Shellharbour Scuba Centre, Australia

Steve

04/01/19 at 13:10

Visibility started out pretty good at the gravel loader. It deteriorated quickly as we approached the pier though. There were lots of nudibranchs and schools of fish, but the highlight of this dive was the 8ft grey nurse shark that glided 15ft in front of me. It was majestic and he seemed to be as interested in me as I was in him. I felt like he was watching me the entire time. Not bad for a 10m dive. As we made the return trip, it became evident that I was underweighted. I had to keep swimming to prevent myself from floating up. I'd guess another 2-4 pounds worth of trim weights would have done the trick.

Steve

04/01/19 at 09:35

Visibility was terrible. I give it 3m at its best. There was no current to speak of, but there was a lot of tidal movement even at the deepest part of the dive. This was my first time wearing such a thick wet suit as well, 7mm. I think I would've been comfortable with a 5mm, but no complaints. We ran across a 2 ft blue groper midway through the dive and again on the return trip. He was friendly and not afraid of divers. He seemed to respond to the same motions you'd use to try and pet a stray cat and he didn't mind me petting him either. It was Brian's 3rd OW dive so it was cool to be a part of another certification, but hopefully conditions improve.