Here’s a video Damien put together from some footage and stills taken from the Hideaway Island trip over New Year’s.
St George Underwater – Hideaway Island 2012 from Damien Siviero on Vimeo.
Enjoy!
Shiprock, one of the best (if not the best) dive sites in Sydney, has been closed since the end of August for a major upgrade and facelift. According to Sutherland Shire Council,the work is due to be completed at the end of February, 2012. For more information about the upgrade see the link above.
While waiting for the work to be completed, I thought there might be some value in reminding people who have dived Shiprock what the path looked like before the upgrade and to show those new to Shiprock what we had to put up with. I must say that while the trips down the path and especially the trips up the path were difficult, the dive more than made up for it. Even on a bad day, Shiprock is a great dive.
The old path was steep, slippery and at times dangerous, especially after rain. As Kel recently commented, if you were one of the last to leave the water and had to make your way up the path after 20-40 divers had just trudged up, it could be quite a challenge.
Here’s what the path looked like while heading down. For those that have never dived Shiprock, remember that you’d be wearing full dive gear including weights…
And here’s what the path looked like when you were heading back to the car after a dive. Again, you had full dive gear and you were usually dripping wet making the path quite slippery, even if it hadn’t rained…
Looking at the work they have done so far and the plans they have for the upgrade, diving Shiprock is going to be much easier… I hope this doesn’t mean it will become even more crowded when the tides are right.
You wouldn’t guess it from the air temperature but it truly is Summer here in Sydney and the diving has been outstanding. If you don’t like diving in cold water, you’ll be pleased to know that the water temperature has finally increased with 20 to 22ºC in shallow water and usually above 18ºC in deeper water. I should admit that my first dive of the year it was just above 17ºC at 18 metres off Bare Island, but I think that was an exception.
Pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, at The Leap on 14 January.
Not only is the water warmer, but there is a lot of life around. On dives so far this Summer, we have see Port Jackson sharks, blue groper, many nudibranchs, octopus (including a blue-lined octopus that George saw at Salmon Haul Bay, Cronulla), weedy seadragons and seahorses.
Nudibranch, Tambja verconis, at Bare Island on 2 January.
Visibility for most of the dives has been good, although as usual it depends on the dives, weather and the tides. Last Saturday was a pretty ordinary day, overcast and windy, and yet we had over 15 metres at The Leap (Kurnell). Even the viz at Bare Island has been OK.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, at Bare Island on 2 January.
If you have been hesitant to get out for a dive I recommend you come and join us on one of the club dives. There’s a dive on every Saturday and Sunday, as well as a night dive every second Friday. If you can get Thursday mornings off, we even have a mid-week dive most weeks. The dive schedule is usually posted on our Facebook page, with meeting times and the dive’s location.
Come and get wet and join in the fun.
With 11 members just back from a fantastic dive trip to Borneo and the club trip to Vanuatu next month, now is a good time to consider expanding your diving horizons with a dive trip.
There’s nothing wrong with the diving in Sydney, except perhaps being a little cool at times, and you can get in a few dives in a weekend if you push it. There’s lots to see and most of the dives are easy. A dive trip, however, can take you to an exotic location with completely different diving, experiencing different cultures as well as having a great time with a great bunch of people.
In October in Borneo, 11 of us experienced living in a water village (with no sign of Kevin Costner) far from any land, up to 22 dives in 6 days, warm (around 29ºC) and clear water, turtles, sharks, and thousands of brightly coloured fish and corals. We dived Sipdan Island, Mabul Island and Siamil Island as well as dives around the resort in Kapalai. The accommodation was very comfortable and the food was great. In addition, we stayed at a rainforest retreat; saw orangutans, macaques and proboscis monkeys up close; visited a rainforest at night.
In December, there’s a trip to Hideaway Island, Vanuatu for 7 nights. Vanuatu is less than 4 hours flight from Sydney and the transfer to the resort is less than an hour. You’ll hardly feel like you’ve left the country. Accommodation is comfortable, food is good, the diving is easy and the water warm (27-28ºC) and clear. We should have the island to ourselves to it will also be a bit of a party. In addition, Damien is running a photography workshop. What better place is there to hone your photography skills?
Next year we also have trips to Palau, Tonga and Indonesia. See: Travel
If you are a new diver, a dive trip is a great way to increase your number of dives. On one trip you could easily do 20 dives which would take 4 to 5 months of diving once every weekend. As the water is likely to be warmer you can where a lighter suit (if you need a suit at all) which means less weight and so easier diving. Most of the dives will be from a boat which makes things easier, again.
