9th January 2024- Grim Skies & Blue Water

With the swell considerably droppping down, only the small boat headed ot to South Solitary Island this morning. We loaded up with a small group of divers and half a dozen snorkelers! The skies were grim, with big rain cloud rolling in from the North. Nontheless, everyone was in high spirits and was super keen to jump in the water.

Dive one was a drop in at Shark Gutters for a lovely swim around the top end of the island! There were heaps to see, with the Leopard Shark stealing the show! He was swimming around Cleaner Rock amidst the schooling fish, obviously very keen to make his appearance known as he barely left sight of the divers! Five Spotted Eagle Rays were “dancing” with each other over the third gutter, which was a beautiful sight to be seen! Massive schools of Pomfrets were also collecting, creating walls and physical depth to swim through throughout the dive.

The wind picked up during the surface interval as the stormy weather came in closer to us, so everyone was keen to jump back in before the downpour!

Dive two was a swim from Shark Gutters to the Gantry. The Leopard Shark was spotted again as we descended down the mooring line, although this time not so playful with the divers. A few turtles swam by, both Green Turtles as well as Hawksbill! Yellow Box Fish, Nudibranchs and Spanish Dancers, different Moray Eel Species, Shrimp, and Black Cod were amongst the highlights of this dive!

Conditions Report:

Temperature: 25°C

Visbility: 20-25 metres