Staring out the window of the plane it was impossible to see land anywhere big enough to land. All we could see was turquoise water, white sand and coral atolls everywhere… Honestly as far as we could see. When we neared sea level a small strip of land appeared below us. We had just landed in the Maldives. 14 divers strong, we boarded our luxury yacht for 10 days on a journey of a life time.
A Fun Trip
Currently we are 4 days in and sailing through North Ari which is just West of Male’ the capital of Maldives. We have already done some of the best diving i have ever experienced, and have been told it is just going to get better and better as the trip goes on.
The group has been enjoying every day,
We have been having lots of laughs with some of us going troppo already. lol
Tropical Fish Life
Every dive we have been buzzed by sharks, massive dog tooth tuna & GIANT GIANT trevally’s, eagle rays, bull rays and endless other pelagic’s. There has been every pretty reef fish you can imagine, and swim throughs and caves to die for.
Because of the coral formations that make up the Maldives, every atoll is surrounded by thila’s which are large over-gowing mushroom like formations that are skirted by overhands and caves. Lucky for me I have my Hollis SMS 50 Sport which is the perfect rig for this type of diving. I am able to explore every nook and cranny and really get the most out of the dives.
The group has been enjoying every day
The group has been enjoying every day, with some of the best diving any of us have ever done, along with some of the best food and customer service we have experienced on a dive live-a-aboard.
Well, i better sign off and get back to sun bathing on the bow of the Yacht and will speak to you all later.
Over and out…
While they’re protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act, evidence suggests seadragon numbers are falling. The World Conservation Group has classed the seadragon as “near threatened” on its Red List of threatened species.
Little is known about the Weedy Seadragon. To rectify this Professor Booth and his UTS team have teamed up with Abyss Scuba Diving to study the Seadragons of Botany Bay National Park.
Measuring a Weedy Seadragon
The plan is to conduct detailed surveys of weedy seadragons living along the rocky reef at Kurnell. In April the first group of “researchers” donned scuba gear and got to work, underwater cameras in hand.
The Seadragon survey day starts at 9:30am with some basic training on how to spot, sex photograph and make basic observations of the seadragons. The divers are broken up into teams of 5 and then we heat out to Captain Cook Park at Kurnell and do 2 dives. During the dive the divers record the location of the seadragons they observe and take photos of tell-tale markings on their flanks. The dorsal spots are like fingerprints, and these identification photographs are used to identify individuals and monitor them over time.
Survey Area at Captoon Cook Park Kurnell
Abyss Scuba Diving runs regular Free divemaster escorted shore dives in locations where seadragons can be seen on a regular basis. For those who would like to get more actively involved in helping to find out more about the weedy seadragon the Weedy Seadragon Survey is a perfect way to do it. If you want to get involved then check out the Sydney Diving Calendar or simply book on for the next seadragon survey. Please note, numbers are limited.
Join us on the next Seadragon Survey
Do you want to be adventurous, have you ever wanted to be an explorer?
Scuba diving enables you to satisfy my thirst for adventure as you explore an entirely new world.
Becoming a scuba diver is a about exploring the other two thirds of the world. Giving dives you the opportunity to go places and do things that other people only dream of. This exploration can be as simple as exploring some of the great scuba diving around Sydney on a Sunday afternoon. On the other hand as a diver you have the opportunity to travel to remote tropical destinations or even remote Antarctica and see an entire other another world both above and below the surface.
Scuba diving is a family activity allowing generations of the same family to enjoy nature in only a way divers can. By taking the kids diving, parents and grandparents can show then the wonders of the world first hand while doing an activity which will bring them all closer together.
Scuba Diving is a wonderful activity which enables all participants to leave their day to day lives and enter a world of exploration and adventure. So be amazed, be a diver…
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