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Hello everybody,
I'm back !!! (sorry)
I haven't been doing much reporting lately as Linda & I are going through another course (torture programme) but we did get a couple of dives in last weekend.
Our dive on Saturday morning was at Foggy Cave.

Brilliant dive! We dropped in off the boat into milky water with about 5 metres vis. Following the anchor line down, when we reached 10 metres depth, the milkyness cleared to crystal blue water all the way to the bottom 40 metres below with at least 30 metres vis. After a slow swim to the ledge overlooking the cave, we stopped at the drop-off to see 7 beautiful Grey Nurse sharks leisurely swimming around below us.
Instead of just dropping straight down onto the sand, we stayed on the ledge until we were sure that all the sharks had seen us. Only then did we drop off the ledge to join the sharks.

Because they all knew that divers were around, when we dropped down, they weren't spooked by our presence and just went about their business, swimming over & around us and just doing what they do naturally, instead of being spooked by divers and swimming off.

Sunday's dive was also to Foggy Cave (just had to do it again).
The vis had dropped a little to about 20 meters. Water temp was 24c with a slight southerly current.

Back to the ledge, sit there for a minute to allow the sharks to accustom to our presence, then drop to the sand in the middle of 8 Grey Nurse (2 babies - probably last years birthings & 6 adults) one of which was obviously the dominant male.
He swam out of the cave towards me, turned slightly to my right as he passed and bared all of his teeth, probably as a show of dominance. Brilliant, the only problem is Linda had the camera as she was getting photos of an adult female with a large hook & trace line attached. She must have put up a good fight with the fisherman as her head is permenantly twisted to the right. She probably has neck muscle/tendon damage.

Take a look at our short video, but for the real thing, have a dive with us at Terrigal Dive Centre.
Anyway, on that note, I must say goodbye till my next report.

Video of Foggy Cave Scuba Dive.

Stay tuned - stay safe
Clark Bent

We had a great time! We were visiting Sydney for the holidays from the US and wanted a day of diving. A quick internet search turned up Terrigal Dive Centre.

My boys (18 and 20) and I were so glad to find such a great dive shop and an easy to access spot to dive. Les and Fran took great care of us. Our first dive was a boat dive

. The dive master and the more experienced divers on the boat were very helpful to the less experienced. They treated us like family. A very positive experience on rough conditions.

I look forward to diving here again on our next visit down under and hope to be able to dive the HMAS Adelaide out of the Terrigal Dive Centre.

Thanks to Les and Fran from,
Jim, Tim and Sam.

Les and Fran would like to congratulate Grant and Paula Bradley on passing their Dive Instructor's Exam's and we welcome them into our fold. Now their problems are only just starting - we are only joking.

Maritime put out the marker buoy at the site where the ex HMAS Adelaide
is going to be sunk. It is a further milestone in the history of obtaining the
wreck and it is suddenly getting quite exciting.

P.S. Les could not resist being the first in the queue.

The Open Water Dive Course divers all passed with flying colours and were a real pleasure to have and Les and I are looking forward to them visiting us again shortly. Thanks also for the birthday wishes.

Fran

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRAN!

Thanks again for a great week. We all thoroughly enjoyed the course and learned a lot.

Here is a copy of the photo Linda took yesterday of our happy group. We hope to see you soon for our follow up dive.

Have a lovely day,

from Rowena

Hi Les & Fran, We arrived back from our trip to Santo last Friday. The diving over there was great as usual - 15 days, 14 dives on the President Coolidge and 1 on an old Dauntless bomber wreck. The air temp was about 30c with 80-85% humidity and the water was a constant 28c at all depths. This is the life. If this is the rainy season, bring it on.  We had 2 days when it drizzled slightly for about 30 minutes and 1 downpour overnight. The fish life on the Coolidge all come in giant size - 1 metre long snapper, 1.5 metre tuna, 2 metre long barracuda, Nessie the moray eel (probably 3 metres) and Linda spotted some other big fish cruising off in the channel that looked to be about 2-2.5 metres long. Linda, being a florist, decided she would take a flower down to The Lady and I took a photo of the occasion. This is probably the 1st time that The Lady has received a flower in 68 years. The bomber wreck was also a great dive. Although it is broken up, you can see that the plane crashed under power as the propellers are bent back. The cockpit is still visible but too small to enter with scuba gear and the remainder of the plane is easily recognisable. During our offgassing days, we lazed around, ate, drank, ate, drank, I had a game of Island Golf at Santo Golf Club - yes, there is a golf club there (see attached photo. All in all, we had a great time and are glad to be back to see our friends at the shop. P.S. Can you please organise for Terrigal waters to be heated to 28c for us - pleeeeeeeze ? See you all soon, Nigel & Linda.

