South West Rocks: Day Four

Sunday 15^th April 2012

After being woken by the pitter patter of rain in the night we were surprised that the sun was around when we woke. Following the now familiar morning routine we were soon on our way to Fish Rock. With much flatter seas the journey seemed to fly by and before we knew it we were in the water and off for our first dive of the day.

Dive One

With our trusty DM Mike we headed towards the shallow end of the cave and looked around whilst we waited for another group to head in before us. It was at this point that Jen made an awesome discovery, a Cone Shell laying eggs – WOW!

Cone Shell laying eggs

With eyes still on the look out Jen also found a little Hermit Crab – check out those eyes!

Hermit Crab

With all this going on we had to be reminded that we were about to head into the cave and in we went. Looking back the view through some coral was stunning.

Shallow entrance

Heading down the tunnel and making our way out of the deep end of the cave for the last time we all stopped to savour the view.

Deep entrance

Out of the cave we came face to face with more graceful GNS swimming around looking very chilled. Whilst the girls took some amazing photos I hunted for teeth and actually found one! YAY!

All too soon it was time to head up and have some yummy soup and biscuits, oh yes and the obligatory mid morning Bat Fish feeding.

Total dive time 1:04min with a max depth of 25.7m and water temp of 23c

Dive Two

This moment seems to have come all too soon, our last dive at South West Rocks and we knew we’d enjoy it even more. The plan was to head to Fish and Chips and look at the GNS and the fish that hang around out the back area before heading along the wall. 

Again there were lots of GNS, a school of large Kingfish chasing a school of Yellowtail, and a school of Drummer fish.

We also saw a suspicious looking Puffer fish (possibly one of those Puffers crossed between a Toad and a Shark!!) 

Puffer Fish

 Bec had a good look around and found a cute little happy Blenny.

My Happy Blenny

During this I was being attacked (for the second time that day) by a Damsel fish who decided I was not allowed to hang out by his rock and thought that pulling my hair would make me leave! At the same time a daydreaming GNS almost swam into Bec as she was concentrating on something else! As it became startled, it made a loud crack with it’s tail as it changed direction – which in turn startled Bec!

After all this excitement we started to head back towards the boat and saw three large Wobbegongs chilling on a ledge, one had its tail hanging over the edge so the perfect time for me to see what a Wobbe feels like to touch. I wouldn’t advise this at all but will report it felt smooth and almost soft, I would liken it to snakes skin and yes I still have all my fingers!

Wobbes are friends not food! 

Not to be outdone by all this action or maybe to bid us farewell a HUGE Turtle did a swim past and with a little maneuvering Bec managed to get this AWESOME picture.

As a final note as we were starting to ascend I counted the GNS below us, I did a double count and counted 19 both times, WOW we really were extremely lucky Divas!

Total dive time 41min with a max depth of 25m and water temp of 23c

This has been an awesome diving holiday to remember and many thanks go to the boys at South West Rocks Dive Centre who looked after us so very well. The accommodation is great and if you get conditions half as good as we did you’ll have a GREAT time.

See you blowing bubbles soon!

Dive Divas Australia J

Pictures by: Bec and Jen

Words by: Em 

South West Rocks: Day three

Day three: Saturday 14^th April 2012

After a little confusion regarding boat time (7am not 8am as yesterday!) we had some breakfast and then headed downstairs to get our gear ready and head out.

THE Divas! (L-R Jen, Em & Bec)

The seas had dropped since yesterday so the journey out was much quicker and as we were on the dryer boat (and the dry side) we didn’t get wet at all! It felt like a matter of minutes till we were moored up alongside Fish Rock.

DIVE ONE

Grey Nurse Shark and his little friends

We were going to dive with two gentlemen and our DM would again be Mike. We were the first in and again the visibility was awesome – YAY!! We descended and headed for the Blind Gutter again, just before we dropped into the gutter I counted 14 GNS in the gutter!! Bec and Jen soon got into position to take pictures whilst I just gazed at these amazing creatures. I was very lucky to have one swim 1.5m round me and I must admit to holding my breath in awe!

