Underwater Research Group of New South Wales
Presidents Slate
Hi all, and happy winter.
In news you've all been waiting for, we expect that the boat will be back in action by the end of the month. Will update the group as soon as bookings open up again.
Thanks to those members who have renewed their membership, and a reminder to those that haven't yet to consider doing so.
I've been so excited to witness to enthusiasm and participation in the club over recent months. This is especially noteworthy since the engine broke and the future of the club was uncertain. We've had a good number of long-standing and new members pick up the torch and keep the flame alive.
There is always a risk that when I start naming people that I invariably forget to mention someone so apologies in advance. However, the greater injustice is not making an effort to call out some of fantastic contributions by individuals in the club. So here goes:
John Swift and Kathy Giles - who are tireless unsung club heros that keep coming back and helping when needed in a range of capacities
Michael - history officer and bulletin writer
Janet - guidance and wisdom on club affairs
Reka - author extraordinaire
Sarah - citizen science projects, publicity, fund raising
Hatty - fund raising and membership
Charlie - social events and comms to new levels
Julie and Greg - new members who gave up their Sunday to raise money for the club before even having the chance to step foot on the boat
Seb, Karolyn, Marcus, Sarah, John Swift, the Abbotts, Judy Hawkes, Kathy and Konstantin - generous donations towards the replacement boat engine
The Bunnings Crew (see events for details) - generous donations of their time towards the replacement boat engine
Josh - cannot over state the impact this man has from treasurer to boat maintenance
Pete McGee - new weedy sea dragon champion
Pablo - organising an ocean clean up ... and keeping bullets off the streets
Jens - pulling speakers out of his pocket for our general meetings at the 11th hour despite travelling the world for a living
Vishal - being a our most dependable club member, even when his car won't start
Libby - for her keeping convenors on their toes and making sure the safety equipment on board actually works
Peter Barfod - for camping out at the Oaks and making sure his sits in the same chair every month
Juliette - for being patient with me when I introduce myself and welcome her to the club every month, going on for about a year now
Robin and Charlotte - for professional level stalking and turning up to the general meetings despite having been excluded accidentally from the mailing list and Waverton not being conveniently situated to the Oaks Hotel :p
In other news, Sydney diver and award winning director Nays Baghai's new documentary film 'Diving into the Darkness', is doing it's Australian premiere at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival on Saturday 27 and Tuesday 30 July. The film follows cave diving icon Jill Heinerth in her unprecedented exploration of underwater caves. Tickets are available on this link and the both shows are followed by a Q&A. I ran a check and saw that Qantas has reward flights available for that weekend, so this could be an affordable, spontaneous, cultured getaway for those wanting to pop down and find out why Victorians keep banging on about their coffee.
Unfortunately there isn't a Sydney release date yet, but the events company has offered us a private virtual screening with proceeds going to the filmmakers. It is a 96min documentary, so let us know if you fancy a "movie night" at the Oaks at our next general meeting.
Cheers,
Duncan Heuer
DIVE REPORTS
Solomon Islands Trip (part 2)
By Michael Abbott
So what was the diving in Uepi like? The 3 Conwells did all the boat dives and the 2 girls even squeezed in an extra night dive from the shore. Janet and I sat out 3 dives to let water logged ears have a rest. The boat trips in the morning were typically short with only two stretching to 20 minutes and the afternoon boat trips meant you needed to gear up as soon as you got on board at the dive shop wharf. Three drift dives had us finish back at the dive shop jetty. Average dive time was 70 minutes and the water never dropped below 29 degrees.
We had to of course do a checkout dive for our first dive. After a short boat trip we rolled off our own private boat with Joe, our guide for the week. Checked buoyancy and all OK dropped to the reef just below. Actually about 15 metres below but it looked closer. We dropped off the reef down into a sand channel to 18 metres and out to a bommie with 3 pygmy mantas on a cleaning station. After getting bored watching them it was along another 15 odd metres to a second station with 5 pygmy mantas circling to be cleaned. Again moving on through a channel to a deep wall drop off. The bottom 100s of metres below. Along the vertical wall with a turtle and white tip reef sharks, up through a narrow swim through canyon and finished the dive in 7-5 metres on a beautiful coral garden. Dive time 71 minutes. There were nudibranchs, heaps of different butterflyfish, Golden damsels, 2 spot snapper in schools, foxface, emperor and bi-colour angels, spotted sweetlips, remoras, ringtail maori wrasse, Purple Queen basslets, yellowtail fusiliers and oriental maori wrasse to name a few. Wow, what a check out dive. Five very happy customers were back on the boat after our first dive of the trip and Joe seemed to enjoy the dive too.
