Diving with the Port Jackson’s at Shelly Beach

Diving with the Port Jackson’s at Shelly Beach

Diving
After being out of the water for almost 2 months, due to multiple family commitments, I finally managed to get myself wet. I volunteered to guide a dive at Shelly Beach for Frog Dive, and what a dive it was. Spring has finally arrived and despite a chilly start at home, it was absolutely glorious in the sun. Early morning at Shelly Beach We kitted up in the sun before making our way into the water to dive the right hand side. I wasn't expecting great visibility as it had been raining on and off for days, but it wasn't too bad, ranging from 6 meters in the shallows to 4 meters when we got deeper. As expected for this time of the year, we spent the majority of the…
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Blue-ringed Octopus at Clifton Gardens

Blue-ringed Octopus at Clifton Gardens

Diving
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…
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Guiding at Blue Fish Point and Chapel Steps

Guiding at Blue Fish Point and Chapel Steps

Diving
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…
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Taking New Divers Out at Clifton

Taking New Divers Out at Clifton

Diving
A military ship silhouetted by a glorious Clifton Gardens sunrise One of the most common questions I get during Open Water courses is how they can get back into the water. And in my opinion, the best and easiest way is to join one of Frog Dive's free weekend shore dives. They're led by qualified divemasters, cost nothing other than equipment hire, and take place in stunning locations like Shelly Beach. And not only that, there's always a great group of divers, and great conversation afterwards around soup and other snacks. The only problem is that they're often booked out well in advanced. So to try and solve that, we decided to start hosting beginner only shore dives, with the first one taking place at Clifton Gardens. I arrived at…
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We Found Secret Vis!

We Found Secret Vis!

Diving
After months of no diving in Sydney, courtesy of La Niña induced flooding and near zero vis, Sharon and I finally managed to get back into the water. As per usual, we met the Frog Dive crew at the Mosman Rowing Club just after 7am, and kitted up in the carpark while getting to know our fellow divers for the day. At 8am we climbed onto the boat and began the trip to North Head, while receiving our safety briefing. Our first dive was at Rock Fall, and it was an interesting experience to say the least. The 6 of us met on the surface, and then descended in what turned out to be a shocking 2 meters (if that) of visibility. By the time we reached the bottom, we'd…
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Rescue Diver Training

Rescue Diver Training

Diving, Salt Water
There’s no doubt about it, diving comes with a few inherent risks. And while it’s safety record is great, and it's standards are high, your safety is ultimately your own responsibility. And if you can extend that responsibility to also include others, amazing! With that in mind, I signed up to do a Rescue Diver course, which also includes an Emergency First Responder certification. As is the norm with PADI courses, the weeks preceding the course were spent going through online training, and writing short online exams. We then gathered at the dive shop on Friday evening to meet our dive buddies, do a short knowledge review, and collect our gear. And then the real fun began… Day 1 - The Skills Little Manly on a cloudy morning I arrived…
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Getting My Open Water Diver Certification

Getting My Open Water Diver Certification

Diving
My life has always include the ocean. Growing up, our family holidays were spent surfing, snorkelling, and fishing at Cape St. Francis (South Africa). And when we weren't holidaying there, we were often rock fishing in the Transkei. I have many a fond memory of free-diving for abalone with my father in the cool Atlantic waters of Cape Town, before we moved to Durban. I then got into fly fishing, and spent many a year targeting trevally (and multiple other game species) in the salty water of Cape Vidal. And then, after arriving in Australia, one of my first purchases was a Hobie kayak to get me out onto Sydney Harbour. I just can't seem to escape it. So when an excuse (finally) landed on my doorstep (in the form…
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