1. SHARK DIVING
- Cod Hole
Whilst on every trip White Tip Reef sharks and Grey Whalers are
occasionally seen, 2 or 3 White Tips per dive can be seen in the
gutters at Shark Alley.
- Coral Sea & Exploratory Coral Sea
Multiple sightings of Grey Whalers and White Tip Reef sharks happen on
most dive sites. At Geronimos Wall 20 - 25 Silvertip and Grey whalers
can be seen, with 30 - 40 observed in a feeding frenzy at Scuba Zoo.
Great Hammerheads are occasionally observed on the deep wall dives
such as Cod Wall and Berlin Wall.
Large Bull Sharks and Shovelnose Sharks are regularly seen at the
Yongala Wreck.
- Ultimate Adventures & Discovery
Adventures
These expeditions combine the Cod Hole and Coral Sea - please refer to
the above information.
Milne Bay (PNG)
Regular sightings of Grey Whalers and Silvertips happen at some reefs.
Hammerheads are occasionally seen along the deep walls.
Kavieng (PNG)
Regular sightings of Grey Whalers and Silvertips occur at many reefs,
with spectacular close encounters of large Silvertips at Valerie's
reef.- Great White Sharks
See the oceans ultimate predator with Rodney Fox Expeditions, the
world's leading exponent of Great White Shark expeditions. Late April
to September gives the maximum opportunity for Great White activity.
May/June has the best combination of shark activity, temperature and
weather.
- All Expeditions
Epaulette and Leopard sharks are occasionally seen, especially at
night, while Tawny Nurse, Tiger and Whale sharks are a rarely seen.
2. WHALE DIVING
- Cod Hole
Minke Whales are commonly seen from June to August, with the best
underwater encounters in June and July. Occasional Humpback sightings
are from July to September.
- Coral Sea & Exploratory Coral Sea
Humpback Whales from July to September are commonly seen close to the
vessel, with occasional underwater encounters. Minke Whales are
occasionally seen again from July to September.
3. MUCK DIVING
Muck Diving, now a generic term, was first coined by Bob Halstead when he
operated 'Telita' in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. At one of Telita's
favourite night anchorages Bob discovered many new forms of exotic marine
life previously overlooked by divers. Keen divers and photographers now
flock to Milne Bay (PNG) to enjoy the rich marine life biodiversity rarely
matched elsewhere. Our most popular site is Dinah's Beach in Milne Bay.
Some of the highlights include 5 different species of lionfish, 6
different species of anemone fish, blue ribbon eels, shrimp gobies,
several families of octopus, cuttlefish, ghost pipefish to name a few!
4. NAUTILUS DIVES
One highlight of Papua New Guinea expeditions is the Nautilus dive. A trap
is lowered to very deep water to collect Nautilus. The dive is very
controlled, the Nautilus are released in 10m (33 ft) of water for a short
duration before being retrieved by the Divemaster. The Nautilus are safely
returned and released back down at 150m (500 ft).
5. CORAL SPAWNING
Coral Spawning is the mass reproduction of hundred's of species of coral.
To ensure the best advantage of success this happens in a small 'window'
of time. Corals synchronise their spawning to a number of factors:
temperature, salinity, tides, position of the moon. The general time of
year when all these factors match is late spring or early summer - late
November or early December in Australia. About 2 or 3 days after the full
moon, during the night, corals release millions of gametes into the water.
A little like a 'snowstorm' of different coloured egg bundles are
released. Aboard Spoilsport and Supersport we send members of the crew
into the water every 30 mins to watch for the start. When the event occurs
our guests then go in for a night dive to view natures biggest 'orgy'!
6. WRECK DIVING
Coral Sea, Exploratory Coral Sea, Ultimate Adventure and Exploratory
Adventure all include one day at the Yongala Wreck. The Yongala was a
luxury passenger freighter that sank in a cyclone in 1911 with the loss of
121 lives. It lies on 30 m (100 ft) on its starboard side; the uppermost
deck is 15 m (50 ft) below the surface. The wreck is in excellent
condition with 75% of the deck and hull structure intact, fortunately the
Historic Shipwrecks Act protects it. Most divers agree that they have
never seen such a concentration of large exotic marine life as can be seen
at the Yongala. Huge schools of fish, giant bull rays, eagle rays,
turtles, sea snakes, shovel nose sharks and bull sharks are among a myriad
of other marine life that congregate at the Yongala wreck to make it
Australia's best dive.
7. NITROX DIVING (EANX32)
Nitrox is currently available on Spoilsport and Paradise Sport. Nitrox
fills are limited to 32% oxygen and a maximum operating depth of 34m (113
ft). Nitrox divers are required to dive on computer. A complimentary
computer workshop is offered to those hiring a computer.
8. DEEP DIVING
Note: Dives in excess of 132 ft / 40m can only be undertaken by divers who
have experience of the same depths to a maximum of 165 ft / 50m.
- Cod Hole.
Most sites include sloping coral to 60 feet / 20m. The Cod
Hole dive is at 15m / 50 ft, however the ledges drop off to 30m /
100ft as does Dynamite Pass and Steve's Bommie.
- Coral Sea
& Exploratory Coral Sea
Most sites in the Coral Sea have coral starting at 10ft-20ft (3m-6m)
and dropping off to 165 ft+ (50m+).
Safe Solo Dive Procedures
- Plan each dive to be shallower than the
previous dive, and within the no decompression limits of dive tables
or computer. Advise dive staff: direction of dive and ETA back
onboard.
- Dive depth must be limited by the capacity of
your redundant air system and your experience and training. We
recommend less than 30m (100ft) especially on repetitive dives.
- Drink water before every dive to reduce risk
of decompression sickness
- Do not drink alcohol until after your last
dive of each day and then in moderation to ensure safe diving the next
day. Also, no illegal drugs must be taken.
- Slowly ascend from every dive. Recommend less
than 9m (30ft) per minute.
- Complete a 5 min safety stop at 5m (16ft) on
every dive.
- If you are feeling unwell after a dive, or at
any time, tell a staff member and lei down flat. Do not sit up or
allow anyone to sit you up.
- Multiple dives over multiple days can have an
accumulative effect in contributing to decompression sickness. Every
3rd or 4th day make fewer dives. If you do 4-5 dives one day, do less
the next. On the final day reduce bottom times and increase safety
stop times.
- I understand that diving is potentially
dangerous. I fully accept that risk and agree to pay any medical,
vessel relocation or evacuation costs incurred on my behalf and you
are authorised to make medical and transport arrangements as may be
determined to be necessary or desirable in my interests.
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