We also noticed that there was Black Coral around this area, something which I haven’t seen before and it was nice to see it growing so well here.

GNS and Black Coral (yes its white!)

There wasn’t just GNS around the gutters either, not to be outdone there was a large (2m) Wobbegong lazying on a ledge and didn’t seem to be bothered by Bec taking a portrait of him!

A super close up (no zoom used!) - Bec was not harmed in the taking of this!

After heading back across to a shallower ledge we had a mooch around checking out the other fishes and Dive Diva Smurf  (DDS) made lots of new friends!  As DDS has had an array of adventures she will have her own blog – coming soon!

Total dive time 56 min, 28.9m max depth and 23c.

DIVE TWO

Diving with the same guys and DM as before but this time we would be heading into the cave again. There was a strong current getting to the caves deep entrance but we made it through and with the Divas at the back we made our way in.

Again seeing huge camera shy lobsters and wobbegongs we made our way slowly through the cave, stopping to gaze up at the Black Cod; all very camera shy today!

Star War Fish Rock style!

As we made our way towards the exit looking back I turned forwards to see a HUGE Turtle  (1.5m long) swimming towards us in the cave, it headed straight to Bec who was obviously in his way and got shoved out the way by this beautiful Turtle. No time for the bubble cave today as we’d been taking lots of pictures there was a group fast approaching so we headed out into the light.

A HUGE Turtle in the cave

We made our way towards the little drop off and got hit by a huge current, fighting against it to get round the corner we soon turned and drifted with the current back towards the boat. Along the way we saw another turtle (a smaller one) on his way up for a breath of air.

Turbo turtle power!

Then back to the boat for our safety stop and some more bat fish feeding – I love these strange looking guys.

Bat fish having their lunch - Thanks Jen :)

Total dive time 55 min, 24m max depth and again a lovely 23c.

Another AWESOME days diving and we certainly had HUGE smiles on our faces. The only sad point is that we only have one more day left – it’s flying by!

Once back at the shop; gear clean and showered, and as it was still only 1pm headed to a local café for a yummy lunch and coffee. Back to the dive shop where we set up our gear for the next day and then sat down (with a glass of vino of course!) to go through the photos and re-live the dive to fill you all in!

After another 'interesting' meal last night we’ve decided to try the pub tonight and have some traditional pub grub! Nom nom

Those silly Divas! ;D

We are so very lucky with the amazing dives this weekend and are being looked after so well, the accommodation at the dive shop is excellent with plenty of room and lovely hot showers at the end of the day. What more could three lucky Divas need?!

Diving Divas Australia J

Pictures by: Rebecca and Jennifer

Words by: Emma 

South West Rocks Day One & Two

 Day One: Thursday 12^th  February 2012

It's a good job the Diva Mobile is HUGE!!

 So after meeting up at Diva HQ, Sydney at 9am we packed up the Diva mobile (Becs Rav4) and headed north! We stopped off at Hexham for a coffee break and then for lunch at Taree. With Becs quick driving we made it to South West Rocks Dive Centre by about 3:30pm.

We weren’t shabby in getting sorted out and waivers were signed and our gear was set up by 4pm. It took slightly longer to unpack the car but we were soon settled.

Whilst Jen and Bec sorted their cameras out I had a glass of wine and nibbled on our snacks ;)

We then wandered up to the town and had an ‘interesting’ dinner at Geppys – we wouldn’t recommend it!!  Then three excited Divas went to bed!

Day Two: Friday 13^th February

We woke with fingers crossed that the conditions were going to match the rumours we had heard. The trip out to Fish Rock Cave wasn’t too bumby – but a ‘little’ wet for some, but the water felt warm so we didn’t mind.

Happy Divas! 

 

We moored up and could see that the water was very blue and clear with some Bat fish welcoming us.

Bec was the first Diva to jump in and you could hear her squeals of delight at the vis, quickly followed by Jen and myself – surprised we didn’t scare the marine life away!!

