Moving to OZ, what to bring?

[garyjampot]

Hello Australian divers.

I am soon to be moving to your wonderful country (if my visa application is successful!) and I cannot wait to explore the dive sites I have heard so much about. It is likely I will be settling somewhere near sidney for work purposes, and I was wondering what the average water temperatures are in this area and indeed elsewhere. Basically I am pondering whether to sell my expensive dry suit, or to bring it. I am hoping it will not be necessary but I have been told that the year round divers sometimes dive dry, what with acclimatisation etc. I kind of visualised that I would be diving in my 5mm shorty all year round before I was told this so it was a bit of a shock. I would really apprecate some advice.
Thanks

Gary
Southampton UK

 

[aMc10]

Hi Gary - where are you moving to? There are vastly different answers depending on if you're moving to Melbourne or Cairns!

 

[garyjampot]

Hello
I will most likely be settling somewhere near Sidney, though if the diving is not so good I may head up the coast, But Sidney is preferred due to the availability of work. However when I get there I would like to check out dive locations all around the country eventually so I am keen to find out the conditions all over really.

Thanks

Gary

 

[aMc10]

Well, here in the south (Melbourne), it's "temperate" i.e. between 10 and 20 degrees, so I wouldn't throw away your drysuit yet. I haven't done any diving around Sydney yet, but there's quite a few Sydneysiders on the board who should be along in a minute to help you out. I think it's a little warmer up there (not too much, maybe 15 to 25, so again, you might want your drysuit around this time of year).

Then of course you've got Cairns, which is one place you might get away with your 5mm shorty year round.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

:gondolalove:Welcome aboard! Sydney has GREAT diving! Much luckier than Melbourne and other places we have SOOOOO MANY shore dive sites and we are so close to some great day trip dive sites as well. We really are spoiled for options and have some great dive shops as well.
I am a displaced Canadian and I can tell you I couldn't cope with the heat too much farther north. Don't get rid of the drysuit we have friends that dive dry here all year round, some winter only. Water temperatures in the summer mean I can comfortable dive in a sharkskin (lycra lined with polar fleece approx same as 2 ml) until the water temp drops in the winter. Below 17C I pretty much go to the 5mil. The great thing is you can dive so many sites unless the seas are really awful you can usually get in somewhere.
We get accidental tropicals, weedy seadragons, just heaps of stuff. The viz isn't as good as tropical but it really is fairly cheap to dive in Sydney if you have your own gear.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

www.scubaboard.com/forums/australia/225845-good-dive-companys-sydney.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/australia/224406-sydney.html
Check these out.. hope this works

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Sorry I haven't figured out how to send threads!
Search for Sydney or SB Moderator named almitywife and you will get heaps
all the best

 

[garyjampot]

Thanks very much bowl. Sounds fantastic. Guess I will be hanging on to that dry suit then! The threads do work by the way.
Perhaps you can give me some ideas on what area's I should be looking at (roughly speaking) to get reasonable access to these great dive sites. Would be good if you could recommend a dive club to join when I get there so that I can find myself a buddy.
Thanks again

Gary

 

[almitywife]

another pom - sorry, thats not allowed anymore, we closed the gates!

and its Sydney not Sidney

and keep the drysuit - sydney has very temperate waters and we do have a winter

if i was you, i wouldnt join one dive club but will play the field and suss out quite a few of them plus dive shops so you can build up a buddy list

i hear good things about St George Scuba club - its a indepenant club but seems to be alot of right things but there are soo many dive shops/clubs that it also depends on the type of diving you want to do. eg: GUE IS DiveCentreBondi, tech is southern cross, deep & independant club is southpac

im partial to Frogdive Guildford and they have very good monthly club dives with huge bbq and dm/guide but there are quite a few dive shops so when you get here get in contact with them, ask about club dives ect first

cheers

 

[alcina]

Well, I'm on the other coast, but welcome to Australia!! You're going to love it