What is the diving like in Sydney?
Monk
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I really don't think the Similans
is worth the time, money and effort. I know that you probably have heard a
lot about the place like me, but it is just talk. Just a way of raising
money, and protecting the environment. I had a good time, because they look
after you, and you meet a lot of good people, but the diving wasn't that
good. I mean the water was warm, and there was good viz (20-30 meters), but
whether you went during the day, or night, one location or another,
everything was the same. There was no variety. Perhaps I am spoiled. I
went to Sipidan last year, and that was much better, and i can honestly say
that I have dives in Sydney. I heard about Coz from some people on the
boat, and they went there last year, and said that it was fantastic, with
viz of 70 meters. Maybe next year I will go their, or I am thinking perhaps
Galapagas Islands. It is much better value to put your hand deep in you
pocket, and go to the best places.
I also went to Koh Toa, which has the reputation of having the best diving
in the gulf of Thailand. that may be so, but it isn't good their either.
The coral looked dead to me. Maybe it was just a differnt type, I don't
know. I don't know much about fish or coral, but I do know what I like.
This post sounds terribly negative, and I hate it to sound so, but I just
wanted to bring the point across, that the diving in Thailand isn't very
good. Also, I wasn't aloneon that point either. Many other people also
made the some point, that things looked the same.
Sorry again again for the "down tone" to this post. Lets look forwad to
better weather here. Perhaps we can go diving sometime soon.
Regards
Anthony
>
> >The second location was the Andaman Sea. Their I did two (5 days / 4
> >nights ) back to back liveboards; covering first the Southern area of Koh
> >Phi Phi, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Racha Noi and RachaYai. The second cruise
> >went to theSimilan islands; Koh Tachai and Richelie Rock. All up about
> >30 dives.
>
> How was the Adaman trip like (the second part to Similan etc)? Am thinking
> of doing that sometime next year.
>
> >I look forward to doing some diving in Sydney with you though, when the
> >surf settles.
>
> So am I; haven't had a dive since the one we did, as I've either been too
> busy, or it's been too wet/stirred up etc.
>
> Cheers,
> Poe
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> ph...@ozemail.com.au
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
David Strike
>I won't lie . . . . . living in Australia sounds very tempting.
>It's the problems of getting a job 'down there' that will keep
>'www' diving a holiday occurrance for me.
Getting a 'job'? You mean as in 'work'! Go wash your mouth out with soap
and water! :-)
Strike
David Strike
>I think I could also lable myself in the www.warm water wimp category. When
>the water temp fall here to around 25 degrees,
I don't know about 'falling'! I've never seen the sea temperatures in
Sydney climb 'up' to 25 degrees! (Diving in spa baths don't count!) :-)
Strike
Poe Lim
at 12:38 AM, Monk <anth...@ONE.NET.AU> said:
>I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I really don't think the
>Similans is worth the time, money and effort. I know that you probably
>have heard a lot about the place like me, but it is just talk. Just a
>way of raising money, and protecting the environment. I had a good time,
>because they look after you, and you meet a lot of good people, but the
>diving wasn't that good. I mean the water was warm, and there was good
>viz (20-30 meters), but whether you went during the day, or night, one
>location or another, everything was the same. There was no variety.
>Perhaps I am spoiled. I went to Sipidan last year, and that was much
>better, and i can honestly say that I have dives in Sydney. I heard
That's okay, as I'm in the process of finalising my trip to Sipadan end of
June/early July. Was going to do Layang Layang (as per Viv's
recommendations), but the special I saw was over, and the price was way
higher...
Monk
what is the price per day for Sipidan?
Christian Gerzner
> Getting a 'job'? You mean as in 'work'! Go wash your mouth out with soap
> and water! :-)
Strike, please get it right, the word is "w*rk".
Welcome back mate.
All is right with the world, BTW, folks. Tomorrow (not too far away as I write
and I gotta get up at 0345) I pick up a blonde German goddess diver from the
airport (she's coming from the UK Paul, are you on Scuba UK?) and right now
the seas are flat calm and there was not one cloud in the sky all day, if you
ignore the bloody lightship which passed over this evening.
Don't know about the viz however.
Cheers,
Christian
Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)
>David Strike wrote in response to Paul Hewitt:
>
>> Getting a 'job'? You mean as in 'work'! Go wash your mouth out with soap
>> and water! :-)
>
>Strike, please get it right, the word is "w*rk".