After lunch the boat skipper found 5 very keen divers waiting at the shop. This dive was to be a 5 minutes trip to Eupi Island Point and a slow drift in with the last of the incoming tide. I can only describe this dive as fish soup. The entire way the beautiful coral reef is covered in every imaginable tropical fish. The corals are very healthy with hard coral, soft coral, flowering octocorals, huge barrel sponges, large plates and humongous gorgonians. Also we were constantly surrounded by clouds of trevally, red bass, pyramid butterfly fish, white tail surgeon fish and various fusiliers. We also saw hump head parrotfish and eagle rays.
Some of us seemed to like the sharks best swimming out to join them and there were lots of black tips, white tips and black V whalers. My favourite was the barracudas, up to 4 different types and massive schools of them swimming with us and barrelling around me.
This second dive was one of our shortest, only lasting 63 minutes as the tide changed and we reluctantly aborted. However we did Eupi Point a few more times but not as often as we requested and it was never disappointing.
Day one down and only 10 more diving days to go but I wont bore you with descriptions on all the dives, Suffice to say they were all amazing.
Forster
By Sarah Han-de-beaux
With the boat out of action for repairs, the URG team couldn’t resist but headed out of Sydney to conduct some citizen science. Due to weather and swell, our first planned weekend had to be cancelled and was re-set over the 22-23 June 2024. Nine members of URG head to Forster (approx. 3.5hrs to 4hrs from Sydney) with scuba gear and a number of cameras to hand to enable us to capture photos of any sharks we encountered.
We stayed at the hotel beside the Forster Dive Centre in a mix of comfortable apartments and hotel rooms and did two double boat dives on Saturday and Sunday. The dive team included Sarah, Sam, John, Dave, Walt, Julie, Greg, Vishal and Kathy.
On Friday night, we made the decision to give Seal Rocks a go – whilst the conditions were not perfect, there was a small chance to get out to Big Seal, something that all divers were keen to try. So with an early start we head off to Boat Beach, Seal Rocks. As we arrived the beach looked perfect – conditions seemed too good to be true. We then climbed on the boat and head off to the various dive sites known for shark activity.
Unfortunately, the further out we head the bigger the waves got. When we got to Big Seal it was agreed that conditions were not suitable, so then we instead head off to try diving at Skeleton Rocks. Just as we arrived the wind picked up, the sunshine disappeared and the ocean got even more wild. With heavy hearts we decided to dive in the more protected area of Seal Rocks near Boat Beach – safety first after-all.
Despite not being at the famous Big Seal, those two dives on Saturday did not disappoint. The abundance of fish was fantastic to see, and so were the number of wobbegong sharks and grey nurse sharks swimming around. Only one port jackson shark sighted – we felt that was a bit unusual, but plenty of other sharks to be seen and take photos of. One of the best things about winter diving was that whilst we enjoyed the dives we had a chorus of whale song in the background.
Some of the sharks had hooks present or lines coming out from their mouth – the all too familiar sign of interactions with humans. But encouragingly a few of the sharks were really big and potentially pregnant – much bigger than we usually see in Sydney or Shellharbour which was exciting for the group.
The funniest revelation of the Saturday dives was that Kathy and Vishal shared the same heated vest, which could only be controlled from Vishal’s Bluetooth remote. It was clear that they needed to be dive buddies as a result and if Kathy felt cold she could, lets say, gently nudge her buddy for help!
After Saturday’s fabulous dives the team shared cheese, biscuits, fruit, nuts, vegetables, and other yummy snacks with a softdrink, beer or wine in hand. Over dinner we continued to share stories of dives, sharks, and other fun stories until the time came to head to bed.
On Sunday we head off from Forster to try out Latitude Rock – however the swell had very much picked up so we had to go for an alternative plan. We head to Elom Shoals, where the visibility was still a good 5-6m. The site was new to all and had an interesting topography of rocks shaped like sugar cubes where plenty of wobbegong sharks, corals, sponges, cuttlefish eggs, and various species of fish could be seen. The whale song here was very loud and at times sounded just like police sirens underwater! At the end of the dive we saw a very large female grey nurse shark cruising around with an entourage of white tail fish.
