In October 2019 my partner and I were back in Australia visiting friends and family. After discovering the diverse shore diving sites of Nelson Bay on our previous trip, we knew that we wanted to explore further and book a dive trip out to Broughton Island by boat. We booked though Let's Go Adventures for a multiple dive boat trip which took us to two spectacular dive sites just an hour's ride out from Nelson Bay.
[Nelson Bay, Port Stevens NSW]
There haven't been too many occasions since becoming a dive professional that I've been in the position of a customer, but when I am, I really enjoy observing how other dive shops operate. On our way out to Broughton Island it was fantastic to see that the skipper was teaching their dive master in training to drive the boat. In my personal experience this aspect of being a professional diver was never a requirement, but it's definitely a role I would like to learn. I think it makes sense for scuba instructors and divemasters to be confident in operating a dive boat, not only for logistics but also for safety reasons.
Our first dive site was to the 'Gutters' for a brilliant sharky dive. Certain dive sites at Broughton Island are known for their resident Grey Nurse sharks, as well as Ornate Wobbegong and Port Jackson sharks - and we saw exactly that! We descended down to a max. depth of 20m/ 65ft where the typography consisted mainly of a rocky bottom with kelp patches, mixed with a few sandy areas and a variety of mysterious overhangs which were fun to investigate.
[The biggest shark of the day, gliding over our heads]
I was disheartened to discover that the local population of Grey Nurse's (and other species) which this area is so well known for, is not protected from fishing or spearfishing. In recent years dive operators have noticed a drastic decline in shark numbers, and whilst it's possible to encounter over 25 sharks at these sites, on this day we were lucky to see only several. In comparison to a similar Grey Nurse 'shark gutter' dive at Southwest Rocks the year before (just a 3.5 hr drive north), there was a striking difference in shark abundance between the two areas. Fortunately, data is being collected in order to monitor and study the sharks, and you can spot these transmitters at some of the sites.
[Grey Nurse shark through the kelp]
All in all it was still a great dive as we still got to see many beautiful sharks - it's hard to not be elated after any dive with an shark encounter! During our briefing it became apparent that our dive guide was leading a fairly large group of divers, so after asking our certification levels and experience, he suggested that we follow behind and was happy for us to explore as a group (myself, Asa and his brother Zac). Though none of us had been before, the site was easy to navigate and we spent the majority of the dive together as three.
For the second dive we moored up at a site called 'The Looking Glass'. From land you can see a gap in the rock which looks like the eye of a needle, but the dive itself is between two rock faces (where you can see the shadowy 'cave' in the above photo). Although it may look like it, this dive does not have an overhead environment and you can access the surface at any point.
This dive was typographically stunning. We swam over a 'saddle' to enter a beautifully eerie channel, with steep rock walls looming over either side of us. It made me feel so small, and I was in awe of the impressive underwater landscape that lay before me. Swimming through the channel we encountered pufferfish, Pork Jackson sharks, star fish, moray eels, countless urchins and an enormous Smooth Bull Ray which passed right beneath our group.
[Swimming over the saddle and through the channel, we saw starfish, urchins and Port Jackson sharks - there's 3 in this photo!]
[Huge Smooth Bull Ray swimming beneath Zac]
As we turned back through the channel and out of the entrance, we joined the group and followed our guide along a wall. For me, this was the only negative aspect of my two dives (which I truly believe had no reflection on the dive guides). As we were in a fairly large group, it became apparent that some divers were struggling with their buoyancy in the current and were either unaware or ignorant of harmful diving practices such as touching the reef and also marine life. The moment which frustrated me was witnessing a diver approach a stationary Wobbegong shark to snap a photo, but the diver was clearly not in control of their buoyancy (flailing limbs) and made contact with the shark, causing it to dart off in (what I can only assume was severe) distress.
[Asa and Zac, myself, and Zac with a large wrasse]
Despite a frustrating end to the second dive, overall I had a great experience at Broughton Island and I can only hope to see a quick recovery in Grey Nurse shark numbers over the coming years. To top the day off, on our journey back to Nelson Bay we were escorted by dolphins next to the boat and we also spotted a few whale 'blows' in the distance.
On this trip we completed two 60 minute dives with a water temperature of 18°C/ 64°F, wearing 5mm exposure suits.
Thanks for reliving these dives with me and as always I wish you:
Happy dreaming & safe diving,
A.
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