The planned mid-morning dives at Voodoo and Kurnell were ruled out on account of the significant swell, not that stopped a few club members getting a boat dive in on the Coolooli. Instead, we opted for Shiprock at the 12.19pm high tide. The brown appearance of the water, lead some to think the ‘p’ should be swapped for a ‘t’ and proved too much for Pete who pulled stumps.
However, Ben, keen for his first dive since May, saw the opportunity for some macro photography and Steve T, always up for a dive, even if it is the proverbial muddy puddle, stuck to the plan. The almost-zero visibility at the surface eventually gave way to an acceptable 1+ metre visibility at depth. The result was a worthwhile and interesting 43-minute dive, even if we didn’t cover the usual amount of territory.
The murky surface layer made it look like we were on a night-dive, with a variety of critters keeping us entertained including Cuttlefish, Wobbegongs and Pineapple Fish. It is not everyday you get Shiprock to yourself!
As usual, great food and coffee at Vitalo concluded a great day’s diving (especially as Ben’s drysuit remained dry, thanks to great repairs at Aquasea).
