OP
Brisbane divers - fancy a GC seaway excursion?
- Thread starter Mantra
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Thats just the green water, it's due to a summer of complete rain everyday, washing the acid sulphates out of the rivers into our now pea green sea- it's why you don't dive summer unless the current is hit the coast.
How was byron? going by some of the people I know it looked almost 15m!
Yes, that is dead nikkon, you haven't lived till you flooded a $1000+ camera underwater- bring new emotions! sad thing was I had a premonition it would happen......
As for japanese, try Itoshin at mermaid water on the goldy Hwy. don't be cheap, they do the best jap tucker in town! go nagiri-sashimi plata, some teraki salmon and the tempura squid.
Great to see some locals on here. I don't post here much but an abod reader. I'm always up for a seaway dive or somewhere local to Brissie via charter. Lucky to have so much good diving around here. Generally there's a group of us Brisbane Dive Tribe diving somewhere every weekend. PM me if interested in coming along sometime.
OP
Mantra
Contributor
15m was about right. Gorgeous conditions topside too! Wonderful staff at Sundive. Great op. Our last guided trip was at the HMAS Brisbane and the DM was a little overprotective of her flock. I mean that in a third reich kinda way. I appreciated DM Phil, who wasn't a nanny but stayed close and was just all about pointing at stuff and IDing it in the slate-book he has made. He was super into it. And then Mari on the second dive was just lovely and relaxed and happy to let us just do our own thing (and ended up going early as one of the other divers just blasted through their air). Good skippers. And my Missus doesn't like to eat seafood for a few days after diving. She's a kind soul. Sounds tasty to me, though!
Griffo
Contributor
Hey mate,
I'm temporarily playing being a Melbournian, but I often fly home to Brissy. Where do you guys tend to head for local diving? I never dived when I live there, and people tell me you need a boat for just about everything? Is that true?
Do you pay for a charter every weekend, or do clubs tend to have their own run-abouts?
Cheers
OP
Mantra
Contributor
Hey OzGriffo!
I notice nobody has replied to you, so I'll have a shot even though my experience is limited.
There is shore diving in the Tweed River or the Gold Coast Seaway. That's about it for non-boat diving. You used to be able to shore dive some parts of the Sunshine Coast, but the viz has been really bad there for a long time so nobody much seems to do it at the moment.
Good seaway info (and loads of other local dive sites too) at http://www.divingthegoldcoast.com.au. Also of note at the Gold Coast is Cook Island - but now we are talking boat dives.
For boat diving, my understanding is we are really spoiled here. I know I'm loving it!! Within 2 hrs of Brisbane you have both Julian Rocks at Byron (our last dive and one of the best dives we've done in our short run - Julian Rocks - marine species identification) and the world-class wreck of the HMAS Brisbane at the sunshine coast (Scuba dive HMAS Brisbane on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Australia. Dive the Brisbane now!).
But wait! That's not even arguably the best part. Look no further than Moreton Bay (Moreton Bay Marine Park (Department of Environment and Resource Management)).
The diving around Straddie is amazing. Big pelagics. Lots of Mantas in summer and Grey Nurse sharks in winter. One local dive operator is Manta Lodge, a YHA hostel/dive set up. Their website has good info on the dive sites there: Manta lodge & Scuba Centre : PADI 5 Star Dive Resort & Youth Hostel : North Stradbroke Island There are other operators too.
Flinders Reef has the highest number of coral species of any sub tropical reef system along the east coast of Australia. That includes any reef in the Great Barrier Reef.
Also of note -
The Tangalooma Wrecks: Tangalooma Wrecks Dive Site - Things To See and Do - Queensland Holidays (hire tanks and gear at the resort - and you can negotiate a bit on price if you're at the resort for a couple of days. The resort frequently discounts on scoopon etc.)
Curtain artificial reef: Curtin Artificial Reef
Etc etc. What am I missing, guys? Lots of stuff. What are other good dive sites or even web sites?
If the cost of boat diving concerns you, one thing you might look at is joining a local club. We are with unidive. You don't need to be a UQ student to join. You are often looking around a $80 double dive with them, or sometimes cheaper. We had a recent weekend at Straddie through the club including the ferry, all accommodation (basic - in Ken's houses) and food, and dives at Amity point (shore diving only) for $110 all up. Yep. The plan was to do two boat dives each day, which would have brought the cost to $250 all up) but the swell was up and the boats weren't going out.
In many respects, Brisbane isn't the most exciting city in the world. But we're pretty spoiled in this respect. I have to say, becoming a diver has really brought this city alive in a new way for me.
Any other tips local people have?
I notice nobody has replied to you, so I'll have a shot even though my experience is limited.
There is shore diving in the Tweed River or the Gold Coast Seaway. That's about it for non-boat diving. You used to be able to shore dive some parts of the Sunshine Coast, but the viz has been really bad there for a long time so nobody much seems to do it at the moment.
Good seaway info (and loads of other local dive sites too) at http://www.divingthegoldcoast.com.au. Also of note at the Gold Coast is Cook Island - but now we are talking boat dives.
For boat diving, my understanding is we are really spoiled here. I know I'm loving it!! Within 2 hrs of Brisbane you have both Julian Rocks at Byron (our last dive and one of the best dives we've done in our short run - Julian Rocks - marine species identification) and the world-class wreck of the HMAS Brisbane at the sunshine coast (Scuba dive HMAS Brisbane on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Australia. Dive the Brisbane now!).
But wait! That's not even arguably the best part. Look no further than Moreton Bay (Moreton Bay Marine Park (Department of Environment and Resource Management)).
The diving around Straddie is amazing. Big pelagics. Lots of Mantas in summer and Grey Nurse sharks in winter. One local dive operator is Manta Lodge, a YHA hostel/dive set up. Their website has good info on the dive sites there: Manta lodge & Scuba Centre : PADI 5 Star Dive Resort & Youth Hostel : North Stradbroke Island There are other operators too.
Flinders Reef has the highest number of coral species of any sub tropical reef system along the east coast of Australia. That includes any reef in the Great Barrier Reef.
Also of note -
The Tangalooma Wrecks: Tangalooma Wrecks Dive Site - Things To See and Do - Queensland Holidays (hire tanks and gear at the resort - and you can negotiate a bit on price if you're at the resort for a couple of days. The resort frequently discounts on scoopon etc.)
Curtain artificial reef: Curtin Artificial Reef
Etc etc. What am I missing, guys? Lots of stuff. What are other good dive sites or even web sites?
If the cost of boat diving concerns you, one thing you might look at is joining a local club. We are with unidive. You don't need to be a UQ student to join. You are often looking around a $80 double dive with them, or sometimes cheaper. We had a recent weekend at Straddie through the club including the ferry, all accommodation (basic - in Ken's houses) and food, and dives at Amity point (shore diving only) for $110 all up. Yep. The plan was to do two boat dives each day, which would have brought the cost to $250 all up) but the swell was up and the boats weren't going out.
In many respects, Brisbane isn't the most exciting city in the world. But we're pretty spoiled in this respect. I have to say, becoming a diver has really brought this city alive in a new way for me.
Any other tips local people have?
Griffo
Contributor
Lol. I have about $800 in credit with Scubaworld to do HMAS Brisbane dives. Every time I fly up the bloody weather changes at the last minute.
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