Blue Fish Wall

The weather may not have been quite as inviting as Friday, with overcast skies and a solid SSE swell rolling in at around two metres, but Sydney still managed to deliver two excellent dives. With Instructor Tom's Advanced students needing to find 20 metres for their course, we headed outside the Heads and around to Blue Fish Valley. The pleasure divers were dropped at the Valley while Tom and his students went hunting for some depth. And what a start to the dive. The first thing to greet us was a huge Bull Ray, happily snoozing beside the wall. With Sea Life V returning to collect us, we had the freedom to continue heading east and explore further along the Valley. Visibility was an excellent 15m+, with plenty of Port Jackson Sharks and Wobbegongs scattered throughout the site. Even a sneaky little Moray Eel popped its head out to inspect the visitors. After 56 very relaxed minutes, up went the SMBs and Captain Tim came around to collect everyone safe and sound.

For our second dive we headed south to Blue Fish Valley, where visibility improved to a good 10 metres. Blue Fish Valley continues to impress with its spectacular sandstone topography, diverse fish life and plenty of smaller marine creatures hiding amongst the shelves and crevices for the macro enthusiasts. Port Jackson Sharks were again plentiful, along with a baby Giant Cuttlefish and a massive Bull Ray, while a Grey Nurse Shark cruised in for a sneaky look before disappearing back into the blue. Two very relaxed 60 minute dives gave everyone plenty of time to explore and plenty to talk about on the trip home. By the time Sea Life V returned to the wharf, even Sydney had decided winter could take the afternoon off, with the surface temperature reaching a very pleasant 20°C. Another fantastic day of Sydney diving. Images Courtesy of Phil Hawley

After a fantastic morning at The Apartments, we headed south to Blue Fish Valley, with a whale sighting along the way providing a pretty good surface interval bonus. And then we hit the water. Visibility was outstanding—an easy 15 metres and stretching towards 20 metres along the wall. With no current, it made for one of those wonderfully relaxing dives where there was absolutely no reason to hurry. A massive Port Jackson Shark was tucked beneath a sandstone shelf, while another provided a fascinating encounter. We watched it circle half a fish lying on the bottom several times before finally deciding the opportunity was too good to pass up and coming down for a feed. An Eastern Blue Devil was also out swimming openly rather than hiding away beneath the ledges, giving everyone a great look at one of Sydney's more spectacular local residents. Great people, whales on the surface, outstanding visibility and one of those dives that reminds you why winter diving in Sydney is so good.

The second dive at Blue Fish Valley continued the excellent day, with even more clusters of Port Jackson Sharks resting among the sandstone formations. A massive Bull Ray glided effortlessly across the bottom, several Wobbegongsremained well camouflaged beneath the ledges, and to top it all off, a playful seal dropped in to say hello, much to everyone's delight. Congratulations to our students who successfully completed their Advanced Open Water Course under the guidance of Instructor Tom. Well done to everyone on another successful weekend aboard Sea Life V. We look forward to seeing you all underwater again soon! Photos Courtesy of Phil Hawley