The final dive was back at Hayden’s Rock where visibility had dropped, but we had calm conditions, and no current or surge. It was clear that on a day with good visibility this site would be wonderful as we saw a number of large sharks throughout the dive. Big sharks too!
Now for the homework to review the many hundreds of photos to work out which individual sharks were sighted. We will report back soon on this.
We all agreed that for the value this was a fabulous trip away and would love to plan more trips away with the club. Watch this space for details of the next trips away!
Sunday talk by Dr Alex Schnell
By Charlie Elliott
Our partnership with Gordon's Bay Scuba Dive Club (their fully paid members get a discounted membership to URG) continues to pay dividends, as they kindly extended an invitation to our members to join a talk they had arranged.
I was one of the lucky attendees to hear a fascinating talk by Dr. Alex Schnell, a marine biologist turned comparative cognition expert. Dr. Schnell’s captivating research journey has led her to become a renowned figure in the study of animal intelligence, focusing on creatures as varied as birds and cephalopods.
Dr. Schnell’s mission is to transform our understanding of the animal kingdom. Her ground-breaking work reveals the astonishing cognitive capabilities of species we once thought were worlds apart from us. She’s demonstrated that cuttlefish possess the ability to remember and even exercise self-control for greater rewards.
In a landmark study in 2021, Dr. Schnell and her team proved that cephalopods and crustaceans are capable of emotions. This pivotal discovery influenced the UK’s Animal Sentience Bill, ensuring these creatures are now recognized as sentient beings deserving ethical treatment and compassion under the law.
Beyond research, Dr. Schnell is a producer and the principal storyteller behind National Geographic’s ‘Secrets of the Octopus’ and has contributed to iconic series like BBC’s ‘Planet Earth III’ and Netflix’s ‘Our Oceans.’
It was absolutely fascinating to hear about she has adapted the well know delayed-gratification experiment (if you have seen the videos of agonised children attempting to resist a marshmallow) for cuttlefish and Dr. Schnell’s generosity in sharing her knowledge made for an unforgettable Sunday morning! Thanks to Dr Alex Schnell and the Gordon's Bay Scuba Dive Club for the invite.
Three History Articles from 2001
Eastern Stargazer
By John Swift
In the middle of winter with a strong wind warning and 3 metre swells, it’s amazing what you can find in Sydney Harbour. At a new dive site (to some of us) called the anchor shop, because there is a lost anchor every couple of metres, we saw what we think was an adult Stargazer, concealed as they always are beneath a layer of sand and in this case lying next to a 2 inch steel cable.
Like an under water Bulldog, the pugnacious Stargazer is about as ugly a fish as you will see and by some accounts can be aggressive to divers. So we increased our height in the water column as we swam directly over the half-hidden fish, just in case it may think us a very large meal. With eyes that can be erected on top of its head and a large vertical mouth, it’s enough to make anyone give it a wide berth.
From the family uranoscopidae, the Eastern Stargazer, Kathetostoma laeve, have very large heavy bodies and bury themselves with ease in the sand or mud by pumping water around themselves from their gill openings. They are predators which position themselves in strategic places where there is likely to be traffic of their fish prey. Growing to an adult size of 65 to 75 cm Stargazers are uncommon, and seen by relatively few divers.
What a Beautiful Day.
Saturday 21st July 2001.
By Janet Hall
Not a cloud in the sky on a gorgeous winters morning, but…. the coast guard advised there was a 3m swell outside The Heads. As we rounded the corner at Grotto Point the waves inside the Harbour were quite lumpy too, 2m and growing.
As the scheduled Dee Why Wide was out of reach, Collin’s Tee Pee was our chosen destination, but…….. the waves were crashing the rocks there. Next stop, Debbie’s choice, was just around the corner of Cannae Point, a lovely spot, out of the swell in almost calm water, looking across to the wharf at The Quarantine station.
Under the water was an absolute delight, 5-8m visibility, not too cold as we didn’t go deeper than 12m. Fish galore, heaps of them, lots of different species, big ones and small ones. To get the full list ask Debbie, she filled 2 sides of her slate.
The most spectacular was a huge lionfish; he had to be at least 40cm long. A single moorish idol, yellow striped leather jackets with orange blobs at the base of their tails, cute little cuttle fish, and what I think was a yellow crimora nudibranch.