For EXTRA credit, use "w**k".
>Welcome back mate.
Mi 2.
>All is right with the world, BTW, folks. Tomorrow (not too far away as I
write
>and I gotta get up at 0345) I pick up a blonde German goddess diver from the
>airport (she's coming from the UK Paul, are you on Scuba UK?)
Oh GOWD! How many Gods and Goddesses are there or affliated with
those on this list?
I'll be spending a week in the City of Lost Wages (aka Las Vegas to some)
meeting many Gods there I'm sure. I'll be staying at the ExCalibur
with the motif of castles of the Middle Ages and marching knights
and knightettes (I did misspell it as Knighteets the first time <G>)
through the casinos on weekends -- there must be GHOSTS of the
British Empire there if not Gods. Then Elvis Presley the Redneck
God from Nashville Tennessee may show up there anytime. As for
blondes Goddesses of all nationalities ... I think they're for hire
there. :-)
Ob Scuba: I don't think I'll dive in the Hoover Dam though. But I may
visit the Devil's Golf Course -- the lowest above-sea spot in the U.S.
(214 ft below sea level I think, in the Mojave dissert not far from
LV) where the salinity of the water in the ponds would make the Dead
Sea water taste like softdrink by comparison. I wonder if I can LOG
it as a DIVE under 200 feet if I wade into one of those ponds. ;-)
Will one get Oxtox if one dives (in drysuit and full head mask
of course) there below 4 feet (thus making it 218'+ below sea level).
Will there be self-annointed scuba-cops around there (ooops ...
wrong group <BG>)?
Glad to see Strike back ... now he can stir a bit more life back into
this list, perhaps. :-)
-- Bob.
Hanna Steplewska
water temp is rarely below 25 degrees - in the summer the water's a balmy 32
degrees, the air's a scorching 40-something and there's nothing but fish,
turtles, snakes, sharks, dolphins, rays and coral for miles.... often no-one
else at the dive sites....been diving every week-end since the New Year....don't
own a dry-suit....
Need I say more?
Oh yes, and the salaries here are tax-free...
...And the beer's cheap <G>!
Hanna
Monk wrote:
> hahaahhah,
>
> Very funny Paul.
>
> I was just about to ask, ah, but you cut me off. Never mind, I will keep my
> ears open for a job in the digital TV head end arena.
>
> I think I could also lable myself in the www.warm water wimp category. When
> the water temp fall here to around 25 degrees, I start dreaming about that
> dry suit; cause you know I can't stop diving. :-)
>
> Anthony
>
> Subject: Re: What is the diving like in Sydney?
>
> > I won't lie . . . . . living in Australia sounds very tempting.
> > It's the problems of getting a job 'down there' that will keep
> > 'www' diving a holiday occurrance for me. ( I work in designing digital TV
> > head-end systems - don't ask!).
> >
> > Somebody actually coined a term which covers me - wwww ; warm water wimp
> > wannabe
> >
> > Diving in the UK _is_ fun (honest) you just need more (heavy, usually)
> > equipment. Still when the temperatures climb a bit (17+ degrees) I'll be
> > finning around in my one piece semi-dry without hood or gloves -
> practically
> > tropical !
> >
> > Hope the weather picks up down there
> >
> > Cheers
> > Paul
> >
> > ps I'm looking forward to a bank holiday weekend diving off the
> > Pembrokeshire coast
> > (bottom left corner of Wales for you techy types).
> > TTFN
> >
Hanna Steplewska
> I wonder if I can LOG
> it as a DIVE under 200 feet if I wade into one of those ponds. ;-)
> Will one get Oxtox if one dives (in drysuit and full head mask
> of course) there below 4 feet (thus making it 218'+ below sea level).
> Will there be self-annointed scuba-cops around there (ooops ...
> wrong group <BG>)?
*snip*
Probably not, Bob, but it will be highly entertaining when you use it as bait on
the "other list".... <G>
Hanna
Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)
>Paul, Monk and all you fellow wwws - Come and live here in the Emirates! Our
>water temp is rarely below 25 degrees -
Brrrrrr ... shaking uncontrollably!
