Kurt Kucera

Scuba Diver, Car Enthusiast, Outdoorsman

Diving Spotlight: Australia

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Scuba diving remains one of the most breathtaking and freeing activities a person can experience. The only problem at times is finding a safe and fun location to enjoy this hobby. Luckily, you can find an abundance of quality scuba diving destinations all over the world. Australia, in particular, is a hot spot for diving. The waters of Australia host some of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse environments on the planet. Divers can discover shipwrecks, caves, and even live coral reefs filled with colored sea life. Here are some of the best diving spots in Australia.

 

Fish Rock Cave

Located just two kilometers off Smoky Cape at South West Rocks on the New South Wales coast, Fish Rock Cave is a staple on most people’s must-do scuba diving list. It is home to a critically endangered species and includes a 125-meter cave which is actually the only true cave in all of Australia. In regards to the critically endangered species, the grey nurse shark, there is an estimated population of 1000-1500 left in Eastern Australia. They typically rally to Fish Rock Cave in bunches to feed, mate, and give birth. So, having the opportunity to watch these gentle giants swim in their natural environment is such a privilege for any diver. A great time to visit is between April and November as the ocean becomes home to Humpback whales and their calves who migrate to the area.

 

The Wreck of the SS Yongala

The wreck of the SS Yongala is another site on the bucket list for most divers. It boasts a plethora of sea life that define supersized and has a fascinating and slightly ghostly history. In 1911, the Yongala sank 89 kilometers offshore of Townsville. It took the lives of all 122 passengers on board and has remained undiscovered on the ocean floor for over 50 years. It is now a heritage site and artificial reef that hosts a variety of sea life and rivals many of the outer and more difficult to access parts of Queensland’s reefs. Due to the strength of the surface current, it would be best to have some diving experience and to be in good shape to handle it.

 

Osprey Reef

Osprey Reef is the volcanic atoll that lies beneath the ocean’s surface within the Great Barrier Reef. It does involve extra costs as compared to other diving sites. However, the benefit is experiencing the best diving offered at the Great Barrier Reef. There are large schools of pelagic fish, 40+ meters of visibility, and an abundance of shark actions. If you’re lucky, be sure to be on the lookout for giant potato cod, dogtooth tuna, and schooling hammerhead sharks. A quick tip would be to try a night dive where you would have the opportunity to see parrotfish asleep in their tailor-made mucous sleeping bags that masks their scent for potential predators.

Best Destinations for Beginner Scuba Divers

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When you’re starting out in any new activity, you want to make sure that you give yourself the best first experience possible. Scuba Diving is no different; you want to ensure that when choosing your site you consider not only your excitement but your safety as well. The scuba diving site you select should be somewhere that will give you all the features necessary for a memorable experience while also being appropriate for your skill level. Your first real dive trip is one of a kind, so you want the experience to be one that you remember for the rest of your life. With that in mind, here are some of the best destinations that deliver on the all the features necessary for beginner scuba divers.

 

Florida

The Sunshine state provides a plethora of diverse diving sites along with high-quality dive shops and operators. Water surrounds the state on three sides, and it boasts a number of freshwater springs in the interior. It appeals to many divers because of the variety of diving habitats. Divers can find wreck dives, shore dives, pier dives, drift diving, and even treasure-hunting diving off both of Florida’s coasts. In addition, just offshore of South Florida and down to the Florida Keys is the only living coral reef in North America. Divers will discover an abundance of marine life with the warm Gulf Stream current flowing through the area.

 

Bahamas

Located at the junction of the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans, the 700 islands, and 2,400 coral cays make up the Bahamas. The reef stretches 760 miles from Andros to Long Island, and it offers all types of world-class diving like shallow reefs, wrecks, blue holes, walls and shark dives. Plus with the warm water, high visibility, and gentle currents, the conditions make the Bahamas the ideal place for a beginner diver.

 

Hawaii

Beginners will love the chance to boost their skill set quickly due to the challenge of keeping neutral buoyancy while swimming through the lava-formed tunnel and arches at Tunnel Reef and First Cathedral in Hawaii. Divers can also enjoy the manta night dive of Kona which is a one of a kind nighttime experience that divers can have because of the site’s depth of 38 feet. Hawaii also calls to many families and couples and because of this, the instructors are frequently working with new divers and anyone looking to polish their skills.