australian waters as a result, from wooden sailing ships to iron and steel steamers. It is the history associated with these vessels and the stories of the people that traveled on them that is the most enthralling. These stories are often filled with tragedy, suffering, loss of life and all possessions and for the lucky few, survival against all odds. Knowing the stories brings us closer to the people and the event and this adds another dimension to the diving.

It wasn’t long before I started diving on anything that vaguely resembled a shipwreck. It is rare to see a real shipwreck totally intact underwater, at least in Victoria. Disintegration is a fast process and the remains of the wrecks are mercilessly pounded by waves and the elements, especially if they are close to shore. Sometimes little more remains than partially buried, scattered pieces of wreckage that are overgrown by kelp. Yet I love diving even these wrecks, as it is a chance to get close to history and see the remnants of what were once beautiful and imposing ships.

Take Empress of the Sea as an example, it was a magnificent wooden clipper, a ship of 2200 tons that plied the seas all over the world. The ship caught on fire, in what was believed to be a deliberate act of arson and eventually sank just off Point Nepean. Why would anyone purposely light a ship on fire? Well, in 1861 gold rush fever was in full swing and the ship was on its way back to Britain carrying valuable cargo including £80,000 of gold. While there was insufficient evidence for a conviction the quartermaster was the chief suspect and there are reports of the lifeboat with crew and gold on board trying to row off into the sunset and escape with the loot! This didn’t happen and luckily no one was hurt during the whole debacle.

I still remember the sense of excitement whilst first diving on Empress of the Sea, despite the fact that so little of it remains. Well, for a ship that was ravaged by fire before it sunk quite a lot of it remains I suppose. There is clear evidence of the fire and you can see some of the wood is discolored and charcoal like. There are large timbers, chains and anchors and large iron tanks on site, as well as a mound of bluestone ballast. Admittedly, much of it is difficult to interpret and tell apart from the surrounding reef. The straight edges and right angles give it away though, despite the whole area being rather overgrown with kelp. Still, I was right there, at the very place it sunk. I got to see the remains with my own eyes… and imagine what the ship would have looked like as it sailed the high seas and eventually sunk beneath the waves at this very spot.