Bathtub in Warbla Cave

 Cave diving, Nullarbor  No Responses »
Jun 202011
 
Bathtub in Warbla Cave

About the dive Warbla Cave is a scientific reference cave located on the Nullarbor in Western Australia which is closed to general access. With pure white walls and interesting formations, not to mention the colonies of bacteria found in protected areas, it was a dream cave for photography. A scientific permit is required for entry, along with excellent fitness to transport our dive gear through the cavernous dry cave area. Ducking under a low ledge towards the end of this huge space, we negotiated a steep slope of dried bat guano to get to the water. This scientific trip was set up to replicate and measure some of the variables that had been studied in 2000. Our goals included setting [read more…]

Cathedral in Piccaninnie Ponds

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  2 Responses »
Jun 062011
 
Cathedral in Piccaninnie Ponds

About the dive Piccaninnie Ponds is one of my favourite sites for cave photography. As well as the crystal clear water and very white rock, there’s the novel aspect of being able to get natural light in the shot. The main drawback is that, once inside the Cathedral, you don’t have very long to experiment before silt starts to drift down off the roof. Naturally, taking advantage of the opportunities is also dependent on the sun coming out to play. I previously talked about a photo taken in the Chasm of Pics, looking up through the scalloped limestone walls. Swimming forward from here divers move under a limestone ceiling, and enter the Cathedral. Large rocks sit across the path between [read more…]

For Your Eyes Only in Junee Cave

 Cave diving, Tasmania  3 Responses »
May 302011
 
For Your Eyes Only in Junee Cave

About the cave Junee Cave is located just out of Maydena, Tasmania, about a 90 minute drive from Hobart. Unlike the caves in South Australia and Western Australia, Junee is a river cave system, with rushing water flowing out of a dark hole in the ground. A ten minute walk along a beaten track beside the stream, where an interpretive sign by the cave entrance is just the beginning of getting to where this shot was taken. Having climbed over the tourist viewing platform and clambered down to the water, the would-be cave diver needs to lump the gear about 300m upstream inside the cave. Unseen under rushing water, a rocky floor that gets unexpectedly deep in places makes this more [read more…]

The Black and White Raft Room in Burnabbie Cave

 Cave diving, Roe Plains  3 Responses »
May 232011
 
The Black and White Raft Room in Burnabbie Cave

About the cave Burnabbie Cave is located on the Roe Plain, near the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia. Despite being relatively close to the Nullarbor caves, the Roe Plain caves are completely different in nature. Instead of huge white tunnels with blue water, sidemount access is required to get into the shallow, twisting, multi-level caves. The water is tinted yellow or green and layered with multiple haloclines causing distortion in any disturbed water. The air spaces are poisonous, with what might be high proportions of sulfur and carbon dioxide. About the dive On this particular dive, we were making an excursion into the Black and White Raft Room, relatively close to the cave entrance. The room is very shallow, with [read more…]

The Chasm in Piccaninnie Ponds

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  1 Response »
May 092011
 
The Chasm in Piccaninnie Ponds

  About the dive Piccaninnie Ponds is a spectacular freshwater cave formation in South Australia, where spring water filtering up through the limestone has created beautiful formations up the walls. Normally the water is crystal clear on entry, with limitless visibility. After swimming across the First Pond and through the fringing reeds, divers descend into the canyon-like Chasm, where the Dogleg at 40m can be seen from the surface. At the far end the Chasm develops a roof to form the Cathedral. On this particular dive, I turned up at the Ponds with my parents to discover recent rainfall had led to muddy water running off the surrounding swamp and into the First Pond. Vis here was about a metre, [read more…]

Tommy Graham’s Cave Doorway

 Cave diving, Nullarbor  3 Responses »
Apr 302011
 
Tommy Graham's Cave Doorway

About the cave Tommy Grahams Cave is located on the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia. A large tunnel leads down from the initial entry point, moving through a more restrictive collapse area, before opening up again. This second tunnel area has an entrance to a lower section of the cave, and also ascends to an enclosed air space. With high CO2 levels, not many divers clamber over this rockpile to reach the sump on the other side. After a brief attempt at carrying my twin 100s over, I was one of the ones who decided turning back would be more sensible. Probably the most memorable feature of this cave is the access to the water. The surface of the Nullarbor [read more…]

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