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Dive Related Equipment
Shearwater Predator and Heinrichs Weikamp OSTC 2N
Uwatec Aladin Dive Computers
Apollo AV1 Underwater Scooter
Bauer Compressor
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My Camera Setup
Purchase of New Dive Boat
My Dive Boat - Mak Cat
My Old Dive Boat - Le Scat
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Make Your Own Car Tank Rack

Marine Life
Rarer Sydney Marine Life
Bare Island Pygmy Pipe Horses
Bare Island Sea Horses
Bare Island Nudibranchs
Bare Island Marine Life
Encounter with Southern Right Whale and Calf

Other Dive Info
How Weather Affects Diving in Sydney
Visibility and Wave Averages in Sydney
Waves and Diving
Diving Weather and Sea Conditions
Tide Tables
Dive Accidents and Incidents
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Noel Hitchins 1951-2005
Lloyd Bridges - Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt
My Yachting Adventures
Below is a list of links to the main pages about my yacht, Catlypso and My Yachting Adventures:
  • Purchase of Catlypso
  • Details about Catlypso
  • Cleaning/Repairing Catlypso
  • My Yachting Adventures.
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    Michael's 4WD Trips
    Click here for a list of my Four Wheel Drive and Camping Trips.
    Home Brewing
    Click here for an article about Home Brewing.
    Sydney Dive Site Hints
    "SS Royal Shepherd is a very compact shipwreck"
    My Recent Dives - April, May and June 2025
    ALL DIVES IN SYDNEY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

    DIVING ACRONYMS
    In this log I use some acronyms to make it easier for me to remember where I went and what I saw:

    LOCATIONS 
    (Mostly at Bare Island unless otherwise stated - see website pages for locations) 
    SHR - Sea horse rock
    OHR - Opera House rocks
    STR - Sea tulip rocks
    SHC - Sea horse corner
    BR - Block rock (also Big Rock at Inscription Point)
    RIFR - Red indianfish reef
    IR1 -Isolated Reef 1
    IR2 -Isolated Reef 2
    15MR - 15 Metre Reef
    LR - Long rock
    AR - Anglerfish rock
    N, S, E, W, NE, NW etc - compass headings
    LBR - Little big rock at Inscription Point
    ER - Exit Rock at Inscription Point

    FISH ETC
    BIA - Bare Island Anglerfish (red fingered anglerfish)
    PPH - Pygmy pipehorse
    BBSH - Big belly sea horse
    RIF - Red indianfish
    USDP - Upsidedown pipefish

    VISIBILITY 

    Shithouse - less than 2 m
    Very Poor - 2 to 4 m
    Poor - 4 to 6 m
    Fair - 7 to 10 m
    Good - 10 to 15 m
    Very Good - 15 to 24 m
    Excellent - 25 to 30 m
    Very Excellent - 30 m+

    3 April 2025 - Flinders Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
    Just after low tide, very shallow, only 3.4 metres at the end. Viz only 3-4 metres at most. Bottom sand with weed everywhere. Water 18C mostly but 17C last 10 mins. Camera flash mucked up, either would not fire or was full power. Went in from beach on right side, walked out about 50 metres in water. Went to end along southern side, then back to the middle section on northern side. Around the platform and then back on northern side to shallows. Saw three sea dragons, all small and dark coloured. Lots of colourful cowfish, two small stingrays, quite a few large octopus, some larger fish at the end, including small leatherjackets. On the way back saw a goby in a pylon, very cute. Saw one other diver on the way back. Would have been a better dive at high tide with more water, very difficult due to the shallowness of most of the dive. Visibility poor.

    12 April 2025 - inscription Point
    Cancelled another boat dive, four in a row and have not taken it out now since 2 March. Quite a strong outgoing tide, only 1.1 metre change though. Viz was 6-7 metres and warm 21C. Could not find the first BBSH, Andrew said it was in the gap but I looked heaps. Second one on way back found. Looks like the other one is gone for good as not seen now for 8 weeks. No anglerfish at all nor PPH. Came back shallow, quite an effort really. No sea dragons despite going west past the exit point. Other people saw one, ATJ five! not the best dive here. Visibility fair.

    13 April 2025 - Bare Island 15 Metre Reef
    Last minute club dive, six all up. Went in from past Carol's Plaque. Quite dirty shallow, lots of sand floating, perhaps 3 metres. Deeper after SHC it was 7-8 m. More sand everywhere, some things now covered, including outboard. Seas were over 6 m 10 days ago. The two BBSHs are still there, found the new sea dragon just past here. Went to SHC where the wobbegong is still on top of Block Rock. Two tiny pipefish still near SHC, no BIA. Saw a large blue devilfish here, out in the open. Then went along the wall and across to 15MR. Back to SHC this way. Here we saw Ron and Donna. Found that they had seen an ornate ghost pipefish. We went back and found it (next day they found a robust). Also two larger pipefish, one yellow and one dark red. Then back outside to sea dragon and BBSHs. All my rocks from the pile I have been building to show exit are gone. Collected more and also the scattered ones. Will need to rebuild. Very good dive. Visibility poor.

    15 April 2025 - Shiprock
    Too windy and big swell to dive elsewhere. Not a big tide and no current till right at the end of the dive. Water 22C except for last two mins when 21C. Went in behind Shiprock as steps still not fixed. There is a new plaque on concrete to jetski rider who died Xmas Eve 2022. Over the wall and there is a pineapplefish in cave there. Then around normal way. A pipefish on inside of the largest bommie and later I found another. A few octopus, a large sole, a huge wobbegong shark near where the pineapplefish used to be and a ball of small catfish here too. Went a fair way before turning around. No nudibranchs but lots of bream, leatherjackets and seapike. On the slope two convict gobbies and three tiny pipefish. A very nice dive. Visibility poor.

    Click here to see details of dives including profiles.

    For more details about these dives and other dives this year, click here.

    Written by Michael McFadyenMichael on 07 April 2025 00:0050 Reads - Print
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    This web site has been wholly thought up, designed, constructed and funded for almost 30 years by Michael McFadyen without any help from the Australian Dive Industry.
    Website created 1996!