Steve T, Steve W, Ben and Sam met at Shiprock Reserve on mid-morning Sunday for a leisurely in-water time of 11am. The excellent conditions had also attracted a large dive group from Abyss. Shiprock is becoming a regular dive site for SSAC, but it was Sam’s first time diving here. The dive certainly lived-up to its reputation as one of Sydney’s top shore dives.
Steve T led the way and after dropping over the wall the first stop was the bubble cave. ‘Cave’ is bit generous since its no bigger than a telephone booth but still an interesting and unusual feature. Next stop was the Howard Couch memorial plaque where we saw a puffer fish and octopus. We continued on a westerly route and fortunately managed to avoid the other dive group. After about 30 minutes we turned around to take advantage of the outgoing tide to carry us back. A highlight of the return trip was a large crab holding a long stick (a crab stick?).
Shiprock is an aquatic reserve so marine life is always abundant. Some of the other highlights included angler fish, prolific old wives, trigger fish and rays.
We surfaced after an hour, having reached a maximum depth of 14 meters.
The day was made complete with a late brekkie at the local Vitalo Cafe.
