Life's Better Underwater

The origins of scuba diving certifications trace back to the invention of scuba diving equipment by Jacques Cousteau. When Cousteau and Emile Gagnan developed the Aqua-Lung in the 1940s, it revolutionized underwater exploration. However, it quickly became apparent that proper training was necessary to ensure divers could use the equipment safely. This led to the establishment of the first certification program by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS), founded in 1959. Over time, other organizations and dive clubs emerged, including the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) and more commercially oriented agencies like the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

There's a common misconception circulating in the diving community that only certifications from agencies affiliated with the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) are globally recognized. However, this claim is misleading and contradicts the reality of the diving world. In this blog, we will debunk this myth by exploring the role and representation of the WRSTC, examining the standards referenced by major certification agencies like PADI, and discussing the practical criteria used by dive professionals to assess divers' qualifications. Ultimately, we'll demonstrate that global recognition hinges on standardized training and diver competence, rather than WRSTC membership.

Details on the Ocean Quest Boat

Spoilsport Cabin Information
Guest cabins are a combination of queen, double & twin share. All located on the same dive deck level, air-conditioned & are serviced daily.

Details about PRO DIVE Cairns Scuba PRO I, II & III. 

Ever wonder why to become a Divemaster, interested in what you can do as one? On this blog we explain why becoming a divemaster is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences you can embark on as a scuba diver. 

Meet your local Sydney dive shop, for anyone looking for the best deals and the best diving gear Pro Dive Sydney Dive Shop has you cover, from tank fiils, regulators, the latest computers, drysuits, fins masks, snorke;s, BCDs and so much more... 

In the vast expanse of Australia's coastal waters lies a creature both feared and revered, known for its distinctive appearance and critical role in marine ecosystems—the Grey Nurse Shark. With rows of pointed teeth and a docile demeanor, this species, often referred to as the "ragged tooth" shark, holds a significant place in the hearts of marine enthusiasts and conservationists alike. Join us as we dive into the depths of knowledge about the Grey Nurse Shark, exploring its habitat, behavior, conservation status, and the crucial role it plays in Australia's marine biodiversity.

Boat diving in Sydney offers the unique opportunity to experience the underwaterworld of this beutiful city. We explore some of the common dive sites you can do when in Sydney and the marine life you are likely to see around them. 

There is lots of great scuba diving in Sydney and its surrounding area, in this blog we talk about some of the best spots to go SCUBA diving, from the Northen beaches to National Parks and much more. We talked about the dive site, potential marine life and tips on what to expect when visiting one of them. 

We enjoyed many close encounters with numerous sharks, turtle, Bull Ray, seal, etc - in near perfect sea conditions!

Saturday was all about roller coasters.  Underwater roller coasters and above water craving for more.  Our first underwater ride was so full of loops, twists, and turns, that we could barely wait for the second one to start.  In fact, the second one was just as exciting but in novel and unexpected ways.

Saturday had all the colour and mystique of an opal.  Only it was more intense than the qualities found in that gem.  And infinitely more hypnotic.  The more you gazed at its parts, the more you felt a captive of its secret charms.  We discovered this very quickly when we dematerialised from the world above and re-appeared in a blue space under a tranquil sea.

Today, I closed my eyes to relive moments from Saturday.  That dark space behind closed eyes quickly filled with a cavalcade of images and a multitude of experiences from yesterday.  So incredible were those memories, that they remain as vivid today, as they were from the day before.  Combined they produced a kind of masterpiece of colours and shapes, shades and textures.  Except that this was an artistic canvas in which we were actually able to enter and become a part of.  The aesthetic wonders of scuba diving are immense!  And such pleasures are on top of the camaraderie, brotherhood, sisterhood, of occasional and regular divers who have all shared this same exceptional experience.

Were we dreaming? Did it really happen? And can narcosis conjure up wild and fanciful scenes?  None of these conjectures was the case today as videos confirmed what everyone saw and experienced.  Which did not prevent everyone, as they got out of the water from asking:  "Did you see that?" "Was that real?".  We'll come to exactly what "that" was shortly.  Suffice to say, it was definitely worth diving today.

The day may have ominously started with rain, but the diving was so pleasurable as to make us quite indifferent to such superficialities.  The first dive and then the second were so enjoyable as to make us forget this out of water background.  What was going on in the water was all that mattered.

How good is it to do two dives at two great spots and be back on land before the weather changes, bringing cloudy skies and rain.  Not that that would have dampened our experience given everything we saw and did underwater.  Instead, we had good weather and two, nearly hour long dives.  Two long dives which were not long enough to see everything there was to see at both dive sites.  Nevertheless, what we did see was more than enough to make us feel elated until our next adventure underwater.

Only by going to sea can you truly experience an impressionistic canvas; only by diving underwater can you swim within the brush strokes of that canvas.  In this way, you become a part of a Cracker Jack painting Nature has produced.  Nature imitating Art, is better than anything any artist, no matter how good, can produce.  Dropping below the surface at Blue Fish Point, we were soon able to experience this first hand.  
 