If you are an underwater photographer, a dive trip will give you not only more opportunities to take photographs but also a greater range of subjects. With more dives in a short space of time you’ll have more chances to get that special image.
There’s also the great social side of things. You aren’t diving the whole time and you get to spend the other time with a great group of people and be entertained by the shenanigans. I have enjoyed the social side of every dive trip I’ve attended.
While a dive trip may not look inexpensive when you first look at it, traveling in a group almost always costs less. This means you can generally do a trip with a few bells and whistles for less than if you did the equivalent trip on your own.
So… what are you waiting for? Why not book a trip today? See the Travel page to see what trips are coming up.
On the October long weekend, 7 divers and 2 partners made a long journey to Wooli on the far north NSW coast for a weekend of diving at North Solitary Island (and North West Rock). Even though we had a long drive (over 8 hours from Sydney) and despite the less than ideal weather, we had a fabulous time.
We stayed above the Wooli Dive Centre in very comfortable accommodation. The place was huge and very clean with multiple rooms. While there were nine of us staying there, we easily had room for at least another 5 people. The best part about the accommodation was that it was right across the road from the wharf so we could gear up there and walk across the road and get onto the boat each morning.
View of the wharf from the balcony of the accommodation.
First thing on Saturday morning we boarded the boat for the 20-30 minute ride out to North West Rock. The water was a bit rough but the boat rode comfortably through swell.
The first dive was at a site called Fish Soup. The boat moored on the western side of North West Rock where we entered the water. We swam through a gap in the island to the eastern side and then swam south amongst some huge boulders. Around and between the boulders were large numbers of large fish including, fusiliers, morwong, sweetlips and blue groper. At the based of many of the boulders were beautiful bright yellow sun corals. A grey nurse shark was seen.
One of the many sun corals at Fish Soup.
After pottering around the boulders for a while we headed back through the gap and back to the boat. Once everyone was back in the boat we headed over to North Solitary Island, around half a kilometre to the south east. We had intended to dive at Anemone Bay on the northern end of the island but the moorings were taken by other boats so we headed to around half way down the western side of the island to a site called Bubble Cave. After we stopped we had a cup of soup each and some banana cake while waiting for a sufficient surface interval.
For the dive at Bubble Cave we descended the mooring line and swum through a number of gutters. The bottom of some of the gutters were carpeted with thousands of anemones and the anemones hosted many anemonefish of two species: barrier reef anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos) and blue-lip anemonefish (A. latezonatus). We eventually headed towards shallower water and towards the bubble cave itself. Colin and I didn’t go all the way to the bubble cave but those that did were rewarded with a lionfish.
Barrier reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos, at Bubble Cave.
Blue-lip anemonefish, Amphiprion latezonatus at Bubble Cave.
After we were all back in the boat we headed back to shore – a 30-35 minute trip. The seas had already started to come up and there was a chance we’d not be able to dive on Sunday. Mick, the boat driver, said that if it was not too rough, we’d be able to do two dives at Anemone Bay. That was our plan as we got off the boat.
After cleaning our gear and ourselves, we had planned to walk up to the bowling club for some lunch. Before we left we were hit by a massive thunderstorm with strong winds, heavy rain and hail. We were lucky we weren’t caught in it. Instead we stayed in for egg and bacon sandwiches kindly cooked up by John. The storm was only short lived and the Sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon.
View from the kitchen of the dining area.
For dinner we had a tasty barbecue cooked on the balcony of our accommodation by John again – he’s a pretty good cook. We had a quiet night of eating, drinking and chatting. We also had a slightly shorter night because Daylight Saving kicked in on Sunday morning and yet we still had to be ready for the dives at 7am.
Sunday morning the weather looked pretty good even though the forecast was for strong southwesterly winds and seas to 3 metres. The Sun was even out for most of the time we were diving. The conditions were such that we’d have a bit of a bumpy ride out but as Anemone Bay was on the northern tip of North Solitary Island, it would be protected from the rough weather. At 7:30am we headed out and arrived at Anemone Bay at around 8:10am and were in the water shortly after 8:20am.
Like the Bubble Cave site, The bottom of Anemone Bay is covered in anemones. We mostly saw the same two species of anemonefish, but also saw a couple of black anemonefish (Amphiprion melanopus). For the first dive we mainly swam around the middle of the bay, heading towards the shallows at the end of the dive. We saw a number of nudibranchs, a couple of wobbegongs and even a turtle. In addition to the anemones, there were a lot of stony and soft corals covering many of the surfaces.
