Dive Reports – December 2021
Take a look at our dive reports from December 2021! We’ve detailed what we saw, the temperature and visibility, and surface conditions of the Solitary Islands in Coffs Harbour in MONTH YEAR.
Dive Reports December 2021 – Table of Contents:
3RD DECEMBER 2021 – SUNNY FRIDAY DIVING!
With Mega Wild full of customers, we headed out to South Solitary for a double dive, with a couple of snorkelers on board to enjoy the beautiful conditions.
On the first dive we headed down into Manta Arch, planning to make their way through to cleaner station. On this dive we started off with some Grey Nurse Sharks, seeing a few at the entrance of Manta Arch, along with a little moray eel. The arch was abundant with schooling fish, mainly bullseyes, and a large wobbegong. A large bull ray swung past as we headed towards the gutter. In the gutter on the way to Cleaner Station a few Grey Nurse Sharks greeted us, along with varieties of fish, nudibranches, and a blue gropers. At cleaner station we spotted some black cod, a few wobbeygongs, some yellow moon wrasse, among plenty of schooling fish.
Some of our divers were lucky to spot some hammerheads on this dive!
For the second dive, we dropped into Cleaner Station, and made our way through Shark Gutters.
On this dive we saw some more Grey Nurse Sharks, QLD Gropers, Black Cod, and heaps of Nudibranches. There were also hammerheads spotted on the second dive, while some divers spotted a loggerhead turtle and a green sea turtle. We saw more moray eels, a spanish dancer, and a flutemouth. Tarafish (a juvenile emporer angelfish that Tara spotted near cleaner cave) is still hanging around. Our snorkelers were lucky to see some turtles on their snorkel, too!
Congratulations to Emily and Tash for completing their Advanced Open Water Diver Course!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 22°C
- Visibility: 10m first dive, 15m-20m second dive
Dive Report by Tara
4th December 2021 – Hammerheads Schooling!
This morning with the sun shining Megawild headed out to South Solitary
For the first dive we dropped from the Back Gutter to the Gantry for certified divers, and had our students at the Gantry.
On this dive we saw… a lot of hammerheads! A few of our divers saw 60+ schooling hammers at the gap! Apart from the Hammers, we saw some Green Sea Turtles, schooling Tarwine, some Nudibranches, and some Egg Cowries.
For the second dive we headed on a drift from Cleaner Station to The Gantry, and the students drifted from Buchanan’s Wall to the Gantry!
On this dive we saw… more hammerheads! A smaller school were spotted at South Boulder. We also saw the friendly Blue Groper, some more turtles, an Abbot’s Moray, and plenty of Black Cod.
Congratulations on Rhianon for completing her Open Water Diver Course!
This is definitely a dive report you want to check out the Instagram and Facebook videos!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Visibility: 25m-30m
Dive Report by Tara
7th December 2021 – 30m Vis at South Solitary!!
Today we headed out to South Solitary Island and were greeted with beautiful 30m plus visibility!
For the first dive we headed to Buchanan’s Wall. Here we spotted a Grey Nurse Shark, and a Banded Coral Shrimp! There were plenty of Nudibranchs, a baby Flutemouth was spotted, and some Moray Eels. We also spotted some Black Cod, and the usual schooling fish, along with various Anenome fish. We also spotted an Eagle Ray without a tail, who was friendly and curious of our divers!
For the second dive we headed down from Shark Gutters to the Gantry. On this dive we also saw some Grey Nurse Sharks, heaps of turtles – a hawksbill and a green sea turtle, and some Wobbeygongs. There were huge schools of surgeonfish, schools of bullseyes, and heaps of Abbotts Morays.
Visibility was beautiful today, and we’re excited to get out on Thursday!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Visibility: 30m
Dive Report by Tara
9th December 2021 – Big Blue Visibility!
With the seas calming further Mega Wild cruised out to South Solitary for some awesome diving!
First up our divers flopped in at Shark Gutters where our certified divers were greeted by a school of Hammerhead Sharks while descending; after dropping down multiple Grey Nurse Sharks were sighted, along with Black Cod , Lionfish and several Pineapple Fish.
After the surface interval our certified divers dropped in at the Back Gutter for a hang with the Grey Nurse and then a little swim to meet the Student divers at Cleaner Station. ~25 Grey Nurse Sharks were seen in and around the gutter, with another 15 in the Manta Gutter. Other critters of note were , a Hawksbill Turtle, Blue Angelfish and an Abbots Moray.
Congratulations to Afiq & Muriana on completing their Open Water course; as well as Graeme & Annabella for completing their Discover Scuba experience.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 21°C-23°C
- Visibility: 25m-35m
Dive Report by Lindsay
15th December 2021 – Two Island Duo!
