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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A Morning Dive at Fairy Bower

A Morning Dive at Fairy Bower

Diving
Waking up before the sun is always worth it when you're headed for a dive, especially if it's at Fairy Bower. I arrived just as the sun peaked it's head up from behind the horizon, and was treated to the most glorious sunrise. A few of the other divers were already there, so we caught up over a cup of coffee as the sun started to warm the chilly, 8 degree air. Sunrise at Fairy Bower Fairy Bower is a marine reserve located in Manly. It's a family friendly site which is great for snorkelers and scuba divers alike. It's protected by a large headland, which means the site is diveable in all but the worst conditions (coming in from the north-east). The site is generally teaming with life, and…
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First Dive Back From a Ruptured Achilles

First Dive Back From a Ruptured Achilles

Diving
After an incredibly long 111 days, my leg finally felt good enough to get back into the water. Was it because I was ready? Or was it because I needed to check my leg before heading to Fiji? A little from column A, and a little from column B, I guess. I opted for Clifton Gardens since I had a few friends who were diving there. And, as an added bonus, one of then was kind enough to lend me a set of split fins, which were in theory easier to kick than my Apeks RK3s. The dive itself was spectacular! It may have been that I'd been out of the water for almost half a year. Or it may have been the show the critters put on. But I…
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When We Surfaced The Boat Was Gone!

When We Surfaced The Boat Was Gone!

Diving
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…
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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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Diving Forster – Sharks, Whales, and the Biggest Turtle in the World!

Diving Forster – Sharks, Whales, and the Biggest Turtle in the World!

Diving
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…
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Diving With Dolphins at the Monument

Diving With Dolphins at the Monument

Diving
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,…
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A Glorious Morning Guiding a Dive at Shelly Beach

A Glorious Morning Guiding a Dive at Shelly Beach

Diving
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…
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Underwater Statues at Chowder Bay

Underwater Statues at Chowder Bay

Diving
Clifton Gardens (also known as Chowder Bay) is a polarising dive site located in Sydney Harbour. Talking to divers, they tend to either love it, or hate it. Regardless, all Sydney-based divers have dived it at least one (well, almost all). So why is it so polarising? Well, for a variety of reasons. To get the negatives out of the way first: visibility is generally poor (especially if your buoyancy is poor and you kick up the bottom), there's definite friction between the fishermen and divers, and it can be dirty due to people throwing all sorts of objects off the wharf. Another reason people may not enjoy it is that you don't see much if you move too quickly. On the plus side, if you have good buoyancy and…
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Exploring Fairlight Underwater…

Exploring Fairlight Underwater…

Diving
Not every day goes according to plan...but generally it all works out in the end... Early on Sunday morning, Sharon and I snuck off for a quick dive at Fairlight. It's not the most popular dive site in Sydney, but it's definitely worth a visit every now and then. Our day got off to a bad start when we discovered a leak in Sharon's regulator's first stage. While I was trying to repair it, a lady walked by with a King Charles Cavalier puppy. Sharon got talking to her, told her we also had a King Charles Cavalier puppy, and explained our situation. Eventually, the lady continued on her walk, and we started packing the dive gear back into the car to go and try hire a regulator from Dive…
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