Nudibranch, Chromodoris splendida, at Anemone Bay.
Back at the boat we had a cup of soup and banana cake while waiting for the second dive. For the second dive we headed west down a deep gutter with a vertical wall on one side. Various invertebrates were on the wall including corals, nudibranchs, Christmas tree worms and sea stars. We saw more wobbegongs and also a lionfish.
Christmas tree worm, Spirobranchus giganteus, at Anemone Bay.
Ornate wobbegong, Orectolobus ornatus, at Anemone Bay.
The seas had come up during the dives and the Sun had gone behind the clouds but the trip back was with the swell and not as rough as the trip out. On the way back we were lucky to see a pod of dolphins as well as 2 or 3 whales breaching. Once was so high that even its tail fluke was out of the water.
Back on shore, the weather conditions deteriorated again so the timing of the dives could not have been more fortunate. It pretty much rained for the rest of the afternoon. Lunch was take-away and dinner for most of us was at the Wooli Hotel-Motel. After a quiet evening back at the accommodation we had a good night’s rest and a fairly early start for the trip back to Sydney.
Overall the trip was fantastic. While the weather was far from perfect, the conditions were fine for diving and the diving itself was excellent. Wooli Dive Centre provided a great service with both comfortable dive boat and accommodation. I will make every effort to attend the next trip and encourage others to come as well.
30 September to 3 October 2011
Total cost: $465 for divers and $210 for non-divers
Join us as we head to the North Solitary Islands for some of Australia’s best diving. The trip will fill fast so make sure you get in and book your spot today.
North Solitary Islands
The North Solitary Islands host a mix of tropical and temperate organisms.
Anemone Bay on North Solitary Island is something to be seen. There are thousands of sea anemones in this one bay and the anemones host a number of species of anemone fish. In addition to the anemones, there are various corals, including staghorn corals (Acropora sp.) and many species of tropical fish are seen regularly, including butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish and clown triggerfish. There are also nudibranch, cowries and sea stars. Other sites around North Solitary Island include Elbow Cave, Bubble Cave and The Boulders all with their own charm.
Cost includes:
- 3 nights accommodation (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) in shared cabins. Bring your own linen/sleeping bag and towel.
- 3 breakfasts (Saturday/Sunday/Monday morning)
- Soup, cakes and coffee between dives
- Barbecue on Saturday night
- 2 double boat dives with second tank and air fills (double dive Saturday/double dive Sunday.
Please note:
- Divers need to bring one full tank with them.
- Gear hire is not included. You must provide your own dive equipment. Please ask us for hire rates.
- Dinner on Friday and Sunday night and lunch on Saturday, Sunday and Monday not included.
- Spending money, insurance and travel is up to the individual and not included in the tour price.
We will be staying in Wooli and you will need to make your own way up from Sydney. It’s a 6 to 8 hour drive up the F3 and Pacific Highway. The trip is booked with Wooli Dive Centre.
Get in and book your spot as they are tipped to go quickly.
On the last weekend in July, 6 divers headed to Forster, NSW for a weekend of diving. Our main aim as to see grey nurse sharks but would be happy with some good diving. The trip was organised through the club and we were diving with Action Divers, Tuncurry.
We each drove up to Forster in our own cars with our arrivals spread between 5 and 10pm on Friday night. We stayed in cabins at Lana’s Caravan Park in Forster. The cabins were very good, each with a lounge area, bathroom with shower and two bedrooms with bunks.
Graeme reading while waiting for Tim to arrive.
John reading his Kindle while waiting for Tim to arrive.
On Saturday morning, we met John from Action Divers at his boat in the Forster channel. After stowing our gear we headed off to The Pinnacle, so named because it is a pinnacle of rock that rises from around 50 metres to just above 30 metres. We headed down the anchor line to be greeted by a raging current and visibility of only around 3 metres. Once we got to the bottom of the anchor line at around 35 metres it was very dark and murky making it difficult to see anything. Evy managed to run into a grey nurse shark – or perhaps more accurately – it ran into her. I guess it was having just as much trouble with the viz. as we were. We did manage to see some large bull rays and truncate coralfish.
Truncate coralfish, Chelmonops truncatus. 29.3 m.
The second dive was at Latitude Rock, named after the rock that sticks out of the water with an East-West orientation. The site is a series of gutters and we split up into our buddy pairs and swam up and down the gutters. The visibility here wasn’t much better than The Pinnacle, if at all, and so again we didn’t see much. Some of us saw an eagle ray and others saw some Port Jackson sharks.