>in the summer the water's a balmy 32 degrees,
You call that "balmy"? :-) 34C, perhaps. Even then, it gets
COLD by the 4th and 5th dive of the day. :-))
>the air's a scorching 40-something
It's that in Las Vegas now. :-) Not far behind here. You have
air-conditioning in Emirates? O)
>and there's nothing but fish,
>turtles, snakes, sharks, dolphins, rays and coral for miles....
Wot? No whales?
>often no-one
>else at the dive sites....been diving every week-end since the New
Year....don't
>own a dry-suit....
^^^^^^^^
I hope not!
>Need I say more?
Yes! :-)
>
>Oh yes, and the salaries here are tax-free...
You mean you have to w**k there?
>...And the beer's cheap <G>!
... And hoss-p*ss is free <BG>!
>
>Hanna
You're on the right track though, Hanna. I hereby declare you
a wwwn (www Newbie)! FUC 6.1.
-- Bob. NED VP on WWW Certification and Grades.
Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)
Ooops. You mean you read THAT group too? [-)
No comment, lest any such may be MISconstrued by the co-habitants
as bait or chum to appear here to pollute THIS list! <BG>
-- Bob.
John Bird
> >It's the problems of getting a job 'down there' that will keep
> >'www' diving a holiday occurrance for me.
>
> and water! :-)
>
> Strike
>
because I don't work as of last week! :-)
Birdo
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David Strike
(big snip) :-)
>Glad to see Strike back ... now he can stir a bit more life back into
>this list, perhaps. :-)
Any 'life' will have to wait until tomorrow, I'm afraid. I have a eulogy to
deliver in two hours, followed by a ginormous wake at one of the rowing
clubs on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour.
However! On Friday afternoon, when I arrived in Cairns, I made arrangements
to join a group of Cairns-based diving operators for drinks and dinner.
The temperature in Cairns was a comfortable 29 deg. C and a bit on the humid
side.
We arranged to meet in an 'Irish Pub', called "Willy McBrides" - a new(ish!)
feature in Cairns. It has the appearance of a real pub, but the first thing
that you notice is that the air-conditioning is turned up full belt. The
reason for this is that in order to create the 'genuine' pub atmosphere,
there's an open log fire blazing away in one corner! :-)
Needless to say we drank Draught Guiness! Lots of Draught Guiness! :-)
Strike
Hanna Steplewska
> At 07:41 PM 5/3/99 +0400, Hanna Steplewska wrote:
> >Paul, Monk and all you fellow wwws - Come and live here in the Emirates! Our
> >water temp is rarely below 25 degrees -
>
> Brrrrrr ... shaking uncontrollably!
Midwinter for us... could be a lot wwwworse :-)
> >in the summer the water's a balmy 32 degrees,
>
> You call that "balmy"? :-) 34C, perhaps. Even then, it gets
> COLD by the 4th and 5th dive of the day. :-))
Aren't the 4th and 5th dives of the day what Semi-dry wetsuits are for???? <G>
> >the air's a scorching 40-something
>
> It's that in Las Vegas now. :-) Not far behind here. You have
> air-conditioning in Emirates? O)
Iin the Muslim calendar 1999 is 1420, so for the Middle Ages we are really
quite
advanced in this part of the world - only the dive boat is "naturally air
conditioned" <G>
> >and there's nothing but fish,
> >turtles, snakes, sharks, dolphins, rays and coral for miles....
>
> Wot? No whales?
I've heard of whale sightings here including Blue whales, but haven't seen one
yet...You can be sure SCUBA-L will hear about it if I do... <WG>
> >often no-one
> >else at the dive sites....been diving every week-end since the New
> Year....don't
> >own a dry-suit....
> ^^^^^^^^
> I hope not!
Banish the thought!
> >Need I say more?
>
> Yes! :-)
OK you asked for it. I'm based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (not the hotbed of
Islam fundamentalism you're led to believe it is - but that's another post!),
which means I have the choice of diving in the Arabian Gulf (on my doorstep) or
the Gulf of Oman (90 mins' drive away) every weekend - how spoilt am I???!!!
