2009
Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Australia (172)Australia (172)
Expand ACT, Jervis Bay (1)ACT, Jervis Bay (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)
Expand NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)
Expand NSW, Cook Island (1)NSW, Cook Island (1)
Expand NSW, Forster (2)NSW, Forster (2)
Expand NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)
Expand NSW, Jervis Bay (2)NSW, Jervis Bay (2)
Expand NSW, Julian Rocks (3)NSW, Julian Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)
Expand NSW, Merimbula (1)NSW, Merimbula (1)
Expand NSW, Montague Island (4)NSW, Montague Island (4)
Expand NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)
Expand NSW, Nelson Bay (45)NSW, Nelson Bay (45)
Expand NSW, Nymboida River (1)NSW, Nymboida River (1)
Expand NSW, Oakland wreck (7)NSW, Oakland wreck (7)
Expand NSW, Seal Rocks (3)NSW, Seal Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Shellharbour (1)NSW, Shellharbour (1)
Expand NSW, Solitary Islands (1)NSW, Solitary Islands (1)
Expand NSW, South West Rocks (8)NSW, South West Rocks (8)
Collapse NSW, Swansea (3)NSW, Swansea (3)
Expand NSW, Sydney (14)NSW, Sydney (14)
Expand NSW, Tweed River (1)NSW, Tweed River (1)
Expand NSW, Wollongong (2)NSW, Wollongong (2)
Expand Queensland, Coral Sea (2)Queensland, Coral Sea (2)
Expand Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)
Expand Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)
Expand Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)
Expand Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)
Expand Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)
Expand Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)
Expand South Australia, Edithburgh (1)South Australia, Edithburgh (1)
Expand South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)
Expand South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)
Expand South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)
Expand South Australia, Point Lowly (1)South Australia, Point Lowly (1)
Expand South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)
Expand South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)
Expand South Australia, Second Valley (1)South Australia, Second Valley (1)
Expand South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)
Expand South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)
Expand South Australia, Wool Bay (1)South Australia, Wool Bay (1)
Expand Tasmania, Derwent River (2)Tasmania, Derwent River (2)
Expand Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)
Expand Western Australia, Busselton (1)Western Australia, Busselton (1)
Expand Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)
Expand Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)
Expand Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)
Expand Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)
Expand Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)
Expand Fiji (4)Fiji (4)
Expand French Polynesia (2)French Polynesia (2)
Expand New Zealand (2)New Zealand (2)
Expand Papua New Guinea (1)Papua New Guinea (1)
Expand Tonga (1)Tonga (1)
Expand Vanuatu (1)Vanuatu (1)

In November 2009 I arrived in New South Wales, Australia with an open mind, visa permitting, as to how long I would stay in Australia. I had just enjoyed 48 dives in the Red Sea with typical underwater visibility of around 25 metres and water temperatures of around 28 celsius. My recollection of NSW diving was that both the underwater visibility and water temperature were a lot less! Most of my recent dives in the Red Sea had been with Luke Atkinson - a great guy apart from his unfortunate love of Manchester United. At least I would not have to put up with that downunder! Or so I thought.


Mick Todd and Nicci “Scuba Squirrel” Johnson suggested I should start my “NSW campaign” with a dive under Swansea Bridge - little did I know that Mick was another rabid Manchester United fan!  Swansea lies south of Newcastle in NSW. Swansea Bridge is a popular dive as the pylons supporting the bridge are home to a wide variety of fish life. In fact there are two bridges side by side. They span the channel leading from the ocean into Lake Macquarie, the largest salt water lake in Australia.  The first bridge was built in the 1950s, the second in the 1980s.  


On a rising or low tide the current can sweep past the bridge at an alarming rate so it’s important to get dive times right. Mick, Nicci and I entered the water while the tide was still flowing in from the ocean. I had been using my Tokina 10-17mm lens a great deal on my recent Red Sea dives and decided to stick with it - a big mistake. The water temperature was 21 celsius, a lot less than the 28 I had recently been enjoying but still higher than I had anticipated. Similarly the underwater visibility at 8 to 12 metres was not great but could have been worse. However there were a lot of small particles in the water which I hoped would fall to the bed when the water became slack. After a short while the tide stopped flowing into the lake. But only for 10 minutes and it then started flowing back out again bringing with it dirtier water from the lake. This was not good news for me - I wished I had brought my macro lens! The current began picking up. And when it became too strong, we got out. 


I had enjoyed the dive. And the company! I had seen for myself that on its day, Swansea Bridge could be a good underwater photography dive and therefore well worth returning to in the future.