Dive One

We descended down the line to about 13m then headed towards the Blind Gutter, we popped our heads over the top and the sight of so many Grey Nurse Sharks swimming below us surrounded by a huge school of Bullseyes was breathtaking. At points I could count 13 in one go with the sizes ranging from 2.0 – 3.5m. We gazed at the sharks for about 15 mins with Bec and Jen taking LOTS of photos. A small school of Kingfish swam by chasing some baitfish and Dive Diva Smurf even got in on the act and could be found watching the sharks and her other fishy friends!

Grey Nurse Shark and Bullseyes

After a while we headed back around the rock to a shallower point of the reef and saw an Eagle Ray cruising by, a couple of Wobbegongs chillaxing, a friendly Grouper and many many more fish just out for a mid morning swim.

Eagle Ray!

We dived for 53 mins, with a max depth of 28m and the water temp was 23c.

Between dives we had some snacks and hot soup, and the highlight was some Batfish feeding!

 

Hand feeding the Bat Fish

Dive Two

This was going to be Becs first dive into the cave – and she was VERY excited!

We desended to 12m and headed towards the deep end of the cave which is a little deeper at 24m, then regrouped and headed in.

There were a few large lobsters around the entrance – shame we couldn’t take one home for dinner! There were a few Wobbegongs at the bottom of the tunnel as we ascended up. Just above us was a couple of Black Cod hiding up by the roof, the first unfriendly locals we saw! Tehehe

Making our way towards the shallow exit we started to see the light entering into the cave and that beautiful shot that is synonymous with Fish Rock Cave. The view that greeted us was certainly awesome and exceeded all expectations. Pausing for a brief ascent into the bubble cave we made our way out of the cave towards the light.

Shallow entrance

There was a large school of Drummers  swimming in the up draft current at the top of the little drop off, but we headed over the top and right into a Turtle on an afternoon swim, he was so relaxed and chilled, these are certainly one of my favourite creatures to watch as they seem so relaxed  but who wouldn’t living underwater!

We spent the rest of the dive slowly meandering back round the reef towards the boat, stopping briefly for Dive Diva Smurf to make some new friends (and scare off some of the locasl!)

Smurfs are friends not food :D

We even found a teeny tiny crab hanging out in an anemone.

Can you spot the teeny tiny crab?

We dived for 1:06min with a max depth of 24.5m.

We had two awesome dives today and cannot wait to see what wonders Fish Rock will show us tomorrow. Now its time for a nice cold drink, nibbles and head out for dinner (going to try the Mexican tonight!)

Diving Divas Australia! J

Pictures by Jennifer and Rebecca

Words by Emma                     ;)

Sidemount Diving Divas!!

So back on the 4th February a few of us were due to go diving but as there were some illnesses amongst the group we ended up deciding to go for a swim at Sans Souci pool. When we got there we discovered Abyss Scuba were doing a "Try Sidemount' experience.

After being asked if we wanted to try we jumped at the chance of postponing swimming in favor of trying this new gear configuration.

Divas trying Sidemount!
(L-R Em, Kelly, Bec)

As we hadn't got our dive gear we beg, borrowed (and tried to steal!) some gear from fellows divers at the pool.On went the Hollis BCDs and in the water we jumped. Now as I was under orders (due to recent neck issues) not to dive this is a great option as you can attach the tanks once you are in the water so no heavy weight on your back - perfect!

Diva Kelly showing us how easy to get neutral buoyancy - look no hands!

As a tec diver who has dived in twins (two tanks on your back) I was very interested to compare the difference between the two forms of multiple tank diving. With twins on your back I found that the tanks can make the BCD slip around a bit if you don't have the straps tight enough. However with the sidmount set up this was not an issue at all, considering the BCD was a little too big especially as I wasn't wearing a wetsuit. As soon as I dropped under the water I was able to get neutral buoyancy and felt very at home in the gear, my only issue was getting used to were everything was which would be easily sorted with practice and configurating your own gear to your preference. 

Our overall conclusion was that for day to day diving we are happy with single tanks, but for the deeper dives and any where you need more air we'd certainly look at this as a option, I'd personally love to use 2 7litre tanks with this set up and it would be so streamlined and enough air for most of the deeper dives.

Thanks to Jamie for guiding us through the experience!

