A group of 8 headed off to South Australia to join the MV Rodney Fox for a Livaboard trip down to the Neptune Islands for some Great White Shark cage diving. Rodney Fox is the only operator who offers diving in a bottom cage alongside the usual surface cage. We left Port Adelaide at 16.oo on Wednesday and arrived at our first stop in the South Neptunes at 10.00am the following morning. After a fruitless few hours trying to attract the sharks we relocated to the North Neptunes. The sharks were on the scene almost immediately and we did the first of our bottom cage dives. The following day the weather wasn't suitable for the bottom cage so we did surface cage dives only. Again there were plenty of shark action. On our final day we did two more rounds of bottom cage diving before heading back to port arriving mid morning the following day.
Photography wasn't easy in the cages as they bounced about all over the place , the water was dirty with burley and there were constant schools of Trevelly in the bloody way but between us we got worthwhile stuff.
Aside from the sharks the highlight of the trip was a VSAG cap getting blown off of Dylan's head and being immediately swallowed by a shark when it hit the water.
Travelling were: Ian Scholey, David Flew, Matthijs Smith, Dylan Smith, Greg Richards, Leo Maybus, Mick Kakafikas and Jeff Saunders. ... See MoreSee Less
Advice wanted from an asthma suffering diver...
Friend considering open water course would like to discuss risks and experiences with asthma. ... See MoreSee Less
A group of 8 headed off to South Australia to join the MV Rodney Fox for a Livaboard trip down to the Neptune Islands for some Great White Shark cage diving. Rodney Fox is the only operator who offers diving in a bottom cage alongside the usual surface cage. We left Port Adelaide at 16.oo on Wednesday and arrived at our first stop in the South Neptunes at 10.00am the following morning. After a fruitless few hours trying to attract the sharks we relocated to the North Neptunes. The sharks were on the scene almost immediately and we did the first of our bottom cage dives. The following day the weather wasn't suitable for the bottom cage so we did surface cage dives only. Again there were plenty of shark action. On our final day we did two more rounds of bottom cage diving before heading back to port arriving mid morning the following day.
Photography wasn't easy in the cages as they bounced about all over the place , the water was dirty with buand there were constant schools of Trevelly in thrleye bloody way but between us we got worthwhile stuff.
Aside from the sharks the highlight of the trip was a VSAG cap getting blown off of Dylan's head and being immediately swallowed by a shark when it hit the water.
Travelling were: Ian Scholey, Matthijs Smith, Dylan Smith, Greg Richards, Leo Maybus, Mick Kakafikas and Jeff Saunders. ... See MoreSee Less
A little bit of shark action from the VSAG Rodney Fox expedition this weekend. More pictures and videos to come but cage diving adds several dimensions of complexity to underwater photography. Brilliant trip with excellent food from Gigi, the French cook who had to turn the pork in the middle of a cage dive. [play loud!] ... See MoreSee Less
Shark Diving - It’s all too much for our ex president ... See MoreSee Less
Home for the next 4 days. Everyone made it here ... See MoreSee Less
Hi all
I have just sent an email to all VSAG members in reference to an Expression of Interest to organise a group of us to attend the Tasmanian Combined Club Weekend on the 9-12th of June at Bicheno.
Please refer to the email and respond by this Sunday if you are interested. ... See MoreSee Less
Photos from Victorian Fisheries Authority's post ... See MoreSee Less
As we are off to the Neptune Islands tomorrow we will look out for Sharks in Sunnies ... See MoreSee Less
Hi all
Luke English at Redboats have been kind enough to schedule the Dunloe (44-46m) for me on Monday 25th January. It would be great to get enough divers booked on to get this one running, anyone interested? ... See MoreSee Less
We had a great day diving for crays down at Arch Rock today on Mistress. Peter Galvin was also out on Stroker and competition was fierce for cray of the day. Mike Mosseveld took the honours with a 3.6kg monster. Surface conditions were ideal but the surge wasn’t great causing reduced visibility when sand was disturbed. Water was 17c.The surprise of the day was bagging an Eastern Rock Lobster. None of us had encountered an Eastern RL before in Victorian waters and was wondering if anyone else had? ... See MoreSee Less
Looking for suggestions for new dive boat...
Around 6m, easy to board, tuff construction (bullet-proof), but also flexibility as a family touring boat for day trips around the bays. Boat will be made available for VSAG outings.
Anny suggestions welcome. ... See MoreSee Less
Rye was absolutely mesmerising this morning. Every January it turns on a spectacular show with streams of junior leather jackets, and an abundance of everything. Spent a lot of time with a couple of friendly octopuses. So lucky to have this on our doorstep. ... See MoreSee Less
Chris Porter and I headed out on #redboats this morning. It's amazing how quickly conditions can change. On Tuesday we had fantastic Vis in the rain while today it was awful in the sunshine. It was a real challenge to take a decent snap so the camera didn't get much action. Instead I concentrated on enjoying the dive and dealing with the weird and wonderful things the current was doing. There were some quite strong down currents over the wall which required a bit of concentration until the slack kicked in. The vis was pretty grim. We had a plan for a maximum depth of 45m and a run time of 55 minutes and hit the surface having executed it perfectly. The territory was good and we enjoyed the dive despite the vis. ... See MoreSee Less
Just used a cheap and cheerful mashup editor .. and Facebook seems to downscale 4K video , but Flinders today
... See MoreSee Less
Video from recent dives under and around Rye Pier. Lots of juvenile leather jacket and octopus action this time. Quite magical. Soundtrack courtesy of Ghosthack.de. ... See MoreSee Less
I am heading to Blaigowrie tomorrow 7:30 am. Anyone care to join me? ... See MoreSee Less
It's been a while since I had a good Nudibranch hunt and I put that right yesterday with a trip to Blairgowrie.