Cruising in style, Mega Wild made our trip to South Solitary Island this morning a breeze! Our divers spotting a Jawfish, Nudibranchs, Wobbegongs and Egg Cowries amongst the beautiful array of coral.
Venturing out to South Solitary Island for dive two, we jumped in at Shark Gutters for another awesome dive. Grey Nurse Sharks, Nudibranchs, Pineapple Fish and some big Black Cod made up just some of the highlights!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 22
- Visibility: 10m-20m
Dive Report by Tara
16th December – Picture Perfect Thursday, above and below
Todays dives were just what the doctor ordered! Both boats with divers and snorkellers enjoying a great morning. “2 Wild’s” divers started the morning at Manta Arch with some excellent blue water under a slightly greener surface. 35 mtr vis with 30 odd Grey Nurse Sharks at the arch and sandy bottom nearby was just ideal. Then around the corner at the Back Gutter was pretty much the same number of sharks.
Dive 2 showed of our top end of South Solitary Island with Black Cod, Eagle Rays, Bull rays and Trevally schooling, along with a few Nudibranchs to please the critter divers. Meanwhile the group of snorkellers loved the conditions around the Gantry with turtles on both sessions.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 24°C
- Visibility: 20m-35m
Dive Report by Mike
17th December 2021 – Grey Nursapalooza!
Despite the clouds closing in our divers hopped onto Mega Wild and steamed out to South Solitary Island for some awesome diving!
First up our divers dropped in at Buchanan’s Wall, where our divers saw two Green Turtles, Banded Coral Shrimp, some interesting nudibranchs, a couple of juvenile Yellow Boxfish and a very lost Grey Nurse Shark!
For our second dive our divers descended on Cleaner Station for a very fast drift to South Boulder! Along the way Black Cod, a Hawksbille Turtle, Queensland Grouper, dozens of Grey Nurse Sharks and Eagle Rays were seen.
Congratulations to Christine on completing her Padi Open Water Diver course.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Visibility: 25m-30m
Dive Report by Tara
18th December 2021 – Amazing Conditions at the Solitaries!
There was no better way to spend the day than diving at the Solitary Islands! While 2 Wild ventured to North Solitary Island, Mega Wild stopped off at South Solitary Island for two awesome dives.
The visibility at North Solitary reached 35m in some locations. The warm, clear water brought in all the tropical marine life including Black Anemonefish, Eagle Rays, lots of Turtles and a very friendly Leopard Shark!
While the vis at South Solitary had dropped a little on yesterdays conditions, the diving was still nothing short of amazing. Grey Nurse Sharks, Black Cod, Turtles, Nudi’s and a very friendly Blue Groper made up just some of the highlights.
Congratulations to Jo, Ned and Liam on completing your PADI Open Water Course and to Sam on completing your PADI Advanced Open Water Course. Well done!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Visibility: 30m-35m
Dive Report by Tara
19th December 2021 – Certified Students at South Solitary Island
We had a steady Northerly wind this morning which made the trip to South Solitary Island a tad slow, but once underwater both dives at the island were magic.
Dive one was at Buchanan’s Wall and Dive two was at The Gantry, we had plenty to look at on both dives including Bullrays, Blue Groupers, Octopus, Turtles, Eagle Rays, Stripeys, Flutemouth Fish, Blue Tangs and a cute little Yellow Box Fish on Buchanan’s Wall.
Congratulations to Sarah, Martin and James who finished their PADI Open Water Course today.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 22°C
- Visibility: 15m-18m
Dive Report by Lindsay
20th December 2021 – Christmas Week Dives
Today we headed out to South Solitary Island for our double dives.
Visibility had dropped since yesterday, but there was lots to see down Buchanan’s Wall. Our divers spotted some green turtles on this first dive, along with Wobbegongs, and nudibranches. We – of course – saw our friendly local Blue Groper. We saw a couple of yellow boxfish, several banded coral shrimp, and a quite large octopus.
After our surface interval, Mega Wild headed up to the top end of the island and divers dropped in at Shark Gutters for a drift to the Gantry. On this dive we saw plenty of Grey Nurse Sharks, some black cod, and a few big Bull Rays down South Boulder Wall. There were a few more turtles spotted in the gap on the way down. Our usual suspects of Blue Tangs and Anenomefish were seen (You can see a very grumpy looking one as our dive report picture, taken by Lindsay), along with a golden egg cowry Fire Gobys and some Moray Eels.
Congratulations to our newest Openwater Divers who completed their course today! Great work Penny, Lily, Ella, Gavin, and Orlando!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 22°C
- Visibility: 5m-15m
Dive Report by
21st December 2021 – Sensational Split Splash!
