The greatest show on earth
David Blackmore chases his eighth eclipse in eleven years

Where were you on August 21, 1999? Too long ago to remember? Not for David Blackmore.
That was the date he saw his first solar eclipse – from the walls of Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, England – and he’s chased them around the globe ever since, including to the Cook Islands for Sunday’s lunar-solar fandango.
Blackmore was one of 35 people aboard Tapi Taio’s boat Maungeroa II as it sat 126 kilometres southeast of Rarotonga, as close to Ground Zero as GPS and a steady hand on the rudder could manage.
“It’s all about being right-bang on the centre of the eclipse,” says Blackmore of fixing on specific coordinates gleaned from NASA. “Basically, there’s a shadow – called an umbra – and our mission is always to get on its centre line, in the middle. That’s important, because then we maximise what we’re doing.”
What Blackmore was doing was watching his eighth eclipse in 11 years.
“The eclipse is the most amazing phenomenon on the planet,” he says. “It absolutely takes your breath away. When it goes into totality, it just grabs you. It’s really something to behold – it’s very, very special. We call it the greatest show on earth.”
The total eclipse – as opposed to the less spectacular annular version – is the money shot all eclipse lovers thirst for. Sunday’s show was, apparently, one for the books. As opposed to those viewing the event on Mangaia and Rarotonga, where Mother Nature threw a band of clouds into the mix, those on the Maungeroa II were treated to an unobstructed view.
“We saw it,” enthuses Blackmore. “We saw the whole thing. It was amazing.”
Watching people experience their first eclipse always gives Blackmore an extra thrill, especially when they’re locals. Along with praising the ship’s crewmembers for their seamanship, Blackmore was pleased to see how much they enjoyed witnessing the voyage’s ultimate goal.
“They’d never seen an eclipse before and they were blown away,” says Blackmore.
While most eclipse watchers focus on the sun’s disappearing act, Blackmore explains there is a lot more happening than simply day turning into night.
“When it goes into totality, you have a 360-degree sunrise/sunset,” he says. “The star formations are also in a different format than you’ve seen them before.”
Animals react in strange ways and the temperature drops. And then there is the ‘diamond ring effect’.
“When the sun comes out, the very, very first light rays are bouncing around the moon,” Blackmore says. “The first thread of light is actually going through the topography of the moon. And then – bing! – there it is. It’s like a flash: it’s absolutely phenomenal. It flashes like a diamond ring.
“This time we got one of the best diamond rings I’ve seen. It was really something.”
The next eclipse isn’t due until November 12, 2012 (premium viewpoint: Cape York, Australia), but that doesn’t mean Blackmore will be twiddling his thumbs for the next 28 months.
A fan of all things celestial, he’s now turning his attention to another sunny sideshow.
“We’re coming up to the solar maximum next year,” he says. “It’s an 11-year cycle. Next year there should be a lot of solar activity, what we call CMEs, or Coronal Mass Emissions.”
All that plasma pinging into Earth’s atmosphere will result in the auroras being in full dazzle mode. Blackmore plans to travel to Scandinavia to be amazed by the aurora that graces that part of the globe and is more commonly known as the Northern Lights.
It will be Blackmore’s first foray into that part of Europe and he’s looking forward to the experience.
“I like to travel,” he says. “High adventure – it keeps me vibrant and happy.”

Seeking the experience
David Blackmore tells a story about ducking bullets in a Bolivian park during a coup d’état. He has another tale that features having a gun jammed against his skull by bandits intent on robbing him on the side of a live volcano in Guatemala.
He’s experienced less harrowing adventures as well during the 35 years he has been exploring the world around him.
“I’m a traveller,” says Blackmore, 56. “Been doing it all my life.”
Originally from England, he now spends most of his time in the American town of Bend, Oregon. That’s when he isn’t hanging his hat in the house he owns in the Spanish village of Trevelez.
Talk to Blackmore and it’s obvious he doesn’t spend much time in those abodes, so intent is he on collecting stamps in his passport.
He’s on Rarotonga at the moment. Or maybe not. That’s because he was hoping to hitch a ride to Palmerston today (Wednesday) on one of Tapi Taio’s supply boats.
Blackmore came to the Cook Islands to see the solar eclipse. It’s the eighth time he has viewed such a celestial event, having also viewed eclipses in England, Scotland, Spain, Zambia, Egypt, China and India.
He has lived with tribal people on the banks of the Amazon River, completed a 46-day trek in the Everest region and spent a couple years living in the South Pacific.
He has consulted with Tahitian shamans and Indian gurus.
“I’ve travelled to over a hundred countries,” he says. “I’m not after the money, I’m after the experience.”
At one time – way back in the ’70s – it was all about the money. A software engineer, Blackmore grew tired of dealing with ones and noughts and decided to heed the call of the road.
“I was trying to do a career but I just had to bail out,” he says. “I couldn’t do it. I felt boxed in.”
These days he uses the income from a couple of rental properties to help pay the bills, but his sources of income are as varied as his travels.
“I do all kinds of different work, like project management and construction,” he says. “I write for newspapers; I’ve done photography.”
Basically, Blackmore says, he’s a backpacker, living off the bones of his bum.
“People are like, ‘You live on how much? Nah’,” he says. “It’s all about being creative. I’ve done all kinds of weird stuff. It’s just whatever comes up.”

By John Ireland

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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