Dive Reports – June & July 2023
Take a look at our dive reports from June and July 2023! We’ve detailed what we saw, the temperature and visibility, and surface conditions of the Solitary Islands in Coffs Harbour in June and July 2023.
Dive Reports – Table of Contents:
3rd June 2023 – Grey Nurse Sharks Are Back
We are finally back out diving and had some awesome conditions above and underwater.
Dive one was at Buchanan’s Wall as the current up the northen end was a tad strong.
There was a couple Turtles, Lionfish, one Yellow Box Fish near the mooring and lots of Anenome Fish.
The current had dropped enough for us to get in at Shark Gutters and make our way down the wall for an epic drift! At the bottom of the mooring we were welcome by 2-3 Grey Nurse Sharks and even more down Boulder Wall. We also had schools of Kingfish, a huge Eagle Ray, Wobbegongs and 6-8 Turtles near The Gap.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 10m-15m
Dive Report by Lindsay
4th June, 2023- “Crazy” Sunday At “Crazy Maze”
Although the weather was against us this morning, a boat full of divers managed to get two awesome dives in at South West Solitary Island.
Descending at “Crazy Maze”, our divers saw some Grey Nuse Sharks, a Clown Trigger Fish, Banded Coral Shrimp, White Eyed Moray Eel’s, Blue Tangs, lots of pregnant Wobbegong’s, and Octopus.
Staying at “Crazy Maze” for our second dive, We had heaps of Nudibranchs, a Blind Shark, three Yellow Boxfish, big Black Cod, and the Grey Nurse Sharks came back to say hello.
Congratulations to Ben for completing his PADI Open Water Diver course!
Another big congratulations to Isaac for completing his PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course!
Photo taken today by Lindsay
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 10m-15m
Dive Report by Lindsay
9TH JUNE 2023- FANTASTIC FRIDAY
With sunny skies, 2wild and its divers made way for South Solitary Island this morning.
First up, divers took the opportunity to descend at Manta Arch to make their way around to Cleaner Station. They were pleasantly greeted by about a dozen Grey Nurse Sharks crusing about. Making their way around the corner, divers also saw a Spotted Eagle Ray elegantly swimming by, and plenty of schooling fish.
After warming up from the sun on the surface interval, divers descended at Cleaner Station and drifted their way to the Gantry. On this dive, the highlight were the two Cuttlefish on the wall. More Grey Nurses were seen, heaps of wobbegongs, and some kingfish. All in all, there were about 30 Grey Nurse Sharks today!!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 10m
Dive Report by Teagan
10th June 2023 – Sharky Saturday
Today with 2 Wild full of divers, we headed out to South Solitary for a double dive!
For our first dive we dropped into Shark Gutters. One of our groups had students doing Shark Awareness specialty for their Advanced Course, which was excellent as there were plenty of Grey Nurse Sharks around! At least 4 or 5 Grey Nurses were spotted around the gutters. Some divers saw a large turtle on this first dive, and one of our groups saw a couple of octopus hanging out on a rock, one reaching it’s long tentacle out to the other! There were plenty of blue gropers and other schooling fish on this dive.
For the second dive we got in the water at Shark Gutters and made our way up to cleaner cave, then drifting down towards South Boulder. More Grey Nurses were spotted here out in deeper water. On this dive we saw another turtle, a much smaller one near the cave. There was a couple of white-eyed moray eels here, along with a small yellow boxfish! Another octopus was seen on this dive, along with Coral Cod, Nudibranches, old wives, pomfreds, coral beauties and surgeonfish. A couple of black cod were spotted on Boulder Wall, too!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C-20°C
- Visibility: 10m-12m
Dive Report by Tara
11TH June 2023- Vis Is Back
Calm seas allowed for 2Wild and its divers to make their way out to South Solitary Island this morning, finishing the weekend on a beautiful note. Our divers were greeted by Humpback Whales both on our way out to the island and back in.
Our small group of Advanced Open Water students descended at Manta Arch to complete their deep dive, being lucky enough to see more than 20 Grey Nurse Sharks sitting in the gutter alone! A lonsome Queensland Groper was also seen swimming about the Arch. Our other divers descended at Cleaner Station, where they were welcomed by lots of exciting marine life! More Grey Nurse Sharks were seen, two large Green Sea Turtles inside of the gutters, a cuttlefish, and heaps of schooling fish!
