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.