"Hope springs eternal in the human heart" - well, we did not have to "hope" for anything diving today: it was all delivered to us on a regal platter and in seemingly unlimited abundance.

Today it was rough outside the Heads.  The waves we saw were flanked by streaks of green glass rising to a zenith.   Those peaks then subsided into a trough followed by yet more waves.  Each successive wave rudely disorganised the previous one's patterns of swirls and colours of old toy marbles.  It was pleasing to look at but it rudely disorganised our plans as well.  Those same sea conditions proved, however, to be an excellent reason to rediscover and explore Flagstaff.  Especially since we had not visited this site for some time.  Flagstaff is an underrated dive site, a dive site replete with innumerable gems.  

A language of underwater needs to be invented as it is not what we see out of water.  Furthermore, swimming underwater is pictorial - it is not linguistic    All of which makes describing today's underwater experiences somewhat of a challenge.  Here is an attempt to record some of the things we saw:

Buy any one of the following Suunto Dive Computers between the 30th Nov 2018 - 13 Jan 2019 and receive cash back from Suunto.

No Great Whites dwelt within the Cathedral at Long Reef - and nor would you expect to find them there.  Instead, we were greeted by more gold and silver than could be imagined in Broken Hill.  Pomfrets in numbers which always surprise me, gathered around the Cathedral as if to make it even more ornate than one could imagine.  Each visit to this swim through is almost a religious experience. The breathtaking approach, of thousands of fish, through which one must navigate in order to eventually reach the entrance of the Cathedral.  Then finding its dark entry as a precursor to seeing the glorious sight of a resplendent blue light emanating from a stained glass effect at its far end.  Moving slowly inside, we noticed we were not alone.  The silvered features of Immaculate Damsel and other fish within, flashed shades of silvers and blues in every direction.  The overall effect of darkness and luminous light, with trinkets of suspended silver, gave a holy effect to this place which inspires both awe and reverence.  On leaving this swim through, the magic of that space continued when one transcended from the darkness within, to a blinding light outside.  Here, swirling above and around us, brightly illuminated Pomfrets filled both that scene and our hearts with a yearning for this experience to last forever.  I have little doubt that people who refer to  'heaven on earth' would revise this expression to 'heaven underwater' if only they were as lucky as we were yesterday when we make our pilgrimage to Long Reef.

 This dive trip had everything:  whales, seals, turtle, Giant Cuttlefish, Weedy Sea Dragon, Lobster, etc!

This morning we had some indelible experiences, especially at Magic Point.  

The start of this dive was the perfect beginning where Pomfrets hovered like a magically suspended blanket over an extended kelp bed.  Meanwhile, Yellow Tail produced a flourish right next to us.  It was difficult to resist the temptation to lie back in that water bed of fish and look up at others weaving patterns around you.

Our first dive was at Sydney's number one dive site.  Once underwater, we had this confirmed from the beginning of our dive to its end. We first came across a school of Pomfrets through which we had to pass. Its size was such that it was impossible to gauge just how big it was.  Like an underwater Milky Way, you could see just an edge, but the school went on and on, as far as the eye could see.  Limitless is the best way to describe it.  We located the approach to the Cathedral, which meant swimming amidst yet more gold and yellow Pomfrets.

It can and should be said, that a part of the pleasure of scuba diving is encountering the unexpected.  This was well and truly the order of yesterday's diving.  
 

The two dives today were most enjoyable.  The first dive was at North Bondi, where we headed east to the very tip of the point (past Ben Buckler):  this produced a sensational dive.  The visibility was 35+ metres and clear as glass. 

 

The building blocks that make up a great day's diving were all there today.  In fact, so much so, in respect to the second dive, as to make it a stand out experience in one's diving.  

Our first dive was at Blue Fish Wall, a favourite of diving stalwart, Tony Pantamise: and, once again, one could see the reasons why.  Large schools of Pomfret and Yellowtail each competed with each other for the most spectacular display of fish together.  The fish in those schools wrapped themselves around us as we ventured on our way

Today was a wine and roses day of diving.  Magic Point was intoxicating in a dreamy sort of way.  A school of Yellowtail with no beginning and no end greeted our arrival.  Its seemingly limitless size was varied by the sculptural shapes it produced.  Threads of Yellowtail appeared next to us until the weave they produced made us a part of their school.  It was exhilarating to be enveloped, in this way, into its dynamic form.  

Without any exaggeration, diving today was extraordinary.  Grey Nurses were back at Magic Point and the schools of fish there were impressive as they were varied - even Fusiliers were to be seen there(as well as Moorish Idols, a Lion Fish, a school of Old Wives, and so much more!.  
 

At least one diver booked for Saturday rues the day he rescheduled and, as a consequence, missed everything that day!  
One of the chief pleasures of diving in Sydney is not knowing what you will see.  Saturday proved this in abundance.  

News from The Great Barrier Reef - what divers saw last week

During PRO DIVE Manly's Annual Leopard Safari we hit the mother load at Julian Rocks near Byron Bay

Check out the Video of Dolphins checking out our Divers at Camp Cove in Sydney.