DIVE REPORT

LEARNING TO DIVE

At Dive, Skate & Ski we offer you a variety of program styles to suit your specific requirements.

• Part Time - Running over a two week period, this program entails four mid week theory nights and two weekends.
• Full Time - Running over five consecutive days, preliminary during the warmer months.
• Private Tuition - Requiring a minimum of two participants, this program can be tailored to your personal requirements and timetable (content of course may vary).
• Corporate Training - We specialize in corporate training and team building techniques. What a great reward for staff achieving set goals.

There's more to diving than just passing a test, so to ensure that we produce the safest divers possible, our comprehensive eleven dive "Advanced Adventurer Specialty" program includes a Boat Dive, Night Dive and Deep Dive as well as either a Navigation, Wreck or Drift Dive on top of your five open-water dives. With over fifty years combined instructing experience, we will ensure that learning to dive with Dive Skate & Ski will be the experience of a lifetime.

DIVE GEAR

Dive Skate & Ski have Newcastle and the Hunter Valley's largest range of dive equipment for you to gear up and go down with. From the basics such as a websuit and mask, snorkel and fins through to high-tech dive computers, Dive Skate & Ski are able to help you get the most out of your diving experience with the best from these leading dive brands:

DIVE SITES

Broughton Island
Half an hour's boat ride out from Nelson's Bay lies Broughton Island which features some great diving, from shallow water to deep reefs, caves, drop-offs and beautiful wild sponge gardens that are safe in nearly any weather. Some of Broughton Island's best features are:

Bubble Cave is a great boat dive that may be a little hard to find if you don't know the location, but once you get there and get under it's worth it. The experience of surfacing into a 2.5m airspace in and underwater cave is unique, plus there's may be one or two friendly wobbegong sharks about.

Outstanding Features: Air Opening at top of cave.
Dive Rating: Beginner or Open Water
Rating: 7 out of 10
Depth: 11.5 metres

Spider Cave is another boat dive that is best described as a tunnel dive rather than a cave dive, with tunnel shaped as a figure eight cut in half. The twists and turns can be navigated by one diver with a torch at a time, and the dive can be concluded at any time via three openings. Not for the claustrophobic!

Outstanding Features: Tunnels.
Dive Rating: Open Water or Cave Diver
Rating: 4 out of 10
Depth: 15 metres

Looking Glass Cave is more like a swimthrough than a cave, with both ends open so getting lost would be very hard. With clear water, calm seas and little surge, it has all the ingredients for a great experience.

Outstanding Features: Experience of Looking Glass Cave.
Dive Rating: Open Water
Rating: 6 out of 10
Depth: 14 metres

Port Stephens
If you just want to jump out of the car and into the water, then Port Stephens offers some excellent shore dives. Whether you're holidaying in the area or are a local just looking for a wide diversity of underwater adventure, Port Stephens offers some top dives, including:

Pipeline Sponge Gardens are classed as a novice dive, but even experienced divers will be able to enjoy what's on offer. 250m of pipeline and concrete anchors, each of which seem to support their very own ecosystem of marine life. Best of all, with a big pipe leading the way, you'll never get lost!

Outstanding Features: Small critters and macro life.
Dive Rating: Open Water
Rating: 5 out of 10
Depth: 20 metres

Fly Point and Halifax Park are part of a Marine Reserve, and both can be dived in almost any weather condition to visit the ledges, small overhangs and crevices which teem with both infant and adult fish living in a forest of colourful sponges. The fish are extremely friendly and may even tag along for the rest of the dive, so be prepared to make new friends. Be careful when surfacing though, as both Fly Point and Halifax Park have a busy boat channel passing through them - always try and surfac in the shallows.

Outstanding Features: Small sea life and fish.
Dive Rating: Beginners
Rating: 7 out of 10
Depth: 25 metres

Newcastle Shipwrecks
Newcastle was once considered by sea captains to be a virtual graveyard for boats. Over 112 ships have been lost between Newcastle and Port Stephens, most of which have never been discovered. Many, however, are accessible to the average diver, and are great dives which will take you back to the early days of shipping around one of the world's busiest ports.

Swansea Bridge
Swansea Bridge is a challenging and enjoyable dive as the immense tidal surge provides excellent visibility and a diverse range of marine life that head in or out of Lake Macquarie, with many loitering around the pylons. This dive is never the same twice, with all types of interesting sites that you never thought you'd see under the water. You really need to pick your time right and descend when the tide is turning, or you'll be finning like mad just to stay in the same spot!

Outstanding Features: Growth on pylons and fish life.
Dive Rating: Beginners
Rating: 5 out of 10
Depth: 10 metres

Norah Head
Around Norah Head Lighthouse there are heaps of old shipwrecks, with eight of them diveable. In addition, there are reefs and the odd cave in the area, so if that's your thing then you should put Norah Head on your list of places to dive.

Tide Times:
Check the tide times whenever you like, supplied by the Bureau of Meteorology.

UNDERWATER PHOTO GALLERY

Visit the Underwater Photo Gallery to view underwater images from around Australia and Overseas destinations, - just a sample of some of the areas we at Dive Skate & Ski have travelled to.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Also, check out the photographic website of our good friend Dave Harasti.

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