Manhatten Beach

Hi Fran & Les Thanks for the greetings you sent through Tristan. He just arrived back in Sydney following the funeral and Christmas. We loved the photo on your website of the new ramp in use for the first time. Looking forward to walking on it fully geared up myself in early Feb! For now have attached a couple of snap shots that are mostly self explanatory. Manhattan Beach is near the airport in LA where we spent half a day and one night when United cancelled our flight to the east coast . Unfortunately, that was the last time I've been able to wear the dive shop T-shirt. Snow is the order of the season in Connecticut, along with temps in the sub zero range. We got 5 inches today, with more expected over the next few days. Give our regards to all. Gary & Dianne

No Diving Here

Hi there Gary and Diane,
Just a note to let you know that all your friends at Terrigal are thinking of you at this time. Thank you for the photo's the No Diving Here one looks like a Christmas Card and I thought it would be nice to share them.

Merry Christmas everybody. Not many sleeps now till Christmas & not many dives left for the year. Also, I forgot to mention last week that the new ramp & path from the shop is NOW OPEN. It is so easy to get down to the beach & boat. No steps at all, just an easy walk along a gentle slope.

This week we dived at Foggy Cave & Skillion Cave on Saturday 19th. Foggy Cave is at 40 metres and the visability there was at least 25 metres (some reckon about 30). Heaps to see as usual - stripeys, old wives, yellowtail, grouper, baby cuttle fish and Captain Les. He is a resin garden gnome that has been moored to a rock just before the ledge down to the cave. When we were on our safety stop, what did we see, Byron having a paddle around the boat (without a wetsuit on), but with his cossies of course. Just goes to prove that the water has warmed up.

The 2nd dive was at Skillion Cave and what a dive it was. The bottom here is around 21 metres. Nice clear water again and fish galore. The large grouper greeted us first for a feed of urchin. The 1st urchin I touched for the day & the nasty thing spikes me in the back of the hand with six of his spines. How do I know there were six, I could clearly see the black ends under my skin (ouch) !! Entering the cave, all we could see were fish, nannygai, stripeys, yellowtail & numerous others. Again the grouper wanted a feed - ( here, pick the spines out of the back of my hand first & I'll consider it )

We couldn't find the resident wobby this time but the usual moray eels where there. Rising up towards the cave roof and fighting our way through the fish, there is a side exit through the rock. Just on the right hand side of this exit is an overhang and a rather large cuttlefish was hovering in a low surge trying to get some sleep. During our safety stop, we explored the life on one of the many vertical walls and there is a myriad of life all along here. Too much to mention. But, one of the giant bull rays (2 1/2 metres across) swam past us at a leisurely pace, probably going for a feed of mussels on one of the ledges.

Sundays' diving was at Two White Houses & Fifeshire Reef. Again, excellent dives. But I've rattled on enough. Its nearly Christmas, Linda & I are packing to leave for Vanuatu on Thursday - sorry, someone has to go (again) & I have alchohol waiting for me.

Click on the link below to see Saturdays' video. Again, have a Merry Christmas & a safe & happy New Year to all. Safe diving & we'll be back in about 3 weeks.

Click here to see our Scuba Dive of Foggy Cave and Skillion Cave

From your merry mild mannered reporter,
Clark Bent and Linda.

We have great news, our walkway to the beach is now open.  It is now a 25 metre walk on a concrete path with a slight gradient to the boat ramp. All you divers who could not make it up the stairs and along the road can now come back. We cut the ribbon about 2.30p.m. Saturday 12th December.   Come Sunday morning the divers made good use of it and were they happy - oh yes.

A group of divers enjoying our new pathway to the beach.

Linda and Nigel celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last week. Congratulations and lots more to come.

Hi ho everybody, This weekends' diving (12th & 13th Dec) was at Two Poles Reef off Spoon Bay on Saturday.

The depth here is an average of 18 metres and is a great shallow dive.
The vis was about 15 metres and the water is warming to 21/22c which is a little more than last week.

There is a long sandy gutter running east/west and is a good spot to find weedy sea dragons.

Among the cracks & crevises we found many nannygai hiding (or trying to hide) as we passed by and plenty of newly hatched baby fish (fry).

