Australia Dive Operators

I hesitate to ask this question as I have read the many posts from Drew, Wagsy, Photovan, Anthp and Bruceterrill and they are full of information - now I am somewhat confused with information overload.

I am thinking of planning a biz / pleasure trip to Australia this year. I am fairly flexible with the time frame but sometime in Oct, Nov, Dec. I will be in the Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide areas. I would like to dive the southern area and not the north. I would dearly love to have an opportunity to shoot the Leafy and Weedy Sea dragons, as that would be my main objective.

My question is what dive operators would you suggest for day trips around the Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney areas. I would have approximately 7-10 days to spread among these areas. Boat trips or shore driving; shouldn't make much difference as we (wife is also a diver) will have a vehicle.

Thanks,

TomC

Tom,

In the Melbourne area to see the weedy seadragons you can visit Flinders Pier on Westernport Bay around 1 1/2 hrs from the centre of Melbourne. Easy access, plenty of parking, easy, shallow dive and usually quite a few weedies under the pier and out in the grassy areas. Portsea Pier on Port Phillip also around 1 1/2 hrs from Melbourne also has weedy seadragons, again easy access, easy shallow diving, and parking across the road.

At that time of year you may see some males with eggs.

Portsea also is a base where the dive boats leave for sites in Port Phillip Bay, and outside the heads where there are a number of wrecks for various abilities, and lots of amazing reefs, and reef walls outside and inside the heads. Dive Victoria are always an option http://www.divevictoria.com.au/ , but there are other operators like rusthunters http://www.rusthunters.com/ or oz dive http://www.ozdivecharters.com.au/ depending on what you are interested in doing. There are also lots of shore/pier dives around the bay

Hope this helps,

Sherryn

If you drive from bris to sydney you can dive byron bay, then south to mullaway and continue on to south west rocks.

The rocks is a 120m cave that you swim through with grey nurse sharks outside the entrance.

Mullaway is full of life and byron has sharks, rays and turtles.

All 3 take you down for up to sixty mins and are good people.

byronbaydivecentre.com.au for julian rocks at byron bay

divequest.com.au for solitary islands at mullaway

southwestrocksdive.com.au for kevin and peter

Thanks for the replies - keep em coming.

I have some time yet before I make arrangements.

TomC

Please keep them coming _ I have my flights to Perth booked for November and am now working on the internals.

Paul C

Hi Tom,

If you really want to see Leafy Seadragons, and yes they will be in berry, then contact Carey Harmer at Sea Optics in Adelaide.

He recently spent considerable time with the Hall family helping them film all of your listed targets for the latest IMAX film.

Big Paulie,

I don't know what you are after, but if you are looking at Western Oz, then the boy to talk to is 'Gudge'. . . . he posts here.

If you are going east side then contact 'Aengus', he also posts here. I think he is some Irish git?. . . .

And, again, if you want either of the seadragons in South Oz, give Carey a call. His knowledge is second to none. . . . period!

HTH,

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the heads up there - not sure how much diving I will be up for on this trip and lugging all of the gear from the UK for just a couple of dives - we shall see.

My missus seldom complains about being a dive widow and has on occasion even donated some baggage allowance and acted as general Sherpa but there has to be a limit before I get my head ripped off.

Apologies to Tom - no wish to hijack your thread there mate.

Paul C

Hi Guys,

If either of you are in Victoria and you need the lend of equipment, please just call ahead and I will have it ready for you.

Bruce

Paul: I am glad you chimed in - helps to keep the thread moving.

Bruce: I read in another of your posts your reference to Carey. I was not sure if it would be appropriate for me to contact him since you were directing your comments to another individual. Now, since you have referred me to him, I will initiate contact. I made note of his email address from the earlier post.

Thanks for the equipment offer. We will arrange rentals from the dive operators we decide to work with. (We do plan on packing all personal gear but I don't know about wetsuits; my 7mm semi-dry weighs a ton and takes up a lot space - probably will rent exposure gear).

I think that we do plan to be in and around your area as we would like to run over to Tasmania, mainly just because we will be so close and may not have another opportunity to visit that location. (No diving - just sightseeing.)

Thanks for the info,

TomC

If you want Weedy Sea Dragons, PM me when you get to Sydney and I'll take you on a couple of dives to shoot them.

If you want a list of great East Coast sites starting South going North check out these:

Merimbula: Good wrecks

Montague Island: Great Seal Diving

Jervis Bay: Very diverse and heaps of great diving, Ocean Trek is a great boat to go on

Sydney: You might as well dive if your here... some good wrecks and shark dives

Seal Rocks / Foster

South West Rocks / Fish Rock Cave: I always dive with Pete and the boys from South West Rocks Dive Centre, awesome guys!

Coffs Harour / South Solitary

Wooli / North Solitary Island; I dive with Stan Young, North Solitary, Fish Soup and Pimpernel Rock are fantastic.... Pimpernel if you get there and the conditions are good could possibly be the best dive in NSW! Maybe even the whole of Oz..

Byron Bay as Seven said...

Hope that helps.

Jon

Thanks for the replies / suggestions.

I have been in contact with Carey Harmer in Adelaide, as suggested by Bruce. (Thanks Bruce.)

Things are shaping up and I am now scheduling our itinerary. I believe that we are going to restrict our diving activities to the South Australia area as I don't think that this Texas boy can handle the water temps in the Victoria area. However, we do plan driving from Sydney down to the Melbourne area and then up to Adelaide to do some sightseeing of what I hear is a fantastic coastline along the way.

Hope to see some 'Dragons' this November!

TomC

We have returned from our trip to Australia. Spent the most time in Victoria and South Australia - beautiful country. Thanks again for the suggestions and tips from the wetpixel folks. We made dives at Portsea pier, Flinders pier and Rapid Bay pier. Water temp was manageable, even for this Texas boy. Fascinating dives and we found weedies or leafys on all dives.

Thanks also for the lead to Carey Harmer (charmer@adam.com.au). His guide service was super. He was extremely accommodating to us; even to the extent of a last minute itinerary change due to a shortage of Leafy Sea Dragon sightings in our scheduled dive location. He showed up each day with a well equipped trailer full of dive gear and other niceties including a couple of trolleys to carry our gear out that very long pier at Rapid Bay. And true to his reputation, he found us Leafys on every dive. If anyone is looking for the 'real deal' dive guide for that area - I highly recommend Carey.

I have started posting some of my favorite shots on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tpixs-flickr

Portsea Pier -

Flinders Pier -

Rapid Bay Pier -

Carey Harmer -