Aussie diving - April week 3 (12th - 18th)

[alcina]

Dived yesterday (12 April) again and it was great despite a couple of predive glitches...like noticing my camera was no longer at the end of my camera rope once I got in the water !!

But we had two huge tawny nurse sharks, a fat grey reefie, multiple white tips cruising around, turtles, tons of boxfish, some big boy sea snakes and more fish than you could poke a stick at. Plus the cleaning action is incredible - one station had three enormous batfish vying for attention. And that's all at the first site!

Dive two also had a lot of baitfish action, two mellow turtles, a pair of happy, but shy barramundi cod and tons of schools of snapper, sweetlips and fusiliers.

Excellent dives, both. I was just fuffing around with my camera yesterday instead of really taking photo photos, just experimenting to see "what would happen if I do this" LOL It's nice to have those days, but it means I don't really have much to share!

Surface was pretty calm but there was a cool wind blowing. Visibility was about 8-10m but a bit darker than earlier in the week and more floaties...that should subside as the swell drops in the next few days. Water temp about 27C ish.

Dive site 1 - Labyrinth, Lighthouse Bay, Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Dive site 2 - Razor's, Lighthouse Bay, Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Chaos shot from Razor's

 

[mig_diver]

I did two dives on the HMAS Brisbane for the first time yesterday and loved it! It was the first time I have done proper wreck penetration too and I think I may be falling for it :love2:

 

[almitywife]

well i can only claim 2 dives for the weekend but each dive lasted 1hr 45mins & 15mtrs/45ft so i guess you cant blame me sticking to just 2 dives

critters over the weekend were

pygmie pipehorses (like tiny tiny seahorses)
upside down pipefish (very strange)
big boar fish
baby green moray eel
lots of octopusessesesesssss
lots of nudies

water still warm... not drysuit season yet

hope to get some pics off hubby in the next day or 2 to show & share!

 

[alcina]

Almity - where did you dive? What's "still warm" - I have a feeling I'd freeze LOL

Looking forward to some photos!

 

[almitywife]

opps.. we dived Bare Island at La Peruse both days

water still 20C at the moment.... im thinking ive got about 2 or 3 weeks before i start thinking about the drysuit.

today viz started at 10mtrs/30ft then went down to 5mtrs/15ft then went to 20mtrs/60ft as we had a tide change during the dive.

saturday was to take pics of the pipehorses and upside down pipefish and catch up with a few buddies with new toys (all photographers)

today was the Froggies monthly bbq so we got in before everyone else... they must of had about 50divers in the water at somepoint (we were getting out as they were getting in )and they always do a GREAT BBQ!!!

poor hubby - he got roped into DM duties so he missed the bbq, as hes a hobbit (eats every 3hrs) he came back to a couple of cold snag rolls that i put away for him after all his efforts

oh, and saw SB'er BowlofPetunias and Mrs Petunia both days... Mrs Petunia was the cheif critter spotter yesterday, she found the pipehorses

 

[mig_diver]

water still 20C at the moment.... im thinking ive got about 2 or 3 weeks before i start thinking about the drysuit.

What do you use at the moment? Semi-dry, 7mm???

I was quite comfortable in my 5mm, 23 degrees up here (One of the main reasons I moved from Sydney to Brisbane)

 

[almitywife]

5mm seatec semi dry at the moment and i wasnt cold during the dives... yet

 

[alcina]

OMG!!

:multi: :multi: :multi:

What an awesome day out! It was dead flat, beautiful blue skies and seas, no current or surge to speak of and so much feeding frenzy action that I think I have bruises everywhere from being rammed by all manner of predator species!! Free swimming wobbies, white tips everywhere, sea snakes hunting, the big angler still fishing. It was so cool! I am so glad I took my WA lens again!

Did three today...all had 15m+ viz (except where the fish were kicking sand up from the bottom!) and all still have plenty of food in the water from schools of baitfish to teeny jellies to teeny see through shrimps and plankton stuff.
Hilton - 30m
Blizzard Ridge - 14m
Gulliver's - 14m

I think the water was warmer today, too. It was incredible!

I took a ton of shots of all manner of things, so check out the red links later in the week...here's a very cooperative octopus that I've pulled out of the lineup coz I couldn't wait!

 

[almitywife]

that looks very cool!

how warm is your water Alcina??? did i say that you sucked yet

 

[stiebs]

Once again alcina, you've shown you excel at underwater photography!

My weekend was spent in Mt. Gambier doing a Deep Cavern course. Half of the dives in Goulden's (cavern), one in Little Blue (sinkhole) and two in One Tree (sinkhole). So my dives were pretty much made up of laying line, and following it back usually sharing air with one or both of us having masks removed.

Water was a balmy 15 degrees and vis was great until we started following line back whilst blinded by the combination of low light and no mask