The 1st dive on Sunday morning was at the Commonwealth wreck off Bateau Bay.
This is an old collier which sank in 1916 and sits in 40 metres of water.
It is very broken up now but is still an interesting dive looking around the boiler, engine & 2 anchors with other assorted bits & pieces lying about.

Our 2nd dive on Sunday was at Fifeshire Reef.
This spot would have to be one of my favorites, with fingers of reef in an east/west direction. At a depth of 22 metres, it is a perfect 2nd dive.

Plenty of soft corals & sponges to be found, nice little sand patches where rays & sole sleep, also the occasional moray eel can be seen poking their heads out of crevises
Again the visability on this dive was about 18-20 metres.

Take a look at the short video of Two Poles Reef and maybe give us your comments or even come and see us at the shop.

By the way, Linda & myself will be on holidays in Vanuatu from the 24th Dec. So after next week, there will be a break in our diving reports - unless someone else wants to write them ( hint, hint ).

That all for now folks, see our SCUBA dive of Two Poles Reef here.

From your mild mannered reporter,
Nigel.
(alias Clark Bent)
Thanks Pete !

Hot off the press

Nigel the mild mannered reporter exposed.

Hi All,

This week, we dived at Sweep City off Bateau Bay on Saturday, and Foggy Cave & The Pinnacle, also off Bateau Bay on Sunday.

Sweep City, as the name implies, is the home to large schools of Sweep.
The depth is 27 metres and we had clear, warm water with about 15 metres vis.
There is an interesting drop-off with the wall running north - south with plenty of nooks & crannies to investigate.

One such overhang is the home of a lovely Eastern Blue Devil Fish and yet again, we forget to take the camera.

The 1st dive on Sunday was to Foggy Cave (40 metres).
No Grey Nurse sharks at this time of the year but still an interesting dive.
We had beautiful blue water again this week with about 20-25 metres vis - and warm too (20c).

Swimming over the sand gutter on the southern side of the cave we came across a good sized Port Jackson shark sleeping on the sand.
Back on top of the southern rock shelf, we found a male Weedy Sea Dragon carrying eggs (good daddy) and a nice video to prove it.
Yes, we took the camera this time !

The 2nd dive on Sunday was to the Pinnacle.
18 metres on top and drops down to 27 metres.
Clear water again, (probably 15 metres) with a large school of Kingfish greeting us as soon as we were in the water. They followed us almost to the bottom, milling around as they do and coming so close that you are able to reach out and literally touch them.

Once on the bottom, we were harassed by the usual fish - the Blue Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Parrot Fish, Leatherjackets, numerous Stripies and many other small fish, all wanting to get a free feed off us.
The two Easter Blue Devil Fish that were in the western cave couldn't be found today and were probably hiding.

View our video of the SCUBA dive or call into the shop for a dive sometime.

From you mild mannered reporter,
Nigel.

This weeks dive news report is about our dive on the Galava wreck.
3 nautical miles east of Terrigal Haven in 50 metres of clear blue water.

This particular wreck sits by itself on a clean white bed of sand with nothing else around and attracts numerous fish - nannygai (by the thousands, morwong, yellowtail, 2 large resident wobbies, occasional kingfish and moray eels to name just a few.

Swim around the boiler and check out all of the soft coral growth upon it and drop down to the base of the sternpost to swim around the rudder housing.

Back out and along the ships' protruding skeleton towards the bow and most times the resident wobbies will greet you with a slow swim-by.

For a small glimpse of the wreck, click on the link below to see a 6 minute video of the Galava.
I hope you all enjoy watching, see our dive to Galava wreck.

Your mild mannered dive reporter.
Nigel

Diving Weekend 21st-22nd November 2009
The dive on Saturday to The Pinnacle was pleasant & relaxing with the water
temp. a pleasant 20c and visibility around 15 metres.

A small school of yellowtail were observed hovering in a slow current on the
southern side and in the swim-through we found the two eastern blue devil
fish hiding in a corner. Are these a breeding pair? We shall have to keep an
eye on them to find out in the near future.

The new resident male blue groper is slowly becoming accustomed to divers,
as he will come racing over to you if you tap your knife on the rock, but he
won't take an urchin out of your hand yet, more training for him in the
future.

Sundays' dive to Two White Houses at 8am was an absolute hoot.
Drop in off the back of the boat straight into blue water.

Not one gooby could be seen floating anywhere. It really looked like your
were floating in the air, except it was wet and there was a boat above us.
Water temp was about 21c and the visibility was easily 25mt.

