back diving again

[Dgafa]

Its been 12 + years since I've dived and have caught the bug again. South Australian Waters might not seem to be the best place in the world to dive ( white pointers ) but can be rewarding and interesting . Although most of the diving is fairly shallow the local fauna and floura ( underwater) is unique to our part of the world . I pity newer divers because alot of the really special wildlife has apparantly disapeared , the bounty ;crayfish (Lobster), scollops ,abalonie are suppost to harder to find (I'll challenge that ) The really special endangered animals (blue devil fish and leafy sea dragons ) are said to be harder to find .
I cant beleave it cant be that bad ,we just have to lookharder and protect what we can .
I look forward to diving on more new and old wrecks (most of my previous diving experiance was shore based ) now that i can afford it more.
wéll see jou around Regards Paul (dgafa)

 

[pilot fish]

Welcome back to diving, Dgafa. Was it hard to adjust after that long out of water? You notice that much of a difference in the fish population?

Its been 12 + years since I've dived and have caught the bug again. South Australian Waters might not seem to be the best place in the world to dive ( white pointers ) but can be rewarding and interesting . Although most of the diving is fairly shallow the local fauna and floura ( underwater) is unique to our part of the world . I pity newer divers because alot of the really special wildlife has apparantly disapeared , the bounty ;crayfish (Lobster), scollops ,abalonie are suppost to harder to find (I'll challenge that ) The really special endangered animals (blue devil fish and leafy sea dragons ) are said to be harder to find .
I cant beleave it cant be that bad ,we just have to lookharder and protect what we can .
I look forward to diving on more new and old wrecks (most of my previous diving experiance was shore based ) now that i can afford it more.
wéll see jou around Regards Paul (dgafa)

 

[scorpenesub]

Hello Paul, welcome to ScubaBoard...

 

[gypsyjim]

Welcome back in the water Dgafa. I too was away from diving for @10 years back in the late 70's, early 80's. What a shock when I returned! Buoyancy control wasn't even heard of when I'd been diving before, submersible pressure gauges were now available; no longer were divers dependent on "j" valve systems and memorizing their depth/ air consumption rates, requiring that reserve air in case you miscalculated, etc; scuba had evolved a lot in those few years and I was out of touch with those changes. I learned the hard way that it's a good idea to do some refresher training after such a break from diving.
Sadly it is a fact that the reefs are being damaged, both by carelessness and by over use. Pollution, over fishing, lax hunting rules, etc all have contributed to these losses. Even areas like Bonaire where all the reef is protected there is damage, simply by the shear numbers of divers. Over time just the presence of so many people causes damage, be it the occasional buoyancy or fin kick error, or the scaring of some species from that area. The diving sights we dove are not going to be the same for our children or grandchildren when they dive.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Welcome to the board! There are several aussies on here that you'll see around. Also be sure to check out your regional forum ScubaBoard - Australia