Em! :)

Me! I'm OK and yes I am blowing bubbles!!

For more information on Sidemount diving check out this blog from someone who did the full course, if you are interested in the course check out the information here 

Oh yes we did do a few swimming laps after the fun! But then as it was such a gorgeous day we went to the St George Motor Boat Club and had fish'n'chips overlooking the river. A lonnngggggg chilled lunch was a great way to end a fun day (even if we didn't get to see any fish!) 

Merimbula/Eden Jan 2012

Back in January one of the Divas went on a dive trip (without the rest of us Divas - tut tut!!) to Merimbula to dive the amazing wrecks. She went with a group from Abyss Scuba and as you will read had an amazing time.....

Australia Day Long Weekend 2012

Thursday 26^th January



The motley crew!



16 divers head south from Sydney to dive the wrecks of Eden. The six hour drive was broken by a stop at Broulee which is just past Mogo, south of Batemans Bay. The objective was to locate and dive Broulee Cave which is off the rocks at the northern end of Broulee beach.

Broulee Cave the entry is the middle of the screen

They say if you find the right entry point you can do a giant stride entry directly over the cave entrance which is in 4 metres of water.
We were a little to the east and had a short swim back towards the beach before descending to find a very large cave entrance. It appears to be a really long overhang of the shoreline above, which has collapsed to form a tube or tunnel rather than a true cave.
The tunnel is much longer and wider than I expected. And the visibility was quite good at around 8m.

Most of us had torches which helped locate, wobbegongs,eels,shrimp,lobster & lots of bullseyes. You don’t actually need a torch to do this dive as there is quite a bit of natural light that filters through the tumble of fallen rocks which form the outer wall, but a torch will help light the nooks and crannys where creatures tend to hide.

Outside the cave we found wobbegongs, a large bull ray and a number of common sting rays.

Our exit was via the beach. It was definitely worth the side trip and is a dive suitable for open water divers.

A further two hour drive south we arrived at our accommodation, Merimbula Divers Lodge.

The lodge consists of two very comfortable two bedroom units, conveniently located next to the dive shop and above a purpose designed area for washing gear and a secure area to hang gear for drying overnight. It is only a 3 minute stroll to Merimbula Lakeview Hotel where we enjoyed a cold drink and dinner.

Friday 27^th January

We woke to perfect conditions. Woohoo going diving !!



Eden Wharf

WOOOHOOOOO we're going diving!!!

It is a 20 minute drive from Merimbula to Eden Wharf where we boarded Merimbula Divers Lodge purpose built dive boat ‘Scubarpro’ for the 10 minute trip to our first wreck Tasman Hauler which sits upright and intact in 30m.

Tasman Hauler

  

Highlights of this dive was the great viz and blue water, the huge propeller which was more than 3m across and the fact you can penetrate and explore the entire wreck.

Now thats a propeller!!

OC1 dive computer Max Depth 27.6m. Bottom time 34 minutes. Temp 18c. Viz 15-20m.

Our surface interval was spent back at Eden wharf where some of the gang tucked into a very hearty late breakfast. And at least one person lost it all at the next dive site !!

We were also entertained by a resident seal playing among the boats at the wharf.

Back on board and another short ride to our next wreck the Henry Bolte.

Henry Bolte and some locals!

This wreck is closer to shore and the viz was not quite as good as on the Tasman Hauler.

It is a really interesting site though because the wreck is not intact and the twisted wreckage has numerous hiding places to search for sealife.

More locals!

One intact section of the Henry Bolte is penetrable and you can see some of the living areas including the toilets.

There are a number of reefs scattered around either side of the wreck which you can also explore.

Sealife on both wrecks included: Eastern blue devil fish, long snout boarfish, clown toby, sea horse, crimson banded & maori wrasse, old wives, leather jackets, trigger fish, groper.

Six Spined leatherjacket

OC1. Max depth 25.9m. Bottom time 40 mins. Temp 18c. Viz 10-15m

I would definitely do this trip again and recommend it to all advanced certified divers.

AWESOME!!

Jen :) x

Me!!

Our thanks to Kris O'Keefe for allowing us to use some of her pictures :)