Malcolm Nobbs - Dec 2011 to Oct 2012

In November 2011 Mary and I moved from Sydney to Forster NSW. The seasonal humpback whale migration can clearly be seen from the Forster shoreline and a huge variety of sea life including sharks, rays and turtles patrol the waterline. However getting good underwater shots proved tricky with silt from the Wallingat and Colongolook rivers as well as plankton and wracks of red weed frequently affecting the underwater visibility. Prolonged periods of heavy rain swept dirty water through the large lakes surrounding Forster and out into the sea and in the absence of a southerly wind, this dirty water tended to be slow to dissipate from the shoreline. Three dive centres served the area and I planned a series of dives with two of these: Ron Hunter’s Dive Forster and John Duggan’s Action Divers.

In December I dived Forster three times, all shore dives finning out to The Bait Grounds with John Duggan. On one occasion we were escorted by dolphins. Set in an average 9 metres of water, the Bait Grounds is a kelp-covered reef about 75 metres along and 20 metres wide and is home to a wide variety of sea life including schools of baitfish, moray eels, wobbegong and grey nurse sharks. The visibility was disappointing but it was exciting to get glimpses of some great marine life.

In January John introduced me to the local drift dive along the Tuncurry Breakwall starting at the Tuncurry Rock Pool. Then a few days later my UK dive buddy Graeme “Spotty” Hastings arrived. We soon headed down to the Forster shoreline for Spotty’s first ever Australian dive - indeed this was his first dive since a UK dive with me in Leybourne Lake near Maidstone in June 2009. John met us and warned Spotty that a local canoeist had just been chased by a two-metre long great white shark. Spotty was remarkably relaxed, indeed said he was looking forward to finning out to the Bait Grounds. John ran through a few underwater hand signals he might use including an obvious one if he sighted this shark. Spotty still seemed unconcerned even when John said if we were attacked it would be every man for himself. But then Spotty had mistakenly thought John was joking. Fortunately we didn’t see the Great White, although if it had attacked Spotty we could have said “We told you so”. Next up was my first dive with Dive Forster and Spotty and I headed out to The Pinnacle off Cape Hawke aboard Avanti. Not that I showed Spotty any sympathy but for only his second dive in ages, this was a far from easy dive. Diving on air in a depth of 32 to 33 metres, the water was “dirty” as Aussies like to say. Poms Translation: 3 to 4 metres visibility. The second dive at Latitude Rock was much better with Spotty seeing Port Jackson sharks for the first time. Later for Spotty’s final Forster dive, he and I shore dived the Bait Grounds again. I could clearly hear dolphins, but it seemed my Deaf Buddy could not. Every time they squeaked I cupped my ear and pointed in the direction of the squeaking. Deaf Buddy just looked blankly at me. With squeaking now all around us, I began writing in the sand. I had got as far as DOLP when I made the mistake of looking at my Deaf Buddy. Spotty looked totally confused. The sight was just too much for me - I laughed so much my stomach hurt. Then my mask totally flooded. After Spotty returned to the UK, I dived Spot A, Latitude Rock and the Bait Grounds from Avanti in conditions that varied from excellent to dire in just 2 days. I ended the month as I began, diving the Tuncurry Breakwall with John.

In March John and I shore dived the Bait Grounds three times, we saw some fantastic marine life, numerous grey nurse sharks, crayfish, turtles, bull rays, a boarfish and lots of schooling fish – unfortunately all in poor visibility. We then did a couple of shore dives along the Forster Breakwall in much better visibility and I happily photographed blennies, pipefish, striped catfish and an estuary catfish. Next John introduced me to the Breckenridge Channel which runs along Little Street close to the centre of Forster. I had hoped to see Blue Ringed Octopus but of course failed to see any. But did see plenty of other small marine life. Next up were some boat dives from Avanti in pretty horrible diving conditions at The Pinnacle and Spot A. Then in slightly better conditions, two boat dives at The Barge which I repeated the following day when many of the divers got buzzed by some quite aggressive bronze whaler sharks. To round off March, Nicci “Scuba Squirrel” Johnson joined me aboard Avanti for two dives at Latitude Rock the highlights of which were eagle rays, turtles, grey nurse, port jackson and wobbegong sharks as well as kingfish and fiddler rays.

In April I dived The Pinnacle with Ron Hunter from Avanti and we lucky enough to see a huge ray, grey nurse sharks and wobbegongs. This was followed by a super dive at Spot A with more grey nurse sharks and wobbegongs. Next I did three shore dives with John Duggan, one out to the Bait Grounds and two along the Forster breakwall. Then it was back onto Avanti for two pairs of dives at The Pinnacle the first of which was notable for a diver from another dive boat doing an out of control rapid ascent.

In May I shore dived the Bait Grounds with John Duggan, solo dived the Breckinridge Channel and then shore dived the north side of The Tanks with Mary. Then from Avanti, dived Graveyard off Seven Mile Beach and Charlotte Head, Pacific Palms with Gary Hodgkinson. I concluded the month with a solo shore dive out to the Bait Grounds.

In June I solo dived the Forster breakwall, then dived Spot A and Latitude Rock from Avanti, the Tuncurry breakwall with Gary Hodgkinson and then the Forster breakwall by myself.

My final two dives of the year were in October when from Avanti, in very poor visibility, I dived Latitude Rock and then Bulls Paddock off Seven Mile Beach.