John Swift and Allan Saban reported seeing a pineapple fish and a stargazer. These 2 gentlemen bought up another anchor to add to the club’s collection. I should add that this is so new it still has its label in tact. There were so many anchors lying in a very small area that we decided the site could be known as ‘The Anchor Shop’.
We should say thanky ou to whoever makes big waves, as conditions meant we saw so much in a spot we may not have gone to otherwise.
An Accident Would Never Happen To Me!
By Cuong Doan
With confidence in my reliable and regularly serviced Mares diving gear, I thought that any incident or accident would never happen to me. Yet, the Queen’s Birthday week-end away to Nelson Bay put paid to that. On the first day, second dive in the afternoon, I was diving with Rob Pearce. We dived at the South-East end of Cabbage Tree Island. Visibility was les than 10 metres; therefore, Rob pulled out his safety line and hooked it to the anchor line at the bottom. So off we swam, 100% sure that we could get back to the anchor. During the dive I often checked the diving time, depth and air pressure. Everything was fine. However, 20 minutes later my pressure gauge showed 100 bars! That was a bit strange for 20 meters deep. I had also consumed more than ½ the amount of air of a full tank. At the same time I heard a very loud noise which sounded like a boat engine running above for several minutes. Later they told me there was a boat cruising across. At times I could see on the right, just above my shoulder, thousands of tiny bubbles. I thought there might have been an air leak. I checked my gauges again, but nothing seemed dramatically changed. I kept on diving and tried to swim close to Rob in case anything should happen. I checked my depth gauge once more, it showed 20 meters. My air pressure gauge indicated 25 bars in the red zone. I showed that to Rob who gave an OK sign then swam back towards the anchor. Ten seconds later I could not get any air from my regulator. I looked at the air pressure gauge. It read zero. I grabbed Rob, put my hand across my throat, and showed him my gauge. He quickly and calmly removed his octopus, handed it to me, and asked me to hold on to his BC. He then rewound his safety line, and we swam back to the anchor, ascended, then stayed three minutes at 5 meters.
On the boat, I looked at my diving gear, but did not find anything wrong. Other divers said “You just ran out of air”. Back at the diving shop, I tested my gear with another tank and realised that there was a five millimetre split in the regulator hose near the first stage.
Thanks Rob for rescuing me efficiently and saving my life.
Thanks Erik for organising the trip.
Recent Events and News and Upcoming Events
Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
An enormous thank you to Hatty for coordinating the Bunnings fundraiser in Chatswood earlier this month, and to all the helpers that gave up their time on the day - Kathy, Jens, Walter, Ann, Julie, Greg, Vishal, Joan, Libby, Denise, John Swift and Charlie (who ran around on Saturday with 20kg of chopped onions while stinking out our car in the process) ... hope I haven't left anyone off. We raised about $1800 for the club which is a big dent in the deficit we're holding after replacing the boat engine.
Another fund raiser is being scheduled for later in the year. Dates TBC.
Next General Meeting - Tuesday 13 August
As always, the gathering kicks off at 6 pm at the Licensees Flat (upstairs) of The Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay, with the main event starting at 7 pm. If it’s your first time, the welcoming bar staff will direct you to our meet-up.
July's GM was a hit. We heard from Pete McGee our new weedy sea dragon champion kicking off this citizen science initiative for the club. Charlie gave an update on the grey nurse shark project (in Sarah's absence). But the main star was hearing from Claire-Marine You on the seaweed, algae and sea grass. It was a fascinating talk on a subject matter that we regularly swim over but few of us know much about. The apple-flavoured sea-creature shaped jellies made from seaweed gelatin was both a novelty and an experience I'll never forget.
Project Restore - SIMS
Project Restore, led by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science is a significant multi-habitat restoration project taking place right here in Sydney Harbour! Read more about the project here: https://projectrestore.sims.org.au/
The team are interested in the social and economic benefits which may come from this restoration project. To understand this they are surveying locals, visitors and businesses about their experience of using and visiting locations around Sydney Harbour. The locations listed in the survey are specific to our Project Restore restoration sites.
We know Sydney Harbour is an incredibly diverse playground - whether you’re swimming, kayaking, boating, commuting or diving, tell us about your experience!
Please help by filling in the survey and share how you enjoy and interact with the harbour!
Dive Log and Oz Diver
Boat Dives
The Boat will soon be back in action. Watch your emails, the Facebook group page for details.
Boat handling lessons.
[On pause for now, but still get in touch if interested]
Editors Note
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