Comments from the weekend included…“Everything worked out brilliantly - weather, diving conditions, mix of personalities on the trip etc. Let's have more of the same!”
The lodge gradually came alive on Friday evening as the 15 strong Dive 2000 group arrived in dribs and drabs to our home for the October long weekend. Most of the new arrivals appreciated the friendly faces, cold beer or wine, and slice of pizza waiting for them after setting out in the Sydney traffic. Spirits were high for a fun 3 days of diving and we even had 8 Nelson Bay virgins amongst the group. Also in the lodge were Christine & Julian after their overnight sailing adventure from Sydney to Port Stephens. Following a nightcap, everyone found their bunk and retired.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and after a mercy dash to the shops following demands for vegemite, marmalade and wholemeal bread for breakfast, Dave led the group to down to Halifax Park for the morning shore dive. There was a mild NW wind which meant a slight surface chop, but apart from that, conditions looked ideal for diving on the top of the tide.
After a briefing by Dave we took to the water down the entry steps thoughtfully provided by the Nelson Bay locals. Visibility was good at about 10m and the divers new to Port Stephens started to discover what all the fuss is about doing shore dives in this area. Immediately on descending we were circled by large silver drummer, and on our way down to 24m divers were distracted by the sponge growth, many nudibranchs, octopus moving across the bottom, wobbegong sharks and photogenic rock cod. On the deeper parts of the Halifax site there are outcrops of sponge where large schools of stripey and pomfreds make an impressive sight. Gradually we worked our way up the stepped slope to the safety stop and the end of a successful first dive of the weekend.
Everyone emerged from the dive with smiles (except Instructor Scott, who was cold…poor dear needs some more meat on his bones!) and it was off to get the tanks filled and some lunch prior to boarding the boat at 2pm for the afternoon dive.
The ProDive Nelson Bay boat is very fast and comfortable with plenty of space, toilet, dry storage area, and easy entry & exit from the water. You put together your kit at the shop, the staff load it onto a trolley and then you just walk 2 minutes and step onboard with your mask and fins – too easy!
Our first boat dive was behind Cabbage Tree Island on a site called Little Wreck. This consists of the remains of a small fishing boat as well as some statues on a seagrass bottom…normally an easy & pleasant dive. Unfortunately, we encountered a strong current which is very unusual at this site. Many of us found the wreck but not much else, however the dive was partially saved when Dave found an unexpected Red Indianfish on the way back to the anchor. Next time we will have to also locate the fabled Donut Nebrothas which are apparently found at this site and only one other in NSW!
Saturday night we stayed in for Dave’s big BBQ. Special mention must go to Jane who bought all the steak, snags, veges, haloumi & salad for the dinner. She was even too scared not to return until the béarnaise sauce was located! This was topped off by Drumsticks and Magnums for dessert which seemed to go down quite well. Also a note to future groups – make sure Amanda is in the party and you will probably never have to do the washing up!
Sunday dawned fine again and after Bacon and Eggs from the BBQ courtesy of chef Amanda, we headed to Fly Point for our second shore dive. Once again the visibility was good and for those that made it to the magnificent sponge gardens which stretch from 16m down past 24m it was a kaleidoscope of colour and critters including cuttles, nudis, eels, wobbegongs etc. Dave even managed to snap a picture of a rock cod eating a crab.
One comment heard after the Fly Point dive was...”If I never dive again, I will be happy”
Nelson Bay is not just about diving as can be attested by daredevils Monica and Andy who spent some time on the Bungy Trampoline ride at the Marina. Next time guys…please don’t push in front of the kids in the queue.
The boat dive for Sunday was on the wreck of the SS Oakland which is located just out from Cabbage Tree Island. The Oakland was a 47m long coastal cargo vessel which sank in 1903 with the loss of 11 lives. The wreck is now in 27m of water and while 100 years of elements have taken their toll, many parts of the structure are still recognizable.
Our dive on the Oakland was in good visibility of about 18m and no current. There was plenty of colourful sponge growth on the remaining structure and the wreck is a haven for life including blind sharks, large wobbegongs, schooling & estuary catfish, eels and numbrays. For some of our party it was their first real wreck dive and it was certainly a weekend highlight for the whole group.
Back at the marina, we bid farewell to Chris & Julian who were reboarding the yacht for the return race back to Sydney. So Sunday night was Grand Final time with most of the group gravitating to the local RSL for the atmosphere of Manly vs Melbourne. There we enjoyed some drinks and a Chinese banquet before crossing the road back to the lodge after the game.
On the diving menu before heading home on Monday was the interesting site called The Pipeline. Divemaster Dave got a few questioning looks from the group as we walked past the fish co-op and some dodgy aromas on the path to the dive site entry. Once underwater however the creatures of the Pipeline did not let us down with many cuttlefish, tiger pipefish, beautiful pink soft corals, seahorses, blue ring octopus, spectacular nudibranchs, and bubble shells to name a few.
All this at an easy dive site in about 10m of water…what a great way to finish the weekend
Finally a bit of lunch and a visit to the Nelson Bay Chocolate company where Cathy proved to be a big spender! Once again, the Nelson Bay / Port Stephens area delivered a great weekend of diving and fun, we were so busy there was no time to even play Scubaopoly…maybe next time Liz!
Other comments from the weekend included……”Bring on the next trip!”
“The trip was well organised, efficient, relaxed and the diving was superb.”
“Everything ran extremely smoothly and professionally - great leadership from the Dive 2000 crew, with flexibility to accommodate the various needs/wants of a whole variety of individuals”
By Dave Young
Click on thumbnails below for more images from the weekend...