I do most of my diving off the east coast of the Mussandam Peninsula, which is
at
the tip of the Arabian Peninsula (!), right by the Straits of Hormuz. The area
is
beautiful, and totally unspooilt. The whole Mussandam is mountainous (up to
4000m
asl), reddish-brown rock plunging straight down into the very blue sea. The
Peninsula is almost uninhabited; the only settlements on the east side are a few
Omani fishing villages (the Mussandam is part of Oman, although not connected by
land) which are only accessible by boat. The only visitors to these waters are
the Omani fishermen, who fish for their families from tiny boats that look as if
they would sink given half the chance, and us divers. The tankers moving through
the Straits are so far away we never see them. Occasionally a sea falcon will
swoop past the boat, catch a fish and fly away.
Underwater, the reefs are stunning; fan coral, soft coral, (more coral than I
can
name at present!) - we regularly see most fish you'd expect to see in the
Maldives or Seychelles, maybe a little smaller, but they're here. There are
leatherback and green turtles, since they nest on the beaches of Oman, further
down the coast, so we often see babies as well as huge adults. Nurse sharks are
frequent companions, as are various reef sharks; in the summer months we get
Hammerheads schooling up around Khasab (on the West coast of the Mussandam) and
Whale sharks are virtually guaranteed on the dives out of Khasab June-Sept.
Dolphins, of course, whales (I'm told), sea snakes, barreling barracuda, tuna,
jacks, sting rays, guitar fishes, devil rays...the list goes on.
The vis. can be a poor 3-4metres in winter, but in summer it's known to be as
good as 30 metres or more. The currents can be etremely strong, especially up in
Khasab, but the dive operators know the area very well and are very well
equipped, experienced and prepared.
There are also quite a few wrecks over in the Arabian Gulf proper, off Dubai and
Abu Dhabi especially - passenger ships, cement barges, transport ships,
munitions
ships, that we know of - there's also plenty of undocumented dhows which sank
in
the past and divers keep uncovering. The mangroves off Abu Dhabi are also home
to
the world's second-largest dugong population - pretty hard to get diving permits
there, but well worth it!
All in all, the area is unspoilt and as yet not overdived. It is very unusual
for
us to see another dive boat all day on the east coast, especially once we cruise
past Lima Rock and go into Khor Habalayn at the top of the Peninsula...
I think I'll stop now before I really annnoy everyone with all this bragging..
<G>
> >Oh yes, and the salaries here are tax-free...
>
> You mean you have to w**k there?
Unfortunately. Or at least look as if you're w**king. It pays for my diving. And
stops the satellites from dropping into the sea.
> >...And the beer's cheap <G>!
>
> ... And hoss-p*ss is free <BG>!
Bob, what are you saying???!!! We have nothing but the finest draft Stella
Artois, Miller Draft, Heineken, Fosters, Guinness, Coors, Budweiser, Carlsberg,
Kilkenny, XXXX, John Smiths..... better stop now, I'm showing my true colours
<G>
>
> You're on the right track though, Hanna. I hereby declare you
> a wwwn (www Newbie)! FUC 6.1.
>
> -- Bob. NED VP on WWW Certification and Grades.
Sir, I'm honoured. Thank you.
Hanna wwwn FUC 6.1 right back at ya!
Hanna Steplewska
*snip*
>
> Ooops. You mean you read THAT group too? [-)
>
> No comment, lest any such may be MISconstrued by the co-habitants
> as bait or chum to appear here to pollute THIS list! <BG>
>
> -- Bob.
FUC 6.2
Hanna
Hewitt, Paul
From: Hanna Steplewska [mailto:ha...@DSI.CO.AE]
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 10:37 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list SCUBA-L
Subject: Diving the Arabian Peninsula (was Re: What is the diving like
in Sydney?)
"Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)" wrote:
> At 07:41 PM 5/3/99 +0400, Hanna Steplewska wrote:
> >Paul, Monk and all you fellow wwws - Come and live here in the Emirates!
Our
> >water temp is rarely below 25 degrees -
>
> Brrrrrr ... shaking uncontrollably!
Midwinter for us... could be a lot wwwworse :-)
> >in the summer the water's a balmy 32 degrees,
>
> You call that "balmy"? :-) 34C, perhaps. Even then, it gets
> COLD by the 4th and 5th dive of the day. :-))
Aren't the 4th and 5th dives of the day what Semi-dry wetsuits are for????
