SS Yongala or Alternative?

[Pro Dive]

Hi Bathbiggles1

The Yongala is a great wreck, but as other posters have said it is touch and go whether you will be able to get on it. To be honest, if you are staying in Sydney, you will save yourself a lot of time and money diving locally. You can dive off many sites in Manly, where you can see the weedy-sea dragons. Magic point, south of Sydney, which is a conservation are and you will get to see endangered Sharks.

Hope this helps?

 

[bathbiggles1]

Ricky

I'm back in the UK now and took your advice and did Fish Rock. 5 Hour drive there and five hours back to Sydney and a speeding ticket to boot! But what a dive!!!

Ranks well up there in my top 5.

The cave was narrower than I was expecting and I think a second air source should be mandatory personally. My SPG blew an O ring whilst I was in there and I was pleased to get out with some air!

But the area around the cave exit and the sand gutters was amazing. We saw 10-12 large (3m+) Grey Nurse Sharks (we call them Sand Tigers in the UK), an Eagle Ray, several large Wobbegongs as big as me, several free swimming Morays, some large Blue and Black Grouper and a flock of around 500+ bat rays.Plus more other fish than you can shake a stick at. Just spectacular!!

Water temperature was around 21 degrees and vis around 15-20m. The dive guide from South West Rocks Dive Centre was ace and the price very fair for two great dives.

If you are travelling up or down the East Coast of Oz don't miss it. About half way between Sydney and Brisbane and about 30k north of Kempsey.

 

[almitywife]

North Solitary/Mullaway/Coffs Harbour

if you go to www.whereis.com.au and look up these towns it will give you an idea of how from from sydney

Michael McFadyn site gives some dive details; http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/articles/nsw.htm#solitary

ive heard good things about Dive Quest (their dive site down at the moment - http://www.diveoz.com.au/discussion_forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11913&SearchTerms=solitary )
30 Mullaway Drv Mullaway 2456
(02) 6654 1930 or
(02) 6654 0328

cheers

 

[rickydazla]

But the area around the cave exit and the sand gutters was amazing. We saw 10-12 large (3m+) Grey Nurse Sharks (we call them Sand Tigers in the UK), an Eagle Ray, several large Wobbegongs as big as me, several free swimming Morays, some large Blue and Black Grouper and a flock of around 500+ bat rays.Plus more other fish than you can shake a stick at. Just spectacular!!

Glad you liked it, I loved it too. But what's this about Sand Tigers? All I saw was Ragged Tooth sharks!

 

[Bubble Junky]

"Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus). Also known as Sand Tiger Shark and Ragged-tooth Shark. New South Wales, Australia. Threatened species, now protected."

Click here

The thumbnail below is what we call a nurse shark in UK (Ginglymostoma cirratum).

 

[bathbiggles1]

Bubble

Yes technically that is a Tawny Nurse Shark I believe.

I can tell you that one of the women who was on my dive boat got quite a shock when she saw the size of the the Grey Nurse and the number of teeth - because she was expecting the other type!

 

[almitywife]

sadly its because of all those teeth and its fierce look that 20/30yrs ago the Grey Nurse was nearly hunted out of existance.

numbers are still very low and they are now a protected species.