After an amazing first dive, divers could barely wait to get in for their second! Everyone descended at Shark Gutters and drifted their way down to South Boulder. Noteable marine life on this dive were massive Bull Ray’s, a Spotted Eagle Ray swimming in the shallows, painted Crays on the Boulder Wall, a lot of schooling Surgeonfish and Bullseys, and of course the Grey Nurse Sharks were around.
Congratulations to the new PADI Open Water Divers Katy, Jennifer, and Jack! It was a pleasure being in the water with you guys.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 20m
Dive Report by Teagan
12th June 2023- North, North West and South Solitary Dives
Jetty Dive had plenty of keen divers this morning, looking forward to getting in the water at both South Solitary and North Solitary. Up bright and early, both 2Wild and MegaWild loaded up and made way!
South Solitary
First up at South Solitary, Divers descended at Cleaner Station and enjoyed spending time in the water with more than 20 Grey Nurse Sharks. Other noteable marine life seen on this dive were the two Yellow Boxfish being protected by Two White Eyed Moorays, massive Black Cod, a Queensland Groper, and a Painted Cray Fish.
Our second dive, divers again descended at Cleaner Station but made their way down to Souther Boulder. A couple of Green Sea Turtles were out and about, plenty of colourful Nudibranchs, a Spanish Dancer, and more Grey Nurse Sharks.
North Solitary
Dive one was at Anenome Bay which had 6-7 Grey Nurse Sharks, a Logger Head Turtle, Eagle Rays and loads of Anenome Fish.
Dive two and three were split between North West Rock and North West Solitary Island.
North West Rock (Fish Soup) was amazing!!! There was schools of fish, huge Black Cod, Grey Nurse Sharks, balls of bait fish which had 15-20 Wobbegongs underneath.
NW Solitary had a few Turtles, Schools of Bullseyes and Kingfish.
Congratulations Sally on completing your Padi Advanced Open Water Diver course.
Dive Report by Teagan
16TH JUNE 2023- SHARK CITY!
A small group of divers made their way out to South Solitary Island this morning on 2Wild. With the sun shining and little wind, everyone were keen for some good diving!
Nice conditons on the top end allowed divers to descend at Manta Arch! Although the visibility was down a bit, no one could believe their eyes when they saw as many Grey Nurse Sharks as they did sitting around Cleaner Station mooring (around 40!). Other marine life seen on this dive were schooling fish and bait balls, some Kingfish cruising by, and a MASSIVE Green Sea Turtle.
The surface interval was spent warming up under the sun and sipping on warm drinks. Once ready, divers descended at Cleaner Station and made their way down to South Boulder. More Grey Nurse Sharks were seen hanging out on Boulder Wall, an octopus having a snooze, a big Bull Ray, and some nudibranchs.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 8m-10m
Dive Report by Teagan
17th June 2023- Beautiful Conditions!
2Wild made their way out to South Solitary Island this morning, ready for two beautiful dives!
First up, all divers descended at Manta Arch. Our advanced students were welcomed by nearly 30 Grey Nurse Sharks sitting in the gutter behing the Manta mooring! Other notable marine life seen on this dive were the massive Green Sea turtle’s, nudibranchs, and Black Cod.
In high spirits after their first dive, divers were ready to tackle their second dive! Descending at Shark Gutters, there was plenty of marine life to see! A few octopus were seen (camoflauging themselves with shells), a Cuttlefish sitting at the bottom of the mooring, a White Spotted Eagle Ray, a massive Spanish Dancer inside of Cleaner Cave, a Bully Ray, and of course more Grey Nurse Sharks!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 8m-15m
Dive Report by Teagan
18th June 2023 – Grey Nurse sharks galore!
Today, on Sunday 18th of June our excited divers headed to South Solitary Island to blow some bubbles!
On the first dive we dropped into Buchanan’s Wall. Here the divers spotted Black Cod cruising about, Green Sea Turtles, and nudibranches hiding about. There were anenomefish, and a big Bull Ray on this dive too. Our divers were also lucky to hear Humpback Whales singing while under the water.