We arrived back in Forster just after noon and had the rest of the day to ourselves. After rinsing our gear back at the cabins we spent most of the afternoon vegging out: reading, computing and watching TV. Evy and Trish went to see the local oyster farm only to find out it was closed – I guess not much happens in Forster in Winter.
On Saturday night, John (Action Divers) put on barbecue for us at the caravan park and we whiled away the night chatting about very varied topics.
Graeme, Trish, Evy, Tim and John (Standing) at the barbecue.
Sunday morning we headed back to the boat to stow our gear. This time instead of boarding the boat, we drove to Seal Rocks to board the boat at the beach. This was so we could leave from there rather than having to head all the way back to Forster after the dives.
Getting the boat ready.
The first dive was at Little Seal Rock. Conditions has improved slightly since the previous day and visibility was up to 5 metres. Little Seal Rock was an interesting site with lots to see, including quite a few large wobbegongs. We managed to see one (perhaps two) grey nurse shark but it didn’t hang around for long. After the dive while sitting on the boat, a whale swam very close to the boat and surfaced a number of times.
Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus. 14.4 m.
Graeme during the safety stop. 5.5 m.
The second dive was at Big Seal Rock. This was the site most likely to have grey nurse sharks. While descending the anchor line we came across a large jellyfish in the water. I made the mistake of following it to take photos and drifted from the anchor line. Tim and Graeme followed me and we weren’t able to find the anchor line again. We did manage to find a great drop off with wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks. Unfortunately, we missed the 11 grey nurse sharks that John and Trish saw right near the anchor line. We also surfaced some 100 metres from the boat and had to be picked up.
Jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus. 10.2 m.
Tim. 15.3 m.
John dropped us back at the beach at Seal Rocks and we all headed for home, meeting up at Buladelah for some lunch.
Overall it was an enjoyable trip with great company. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if the visibility had been better but there’s not much we could have done about it. I’d go on the next trip to Forster if I’m available.
Last night a group of keen divers headed to AMF Bowling at Sylvania for a night of excitment and socialising. What they didn’t recognise was Caitlin’s sheer determination to WIN, and while her team won, she was most certainly impressed by the other bowlers, and has since got her eye on some new bowling buddies for the next bowling adventure. We have 20 keen bowlers with us to play two games of fun, relaxed bowling. No one cared if you were good or bad, it was all about relaxing and having a good time! Thanks to AMF Bowling Sylvania for the great snacks (yummy wedges and spring rolls!) and for everyone coming along and having a great time.
During winter, we try and keep everyone social (even if it isnt in the water!) so our social nights are always popular. We’d love to have you along next time! Check out some photographs from the event and if you took any photographs on the night, feel free to send them along and we will add your pictures to the Facebook page!
Out fearless leader, Kel Bradley, showing everyone is (lack of) skills. He was the winner of the night!
Dive Instructor John McKeon show us why he's good at bowling; the kids bowling ramp.
Our weekend recruit, Brea, was on fire with some great bowling
We all went to bowling for fun, but some of us were in it for the competition!
Bowling Balls, in colour categories for the weak, to the strong!
Sue picking her next weapon for attack, the Red, a popular choice.
Kel, Nick, Cheryl and Ian having a chat, lane side at AMF Sylvania
Peter, Anette, Alannah & Melissa in team 1
Are Bowling Shoes as sexy as dive booties?
Instructor John McKeon helps Sue with the bowling ramp.
Cheryl and Lynne having a chat about the game
Dive Master Peter Aitkin surveying the crowd of St George Underwater Centre bowlers
Invitation
Please come along and join us.
Allan Nash and Tommy Soderstrom, both PADI Instructors and owners of El Galleon Dive Resort and Asia Divers in the Philippines, are taking to the dusty track on two-wheelers all around Australia in August – October 2011 to raise money for :
Project AWARE Join the fight against debris www.projectaware.org
Springboard Foundation Save Children’s Lives www.springboard-foundation.org
For donations, visit www. a u s s i e f u n d r a i s e r. o r g to see how you can help!
Where: The Monument at Kurnell
When: 28 August 2011 at 10am with barbecue to follow
Contact: Kel info@stgeorgeunderwater.com.au
Come join Allan and Tommy on their Dive Against Debris and you could win these prizes:
- Free Package – One week stay at El Galleon resort with unlimited diving with Nitrox worth AU$1,000
- Cressi Leonardo Dive computers
- TUSA Mask, snorkel and fins set
- DAN First Aid book set
- WATER PROOF W2 – 5mm wetsuit
