With Australia Day (26 January) falling on a Thursday, why not take an extra day of leave and have a four-day weekend on Straddie? The weather can be unpredictable at this time of year, but surely we’d get at least a couple of good dives. Even with bad weather, Straddie is a great place to have a short break – as soon as you’re on the ferry, you know you’re on holidays.

As the weekend loomed closer, the weather forecast was looking good, and reports on social media indicated the visibility was improving and there would be a good chance of seeing some manta rays and leopard sharks. Was this all too good to be true, we’d get there and find the dive sites ‘blown out’, not a manta in sight and bad viz? 

I’m pleased to say that this was one of those weekends when everything went our way. The weather was great, the viz was great and Manta Ray Bommie was at its best. Our first dive on Australia Day was at the Bommie and when we surfaced, it was clear from the looks on everyone’s face and from the animated chatter, that we’d all had a great dive. The sight of five manta rays circling was mesmerizing. Throw in a turtle, leopard sharks, octopus, frog fish and box fish, there was just so much to see. The second dive, again at the Bommie, was just as good. I think it’s fair to say that even those who have dived Straddie many times over the years have never seen such a display.

Overall, we did seven of our eight dives at the Bommie (yes, it really was that good). The one non-Bommie dive was at The Nursery, Flat Rock. Unfortunately, there was a really strong current, which made for a not-so-pleasant dive, particularly after we’d had such great dives at the Bommie. Just to give you an idea how strong the current was, no one had any problems maintaining a horizontal position for their safety stop!

On every dive at Manta Ray Bommie, the manta rays were in abundance, even during our last dives on the Sunday. So, clearly they had not been put off by all the ogling divers. The other creatures not put off were the octopuses. Apparently it was mating season for them, and they were certainly very active – every dive was like watching a new octoporn movie.

A thousand words could not even begin to give an indication of how good the diving was over the weekend, so I’ve included a selection of photographs taken by Laura Bellis. If you haven’t done so already, have a look at the rest of them on Facebook.

It could very well have been a weekend all about the diving and no one would have gone home disappointed. However, a big part of a Brisbane BSAC long weekend at Straddie is the socializing. It was great to have Ruth, Lee and Andy come back, and we also welcomed two guests, Kevin and a BSAC diver visiting from Leeds, Jo.

Finally, it would be remiss if I didn’t mention the entertainment provided one evening by Ian and Greta. Who knew they were such great dancers? They turned the kitchen and dining room into a dance hall and really carved up the dance floor! It was a joy to watch (and yes, there is video evidence).

A very big thank you to Hannah for organizing the trip, and to Kathryn for organizing the food (a very important aspect of a Brisbane BSAC trip to Straddie). Also, a special thank you to Laura for stepping in on Sunday to provide the dive briefing.

Bernadette Hawkins