On the second dive we chose Manta Arch, hoping for some Grey Nurse Shark action. In the arch there was only one Grey Nurse seen, however around in the back gutter our divers counted upwards of 40! Add in schooling fish everywhere, and this dive was fantastic.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 15m
Dive Report by Tara
19th June 2023 – Humpback Highway
Today on the 19th of June 2023, 2 Wild made it’s way up the Humpback Whale Highway to South Solitary Island, seeing heaps of humpbacks on the way!
On our first dive, we dropped a small group in at Manta Arch. These divers made their way to Cleaner Station. Another group of Students dropped in at Cleaner Station and explored the gutters. There were heaps of Grey Nurse Sharks in the back gutter, along with heaps of schooling fish along the dive. Divers also spotted Nudibranches, and Yellow Boxfish.
On the second dive, we dropped our students in at Manta Arch, making their way through the gap to The Gantry. The certified divers explored the top end, from Cleaner Station to South Boulder. There were Nudibranches, Spotted Eagle Rays, and some turtles in the Gap. The divers also spotted Bull Rays along Boulder Wall, and some octopus!
Congratulations to our newly certified PADI Open Water Scuba Divers, Jack, Amy, and Darcy. Great work!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°C
- Visibility: 10m-15m
Dive Report by Tara
22nd June 2023-Great winter solstice Dive
Today was a perfect day for a dive, with calm waters and nice visibility.
Dive 1 was a easy swim around Shark Gutters and Cleaner Station, lots of Grey Nurse Sharks, Big Black Cod and even a Queensland Groper. Schools of fish topped off the dive.
Dive 2 was a one was swim from Shark Gutters to the Gantry. A count of 6 Turtles including Barney the Loggerhead, along with Eagle Rays and more GreyNurse amongst the schooling Tarwhine and Pomfreds.
Visibility was a lovely 15 to 20 mtrs and Temp still at 20c
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 20°c
- Visibility: 15m-20m
Dive Report by Mike
24th June 2023 – Sharks Galore
We had another chilly start this morning but once we arrived at South Solitary Island everyone was excited to get underwater.
Dive one was at Cleaner Station and we were welcomed to the bottom by 5-8 Grey Nurse Sharks, schools of Pomfreds near the cave and a number on nudibranchs on Nudi Wall.
Dive two was a casual drift from Shark Gutters down to The Gantry. There was a massive amount of Grey Nurse near North Boulder (20-30). Black Cod and Eagle Rays down the wall, Turtles at The Gap and some beautiful Whale Songs to finish off the dive!!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C-20°C
- Visibility: 10m-18m
Dive Report by Lindsay
25th June 2023 – So many sharks!
Today we headed out to South Solitary for another double dive! Our customer’s were excited to get in the water – it’s warmer than the air!
For our first dive we dropped divers in to Manta Arch, heading to The Gantry. On this dive our divers saw heaps of Grey Nurse Sharks with at least 10 in the Back Gutter. They also spotted a Octopus near the back gutter, and a Cuttlefish was spotted on this dive too (today’s photo of a Cuttlefish taken by Josh)! Towards 5 Metre Rock the divers saw 2x turtles, and an eagle ray.
On the second dive our divers descended at Cleaner Station, making their way to South Boulder. On this dive there were huge schools of fish, Nudibranches and a Bull Ray. There were 2 Cuttlefish outside of Shark Gutters, and a turtle seen in cleaner cave. Divers saw 5 octopus, but the highlight was definitely the 30+ Grey Nurse Sharks near North Boulder… these guys are hanging around!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C
- Visibility: 15m-20m
Dive Report by Tara
6TH JULY 2023 – CLEAR WATER AT SOUTH SOLITARY ISLAND
After a week out of the water “2Wild” loaded up with students and certified divers keen to get in for a couple of dives at South Solitary Island. Dive one had all divers drop in at Buchanan’s wall, marine life seen on this dive was Wobbegong Sharks, Moray Eels, Nudibranchs, Loggerhead Turtles, schools of Pomfreds and Bulls-eyes. After morning tea “2Wild” cruised around to Shark Gutters for dive two. This dive ticked all the boxes with twenty + Grey Nurse Sharks, a Yellow Box fish, Eagle rays and Bull Rays amongst the schools of fish.