<G>
Paul:
call me a (m)UK diver, but . . . . last year in Thailand I was diving in a
swimsuit +BCD
in 31 degrees water. And using a 6.5mm one piece semi (no hood) in 17
degrees last September
in Plymouth. However, before anybody gets the wrong idea ; I LOVE warm
clear water, it's just
that the local dive-spots aren't warm or clear <SIGH>
Having read this email, I'll have to look into this Gulf diving lark. I
didn't realise
recreational beer drinking was available there . . . . . sounds close to
diver-heaven. I've been
on a couple of Wreck diving trips to the Red Sea lately - marvellous.
Hanna Steplewska
*snip*
> Having read this email, I'll have to look into this Gulf diving lark. I
> didn't realise
> recreational beer drinking was available there
OOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooh yes.....
> . . . . . sounds close to
> diver-heaven.
We think so - so come over and join us for a week or two :-) Contacts, info,
places to stay, diver-friendly bars and low-down I can provide...
> I've been
> on a couple of Wreck diving trips to the Red Sea lately - marvellous.
Where did you go? I'm planning a trip in September....Is the Thistlegorm as
overdived as everyone says? Is it worth going to Ras Mohammed any more or should
I go to Brothers and Rocky Island instead?
Hanna wwwn
Hewitt, Paul
From: Hanna Steplewska [mailto:ha...@DSI.CO.AE]
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 2:59 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list SCUBA-L
Subject: Re: Diving the Arabian Peninsula (was Re: What is the diving
likein Sydney?)
"Hewitt, Paul" wrote:
*snip*
OOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooh yes.....
Paul:
I've been to the Red Sea twice, both live-aboards ; one from Hurghada and
one from Sharm.
Both of the trips were wreck-centred. We (a gang from Midknight Diver,
Shoreham UK) and I
dived/dove the Northern wreck sites (never been down to the Brothers, and
can't clearly
remember Ras Mohammed (though I _think_ I've been there)).
I've done all of four dives on the Thistlegorm and found it to be a very
impressive wreck full of
motorbikes, lorries, shells, railway engines, anti-aircraft guns . . . oh
yes and a bathtub.
Not a huge amount of life on it, but loads to look at.
My favourite place (and the gang I went with (mostly seasoned UK wreckers))
was Abu Nuhas (sp?).
It has got four wrecks on it all in a line a quarter mile long !
Ghiannis D (six dives)
Chrissoula K (five dives)
Seastar (two dives)
Carnatic (three dives)
The Chrissoula K was particularly gorgeous ; full of life etc. With the
Ghiannis D coming in
a respectable second.
Personnally I felt you need a few dives on each wreck to see it, though
another group there
felt they'd 'done' the four wrecks in 3 dives (one dive they swam between
two of the wrecks),
oh well, each to there own I suppose.
I believe that only Hurghada boats go to Abu Nuhas routinely. Though we got
our Sharm boat across
to it. The Red Sea regulars in our group (not me, unfortunately) took our
(very nice & professional)
Egyptian dive guide around the sites (being Sharm based he'd never been
there before).
TTFN
Paul
Hanna wwwn
Poe Lim
at 04:37 PM, Monk <anth...@ONE.NET.AU> said:
>what is the price per day for Sipidan?
The cost of the package I asked for is A$1359 for 5 nights, ex Tawau. Not
sure of the daily rates. This is with PSR.
Monk
Thanks Poe
Hanna Steplewska
Andy M Johnson wrote:
> >Bob, what are you saying???!!! We have nothing but the finest draft Stella
> >Artois, Miller Draft, Heineken, Fosters, Guinness, Coors, Budweiser,
> Carlsberg,
> >Kilkenny, XXXX, John Smiths..... better stop now, I'm showing my true
> colours <G>
> I'm in love, marry me please !
>
> Andy Johnson
> Senior Product Support Specialist
> UK HSC DASD
> Basingstoke AL1C
> Tel: 01256 34 1474 (Hunting Group)
> Tel: 01256 34 1264 (Direct)
> Mobile:0403 59 8282 Mobex:277 321
Hanna Steplewska
> >And you think only Strike knows how to tell tall tales. Mine
> >about natural air at the Marriott is absolutely true. Sue and I
> >spent the first day in London looking for ANY HOTEL that had
> >air conditioning -- to no avail. A real backward country, that
> >UK, eh? <VBG>
> What on earth would you want aircon in the UK for ???????????
On that ONE sunny and sweltering day you get in the summertime, to
make you feel at home <BWG> !!
Hanna