Gary, Steve W and Steve T boarded Abyss Scuba Diving’s impressive boat at Sans Souci Park Fishing Pier for an intended dive at Magic Point. The professional operation ran smoothly, as did the ride across Botany Bay. As soon as we exited the bay however, the NE swell made for a somewhat less-comfortable trip up the coast. Once we arrived at Magic Point conditions proved too rough for a dive there, especially considering the prospect of strengthening NE winds. The decision was made to change the dive location to Henry Head, where we did two drift dives along different sections of the reef.
The first dive covered the eastern, seaward, section to a maximum depth of 23-25m and dive time of 50 minutes. The second dive started further westward just off Henry Head lighthouse, to a maximum depth of 20m and dive time of 54 minutes. Visibility was as good as 10-15 metres in places but surprisingly the water temperatures had dropped to around 17-18 degrees. Spectacular sponge gardens and dramatic underwater terrain were the order of the day along with numerous and varied nudibranchs. Although fish life was surprisingly sparse on this occasion, overall, we had a fantastic couple of dives. The second dive initially appeared destined for the “forgettable” category, with 1m sickly yellow-green visibility. Luckily, our intrepid trio of divers persisted and were rewarded with clearer visibility as we descended below to enjoy the great underwater scenery.
Post dive (delicious) burgers, coffee and chat were enjoyed at St. George Sailing Club, not far from the boat ramp. Again, we experienced stunning views, only this time they were “water views”, not “underwater views”. Overall, a highly recommended dive boat operation, dive site and post-dive location. Another great SSAC dive trip!
