Despite the bushfires raging in SE Queensland and New South Wales, nine club members took on the 6-hour drive to South West Rocks on the mid north coast with the anticipation of diving the famous Fish Rock Cave with the grey nurse sharks! We gathered after the journey for dinner at the pub on the foreshore and to chat about plans for the weekend.

We dived with the South West Rocks Dive Centre and used their bunk or private room accommodation above, which was handy for the first morning to roll out of bed and get everything ready for loading on the boat. Unfortunately, the weather and currents were not great for Fish Rock Cave on Saturday, so we went to a slightly better site known as the Pinnacle. This would normally be a great site if it were not for the current ripping around the Pinnacle. However, it was still a good dive albeit a little challenging. As we finished the dive, the current picked up even more so that we were all lined up on the shot line like flags, flapping in the wind. The second dive was done at Green Island. This was much better by being sheltered from the current. There was a rocky ledge that we followed which was home to quite a bit of wildlife including turtles and octopuses in their “gardens”. After a lazy afternoon we headed out for dinner, some preferring the bowls club, the others the surf club overlooking the beach.

The next day brought much more favourable conditions for Fish Rock Cave so both dives were done there. The dives didn’t fail to impress for both the fun of exploring the cave and the wildlife to see. There were lots of huge wobbegongs, bull rays and grey nurse sharks as well as an abundance of other fish and crayfish.

Many thanks to the South West Rocks Dive Centre for their professionalism and proficiency and to Andre and Gavin for organising the dives and us all. Looking forward to our next trip there.