Congratulations to Alex on completing his PADI Open Water Dive course too.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C
- Visibility: 15m
Dive Report by Lindsay
8TH JULY 2023 – SEMICIRCLE SATURDAY🙃
Today 2 Wild jetted out in this lovely weather to South Solitary Island for a double dive.
For the first dive we dropped a small group of divers into Manta Arch, and the rest of our divers at Cleaner Station. Our divers saw about 20+ Grey Nurse Sharks, schooling fish, and nudibranches! There were Moray Eels, and even a QLD groper! There was a Semicircle Angelfish spotted in Cleaner Cave, and some old wives throughout the dive.
On the second dive our divers dropped into Cleaner Station and heading towards the Gantry. Around Shark Gutters there was about 15 Grey Nurse Sharks. We also saw Eagle Rays, Yellow Boxfish, and Spanish Dancers. A few divers spotted a little cuttlefish at the Cleaner Station mooring, and we also spotted loggerhead turtles.
Congratulations to Riley, Jonathan, Iki, and Ben for completing their PADI Open Water Scuba Diver Course! Great work!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C
- Visibility: 8m-10m
Dive Report by Tara
9TH JULY 2023 – CALM SEAS BRINGS EPIC DIVES
The ocean was beautiful and calm this morning which made for a very pleasant trip out and back from South Solitary island.
Dive one was at Manta Arch, we had 4-6 Grey Nurse Sharks here with schools of fish, a huge Wobbegong, Slipper Lobsters and a Black Lionfish.
Dive two was at Shark Gutters. This dive was amazing, we had 10-15 Grey Nurse Sharks between Shark Gutters and Cleaner Station, there was alot of different Nudibranchs, a few Turtles, three very pretty Anglefish in the gutters and huge schools of Travelly, Pomfreds and Kingfish.
Link HERE for the video from today.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 18°C
- Visibility: 8m-15m
Dive Report by Lindsay
16TH JULY 2023- SUNNY SOUTH SOLITARY
2Wild loaded up this sunny Sunday morning with divers and made their way to South Solitary Island.
First up, we had a group of Advanced divers descend at Manta Arch and another at Cleaner Station. Marine life seen on this dive were around a dozen Grey Nurse Sharks, a Black Lionfish, Semicircle Angelfish, schools of Kingfish, White Eyed Moray’s, an Eagle Ray, and Octopus.
After watching dolphins on our surface interval, divers descened at Cleaner Station again and drifted thier way down to the Gantry. Memorable marine life seen were more Grey Nurse Sharks, making themslves known to our students as they were practicing skills, a Coffin Ray, different Nudibranchs along the Boulder Wall, and lots of both Green Sea turtles and Loggerhead Turtles, including Barney!!!
Congratulations Summa for completing your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course!
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 18°C
- Visibility: 8m-10m
Dive Report by Teagan
29TH JULY 2023 – SHARKS AND TURTLES MINGLE WITH DIVERS
We have finally had a break in the weather to get our divers out to South Solitary Island.
Dive one, we got in at Sharks Gutters and were greeted with 10-12 Grey Nurse Sharks, Blue Tangs, Kingfish, a cute baby Orangutang Crab, and plenty of Nudibranchs.
Dive two was a swim from the Eastern side of the Island, through The Gap and to The Gantry. This dive was beautiful as the visibility was alot better near The Gantry.
There was a few Grey Nurse Sharks in The Gap, 2-3 Turtles, Morish Idols, Slipper Lobsters and 3-4 Yellow Boxfish in the metal rubble against the island.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 18°C-19°C
- Visibility: 8m-12m
Dive Report by Teagan
30TH JULY 2023
We had a stunner day again and the visibility had improved a little from yesterday.
Dive one, we all done Manta Arch. There was about 6-8 Grey Nurse Sharks under the arch and surrounding gutters, we also had a huge Black Cod and some very friendly Octopus near the bottom of the mooring.
Morning tea was spent sitting at The Gantry soaking up the winter sun.
Dive two was a drift from Shark Gutters down to The Gantry, this dive had it all!!!
Grey Nurse Sharks, Eagle Rays, Lionfish, schools of fish around North Boulder, and numerous Turtles at The Gap!!
Our divers also spent the whole second dive listening to Whale Songs which was very magical.
Conditions Report:
- Temperature: 19°C
- Visibility: 10-15m
Dive Report by Lindsay
