Why dive the South Coast?

Isn't it cold, visibility's poor and its rough I here you ask.

Yes!! It is some of the time it is, isn't it everywhere?

The water can be cold especially in the winter when the currents come up from the south, but with them the cold currents with often clear water and the days in the cooler months can be excellent for diving due to the predominant westerly winds. A dry suit is almost a must for this time of year, you stay warm and dry and have excellent dives. The water is not always cold after Christmas and up until March the water temperature can range from 20 - 25 degrees Celsius which for many of us is 3 mm wetsuit temperature.

In the summer the afternoons often blow up choppy but the mornings are excellent and you can get a double dive in before lunch to allow you to explore the region with the rest of your time.

Don't expect the spectacular colours of the Great Barrier Reef, the colours are much more subtle, the spectacular hard corals are replaced with many varied sponges. The fish life is different too. Where on the Tropical reef the populations tend to be stationary, on the South Coast there are some stationary species, but there are many more that move with the currents, including some juvenile tropical species that come south with the warm currents. One of my favourites to find is the juvenile lion fish that can be found most summers. Don't expect to find the same fish at the same spot each time you go there. You will not only find the fish swimming around the reef that you are diving on, but if you look in holes and caves you will find much more. Things like octopus, cuttlefish, catfish, Bleakers Blue devil fish and many more make their homes under ledges and in holes.

And the scenery is beautiful!!! Explore the rest of my site to find out where to dive, my favorite places and how to find out what the weather is going to do.

Sunset over Jervis bay (By Nick Siefken)

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