A slow drift to the bottom at 30mt revealed we were in the perfect spot,
heaps of sink holes, swim throughs, and small gutters everywhere.

From one large sink hole there was a steady stream of nannygai drifting out
over the top lip and across the adjacent rock platform, I think they were
asleep before we disturbed them.

Looking up, we were greeted by a school of 200-300 good sized kingfish
milling around just above us. They were soon joined by a large school of
luderick passing through.

Continuing on, we came to the northern end sand gutter were the temperature
dropped a little.

Time to turn around a head back. Over the rock platform again, back over the
nannygai (sorry guys) bad time to try to get some sleep, up the anchor line
and tell Byron all about the great dive he missed while boat keeping.

The second dive on Sunday to Two Poles (19 mt) at 10am was also good but the
visibility dropped down to 15mt. The water temp was still around 20c though.

We followed the wall of the reef in a northerly direction for a short while
but found that all was quiet on the fish front, so we decided to turn around
and head south instead where we found a large sergeant baker propped up on
his front fins keeping a look-out for food or prey as usual.

Checking a small cave on the southern corner of the reef, all we found
inside was a small school of nannygai hiding in the back corner.

Back out and further along, we came to the sandy gutter and kelp bed where
the elusive weedy sea dragon lurk. Checking up and down the length of the
gutter, all we could find was 2 small sand rays, buried up to their
eyeballs and thinking that they can't be seen, but no weedies today.

Swimming back to the anchor, we came across a school of lazy red morwong
hovering in between some boulders making sure that we weren't going to come
too close.

Back on board the boat, Les asked us if we saw the weedy sea dragon in the
gutter as he knows where it is every time he goes there - I think he has one
hidden in his BC pocket to show his students.

That's all for this weekend folks,
Check back next week for the next report from your mild mannered reporter,
Nigel.

Well, the water has finally warmed up to a comfortable 20c on most of the dive sites.
The dive on Sunday to the Kiama wreck (46 metres) was excellent with blue water down to about 30 metres. The visibility within the blue water was about 20 metres and dropped to 10-12 metres on the bottom.

An interesting dive was had by all, including the Australian Fur Seal that was constantly diving down to say hello & play in our bubbles on our ascent.

This was the first seal that Linda has seen in the wild and Linda could be the first diver that this seal has seen "in the wild" with her eyes popping out of her mask.

Our skipper, Byron, also had the opportunity and good fortune of watching the seal constantly diving down the mooring rope to us and also had a mother whale & calf drifting close by.

Nigel & Linda

So you have heard that its cold and murky and not worth diving? Think again. Saturday presented 15m vis and 17 degree water.

The Haven was a delight with great schools of Yellow-tail and abundant Blue Groper and Flathead. Pinnacle presented Eastern Blue Devils and a lot of fish activity.

So why is your wetsuit going stiff in the garage when there is diving to be done?

John Johnstone

Tom McCammont has sent us a poem and to do it justice present it in it's original form we have dedicated a special page to Tom's Poem

Many thanks Tom for your great poem and kind words. We know how much effort and thought you gave to doing the course - it was a pleasure to have you.
Les and Fran.

Dear Les and Fran Just a short email to thank the both of you for the fantastic course that Nigel and myself have just completed. ( Stress and Rescue ) It has given us more confidence in our diving, confidence in how to detect stress in others during a dive and knowing we could save someone if need be.

The course was also a lot of fun with Les putting his full effort into the lectures as always and you Fran, being very thorough with your practical and putting everyone at ease.

Thankyou from the botton of our wetsuits boots and our hearts.
Linda and Nigel

Last weekend the 14th and 15th March saw the completion of Stress and Rescue along with the DAN 02 Provider. We are very pleased to say congratulations to Linda and Nigel Robinson, Andrew Arvidson and Peter Davis in achieving this. We would also like to congratulate Linda and Nigel in reaching their MASTER DIVER goal. Well done all of you.

Thank you for your kind words but like we said, you did all the "HARD" work
Les and Fran

I think this is the final HURRAY for the 40th celebrations. This week DiveLog published an article on Les and Fran's achievements culminating in their 40th year of business.

Naturally this issue will become a collectable so you are advised to get your copy early. Although the diving industry has a lot of competition within it, it is always good to see that the industry does know how to celebrate its successes!

Well done Les and Fran from all your mates in TUG and at TD. You are a credit to the industry.

John Johnstone

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