Another Ruptured Achilles!
I've done it again! I've ruptured my other Achilles. And so you may not be hearing from me for a while... A quick ER visit
Shelly Beach Showing Off
Every now and then, we're blessed with a magical day under the water, either because we see something unique, or because conditions are just that perfect. Sunday was one such day at Shelly Beach. I arrived at Shelly Beach bright an early to take a couple out on guided shore dive. Watching the sun rise over the ocean from the Shelly Head lookout, I could already tell we were in for a cracker of a day. There were the faintest wisps of cloud in the bright blue sky, and the surface of the ocean was completely glassed out and looking relatively blue and clear. Sunrise at Shelly Head Lookout Early morning at Shelly Beach, Manly Sunrise at Shelly Head Lookout I met the couple on the grassy area behind the…
When We Surfaced The Boat Was Gone!
Every now and again, a simple day trip turns into an unexpected adventure. Whether this particular adventure was a good one, well, I'll leave that up to you. Early on Saturday morning, I met a group of divers at the boat ramp for a double dive just outside the Sydney Harbour heads. Our first stop was Colours Reef; a beautiful site which got it's name from the abundance and variety of coloured sponges populating the area. It's a relatively easy site to navigate, thanks to a distinct wall which drops from 22 meters down to 30 meters at the sand. The skipper dropped a shot line with a buoy on the top of the wall, and my group and I descended down the line to 22 meters. There was another…
Freediving at Shelly Beach
On Saturday morning I headed down to Shelly Beach to take a mate freediving. Generally I scuba Shelly Beach, so I'm always excited to get into the water without a tank and experience the bay in a different way. And it different certainly is! You can stay in the water for as long as you want, and you tend to focus on different areas of the site, areas that you would generally miss or ignore while scuba diving. We got into the water at around 9:30am, and headed out on the left hand side. The left is is generally more popular with snorkellers since it's shallower and has a higher abundance of both fauna and flora. There were a few things on our bucket list; Port Jackson sharks, turtles, giant…
Blue-ringed Octopus at Clifton Gardens
Saturday morning got off to an early start as I headed down to Clifton Gardens to lead one of Frog Dive's shore dives. It was a beautiful morning, with an orange glow coming off the sun, not a cloud in the sky, and absolutely no wind to speak of. The sea was dead flat, and judging from the surface, visibility looked good for Clifton Gardens. I was expecting 7 divers, but the group grew to 9 when the shop's boat dive was cancelled due to poor conditions. Thankfully Cec had offered to help out, and arrived shortly after me. The group group geared up in the parking lot, and once everyone was ready, I gave the dive briefing around one of the many tables scattered around the field. I opted…
Diving Forster – Sharks, Whales, and the Biggest Turtle in the World!
In the spirit of making the most of our downtime, Sharon and I found ourselves on a boat with the crew from Forster Dive Centre for our first ever dive in Forster. As luck would have it, Sharon and I were the only customers for the day and so we had the boat to ourselves, along with the skipper, instructor, and 2 divemasters in training who were keen to brush up their deep dive skills, including working on the lift bag and knots. We hit the jackpot with the weather. There was not a breath of wind and the water was like glass. There were a scattering of clouds in the sky, otherwise the sun was out in full force. Looking south from Forster, NSW On our journey out to…
Diving With Dolphins at the Monument
Every so often something magical happens on a dive that lodges it into your memory forever. This was one of those dives. It started on less positive notes, as a friend was leaving Sydney, so the dive was planned as a farewell of sorts. Visibility had also been amazing all week, but due to large swells overnight had taken a turn for the worse. We therefore weren't expecting much from the dive. Things got off to a rocky start...thanks mostly to the rocks. The swell from the evening before was still present, although it had gotten a fair amount smaller. That said, we still needed to wade across the rocks, and then do a rock entry into a small swell. One of the divers with us had some balance issues,…
A Glorious Morning Guiding a Dive at Shelly Beach
A glorious sunrise from the Shelly Headland I arrived at Shelly beach just as the sun started to creep up over the horizon. Despite the lack of cloud cover, the sky above the Pacific Ocean was painted a mesmerising combination of reds, oranges, and blues, which was well worth the few moments I spent admiring it. There was a chilly breeze blowing off the water, so I headed back to the car and climbed into my wetsuit, and then went about setting up the rest of my gear in the parking lot. Ready to go, I climbed down the stairs to the grassy area behind Shelly Beach, where I waited for my group of divers. Slowly they rolled in, and we chatted away on the lawn as we waited for…
Bonito off the Kayak in Sydney Harbour
After months of diving, focused primarily on my divemaster training as well as gaining experience teaching and guiding, I decided that it was time to get back onto my kayak with a fishing rod. The plan, a calamari catch and cook. This meant the usual early morning start. I even managed to beat the sun to Tunks Park boat ramp. The parking lot was thankfully empty, which meant it was easy for me to offload my kayak and kit up for the day. I launched at sunrise, and immediately started paddling towards toward Spit Bridge, and my secret squidding location. Behind me I trolled a small Rapala, hoping to pick up a kingfish or Aussie salmon en route. Sunrise at Tunk Park boat ramp Heading out on my kayak on…
Guiding at Blue Fish Point and Chapel Steps
On a crisp Saturday morning, I headed down to the Mosman Rowing Club to guide a double boat dive for Frog Dive. We launched at the usual 8am, and headed straight for North Head, where we planned to dive Blue Fish Point. After the safety briefing, we chatted away for the short 15 minute boat ride out to the heads. The weather was perfect, blue skies, no wind, and limited swell, with temperatures eventually rising to 18 degrees. There were even whales to be seen in the distance, although we didn't get close enough to truly enjoy them. At Blue Fish Point I did the dive briefing and weight checks, and then we dropped down to a rocky bottom in 15 meters of water. Visibility was incredible, as it usually…