I was in for 3 hours 27 minutes which is long even for me. I didn't get deeper than 3m and the water was a toasty 19 degrees. I found a great selection of my sluggish friends although I had to work pretty hard to find the interesting stuff.
I timed my exit to perfection and headed off for a post dive Coffee with Peter Beaumont. A nice chilled day. ... See MoreSee Less
I thought a few VSAGers would appreciate this radio exchange..... ... See MoreSee Less
I have to admit I was not that enthusiastic when my alarm went off at 5.00am and I looked out of the window. But I got up and in the pouring rain drove down to Portsea for the 7.15am #redboats boat. We were trying for Captain Nitros Drop-off but shipping put paid to that and Luke English explained Plan B was The Links. Buddy Chris Porter and I have dived the wall a time or two but neither of us could remember diving this site. We were warned to watch our Deco due to the fast out going tide at the end of slack so kept our depth to a max of 36m to give us a decent run time without too much deco.We were first in and descended onto some really very nice territory. It was a bloody good dive making getting up well worth while. We ran for just short of an hour hitting the surface well away from the Rip as requested. After all of my recent travel it was good to be back on our magnificent dive sites. ... See MoreSee Less
I have to admit I was not that enthusiastic when my alarm went off at 5.00am and I looked out of the window. But I got up and in the pouring rain drove down to Portsea for the 7.15am #redboats boat. We were trying for Captain Nitros Drop-off but shipping put paid to that and Luke English explained Plan B was The Links. Buddy Chris Porter and I have dived the wall a time or two but neither of us could remember diving this site. We were warned to watch our Deco due to the fast out going tide at the end of slack so kept our depth to a max of 36m to give us a decent run time without too much deco.We were first in and descended onto some really very nice territory. It was a bloody good dive making getting up well worth while. We ran for just short of an hour hitting the surface well away from the Rip as requested. After all of my recent travel it was good to be back on our magnificent dive sites. ... See MoreSee Less
I have to admit I was not that enthusiastic when my alarm went off at 5.00am and I looked out of the window. But I got up and in the pouring rain drove down to Portsea for the 7.15am #redboats boat. We were trying for Captain Nitros Drop-off but shipping put paid to that and Luke English explained Plan B was The Links. Buddy Chris Porter and I have dived the wall a time or two but neither of us could remember diving this site. We were warned to watch our Deco due to the fast out going tide at the end of slack so kept our depth to a max of 36m to give us a decent run time without too much deco.We were first in and descended onto some really very nice territory. It was a bloody good dive making getting up well worth while. We ran for just short of an hour hitting the surface well away from the Rip as requested. After all of my recent travel it was good to be back on our magnificent dive sites. ... See MoreSee Less
Hello and merry xmas all, i am rosebud based for a few weeks and looking for buddie(s) for a cray dive or 2 on nye. Happy for a buddy on a redboats dive or private boat.
Pm or shout out. (Advanced, deep, rescue, nitrox, master diver qual'd) ... See MoreSee Less
Early morning dive on The Hurricane ... See MoreSee Less
Last of not enough dives for 2020. But an absolute cracker under Rye Pier. Got in early before the crowds and had an abundance of cool wildlife out to greet us. Watch with the sound on. ... See MoreSee Less
FYIDiving for scallops or crays, or spearfishing? You might be joined by one of our Fisheries Officers in the water!
Inspections can take place in and under water, so if you see a diver in a bright orange vest approaching, they're checking out your catch.
These two freedivers near Rye were more than happy to show off their delicious haul of scallops. Yum!
To find out more about collecting scallops in Port Phillip, visit vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide/catch-limits-and-closed-seasons/ty...
#fisheriesofficersatwork #scallopdiving ... See MoreSee Less
It's been a huge end of year for me and i'm a little behind with Photo's. Just got around to going through these today after the SA trip and then a Hogan Island trip two days later I still have another 28 dives to go through to catch up. More on these trips over the coming weeks but both produced some spectacular diving.
This dive was a Fishcount dive and I was joined by Peter Beaumont and Christine Reynolds. I have to admit that Flinders isn't my favourite spot but when the conditions are perfect it can be spectacular. We were lucky to get a great day and I was pleased with the pictures. I was also hunting for Dragons for #seadragonsearch and I think I found 13 individuals. ... See MoreSee Less
I have blocked the turkey Fahri ... See MoreSee Less
Is this one size? ... See MoreSee Less
Hi all,
We're thinking of doing a short road trip to Adelaide for diving - any suggestions or tips? We will have about 5 days on the ground hopefully, first time heading this direction.
We've peeked at the itinerary that Ian sent out last month (would have been great to join the trip!), so are thinking the jetties (Edithburgh, Rapid Bay, Port Noarlunga) and perhaps a boat dive or two. Recommendations of dive shops to go through? Any tips for the jetties as to preferred weather conditions etc?
What about Ewens Ponds - we have seen there is a permit system to book time in the ponds - easy to navigate, or should we look to book a tour with someone?
Thanks for any advice! ... See MoreSee Less
An interesting find at Edithburgh Jetty the week before last. With the aid of Google I managed to identify it as a Tobacco Knife from circa 1890-1900. At the time Edithburgh was the 3rd busiest port in Australia. Given where it was found we are thinking it came from one of the ships docked there. The blade has rusted away but the thing is in good shape considering how long it has likely been down there. ... See MoreSee Less
