Day 20 (27 June 2000)
Day 20 was another highlight – taking the Flame underwater at the Great Barrier Reef. This was a first for any Olympic Torch Relay. From a photography perspective, it wasn’t practical for me to shoot underwater – so this is the only official shot from the relay that is not mine. I shot from above water as the flame was transferred to the scuba diver Torchbearer (Wendy Craig Duncan). The underwater torch was a one-off design, with a an underwater flare mechanism in place of the usual gas canister burner.
Already set up and waiting was underwater photographer Steve Nutt. I actually never met Steve. But his film was developed and delivered to me back at the hotel a few hours later. I then scanned the images and sent them out to news agencies. There was a tense few hours waiting to receive this film. What if he didn’t get a good shot? We had sold this big moment to the media for months. A world first! Underwater Olympic Flame! Even Steve would not know until the film was processed…. But as you can see from this shot, he nailed it and everyone was suitably impressed.