Despite some sub-optimal surface conditions Mega Wild headed off to South Solitary… and then halfway there we changed our minds and went to Split Solitary for some solid diving instead!
The impromptu island swap worked out well, with a much more sheltered dive site with surprisingly good visibility! first up our divers dropped in at Turtle Cove for a wee bit of a look around, after descending through the dirty top layer the visibility opened up to reveal many Banded Coral Shrimp, Popcorn Shrimp, Nudibranchs, a little Octopus, a big Bull Ray and a pair of juvenile Grey Nurse Sharks were seen.
After the surface interval we rolled in at Mike’s Mooring where our divers saw more Nudibranchs, some Painted Crays, Coral Rockcod, Spotted Rays, a Hawksbill Turtle, and a Crested Horn Shark.
Congratulations to Linda on completing her Advanced Open Water dives, as well as Clancy & Elsie on completing their PADI Open Water Diver Course.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C-22°C
- Visibility: 6m-15m
Dive Report by Nathan
23rd December 2021 – Shark Central at South Solitary!
With the recent wind and swell finally breaking, Mega Wild headed out to South Solitary for today’s diving.
First up our divers dropped in at Shark Gutters where they were caught in Grey Nurse peak hour traffic, with so many Grey Nurse Sharks around the mooring that our divers had to wait their turn to move! Pineapple Fish, Nudibranchs, a Queensland Grouper and unusually for this time of year a Giant Cuttlefish hiding in Cleaner Cave.
After the surface interval our divers rolled in at Manta Arch for a one way swim to South Boulder. More Grey Nurse were seen around the Back Gutter along with a plethitude of macro life: juvenile and sub-adult Yellow Boxfish, Nudibranchs, Peacock Sole and a very lost Spotted Snake Eel (today’s photo courtesy of Stuey)!
Congratulations to Tyeren on completing his PADI Advanced Open Water Course, and also Diego on completing his PADI Junior Open Water Diver Course.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 5m-10m
Dive Report by Tara
24th December 2021 – Christmas Eve Dive
With the most favourable conditions of the last week 2 Wild headed out to South Solitary for today’s diving.
First up our divers descended on Shark Gutters and were briefly greeted by a Sandbar Shark, along the way our divers also encountered Grey Nurse Sharks, Nudibranchs, Pineapplefish, a Netted Toby, an Orange Spotted Sand Goby, a Queensland Grouper and a juvenile Emperor Angelfish.
After the surface interval our divers dropped in at Shark Gutters, this time for a swim to South Boulder. During the dive more Nudibranchs, Gold Crown Sleeper Gobies, Black Cod and Several Green Turtles were seen.
Visibility: 5-15m
Water Temperature: 21-22°
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 21°C-22°C
- Visibility: 5m-15m
Dive Report by Stuart
26th December 2021 – Sensational South Solitary Island!
With both of our boats loaded with excited divers we made our way to South Solitary Island for two very spectacular dives today. Our divers had an action packed dive one, getting up close and personal with dozens of grey nurse sharks at Manta Arch and the back gutter. Dive two was spent enjoying Shark Gutters and the Cleaner Station. Plenty to see on this dive including our resident juvenile Emperor Angelfish (Tara Fish), Queensland Groper, Black Cod, schooling Trevally and a Harlequin Tuskfish which was spotted in the back of the cleaner cave.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C-24°C
- Visibility: 10m-20m
Dive Report by Andy
30th December 2021 – Returning Blue Water
We managed to find a window of opportunity this morning to get our divers out to South Solitary Island.
With the steady southerly wind we were restricted to the northern end of the island. Both dives were done at Shark Gutters. Some of the marine life seen today were grey nurse sharks, eagle rays, blue spotted rays, black cod, octopus, juvenile ribbon eel, fire gobies, and 5-7 turtles near the gap.
Photo taken by Ian Shaw.
Visibility was 15-18 meters
Temperature was 23 degrees
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Visibility: 15m-18m
Dive Report by Lindsay
31st of December 2021 – Last Dives of the Year!
With some rain hovering on the horizon we made our way out to South Solitary Island for the last two dives of 2021. Our first site was Buchannan’s Wall where our divers were treated to clear water and lots of marine life. A few greasy cod, grey nurse shark, juvenile yellow boxfish, fire gobies, and juvenile ribbon eel were seen. Dive two was a drift from Cleaner Station all the way down to The Gantry. Highlights were a large eagle ray, turtles, stripeys, batfish, and grey nurse shark.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 22°c-23°C
- Visibility: 15m-20m
Dive Report by Lindsay
