Sunbeams in Sinkholes

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  No Responses »
Nov 192014
 
Sunbeams in Sinkholes

About the dive Kilsby’s is gorgeous…I’ve been there many, many times and it’s usually great. Then on some occasions it moves from being great to being truly awesome. These photos were taken on one of those days. On this particular weekend the whole cave diving world was booked in to dive Tank Cave. Myself and my parents had three awesome dives at Pics, Pines and Kilsby’s without seeing another soul. The water in both the Cathedral in Pics and in the main cavern of Pines was crystal clear. And then there was Kilsby’s. In early November I wasn’t sure if we’d be seeing much sunlight in the water. But by 9.45am or so the sunlight was just starting to creep off [read more…]

Kilsby’s Sinkhole in winter

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  No Responses »
Jul 292014
 
Kilsby's Sinkhole in winter

About the site Kilsby’s Sinkhole is a great big body of crystal clear water in Mt Gambier. Andreas and I dived there a few weeks back after a very pleasant couple of dives in Piccaninnie Ponds. About the dive The main aim for the dive was to get some more rebreather practise in. When I’m not spending my time caving through piles and piles of mud I’m busy clocking up hours on my rEvo. I’m planning to do my MOD2 & MOD3 courses at the end of the year, and that means 50 hours required as a minimum. More than hours, I’m keen to get multiple dives in different conditions to cement my skills. Sinkholes mean no boats and give [read more…]

Hero shots in Kilsby’s Sinkhole

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  1 Response »
Mar 042013
 
Hero shots in Kilsby's Sinkhole

About the site We’re very lucky to have the easily accessible and stunning Mt Gambier sinkholes so close to home. Piccaninnie Ponds, the Shaft and Kilsby’s are all huge spaces filled with crystal clear water. In all three you can hang mid-cave and see from one side to the other (unless the sun is too low or your torch isn’t big enough). From a diver’s point of view, they’ve got clear water all year round. From a photographer’s point of view, all three get silty and milky (although non camera holding visitors might not think so). By the time a bunch of divers have been through Kilsby’s on a weekend the water takes on a hazy quality. About the dive [read more…]

rEvo training in Kilsby’s Sinkhole

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  2 Responses »
Apr 092012
 
rEvo training in Kilsby's Sinkhole

About the site Over the Labour Day long weekend in March, I joined students and instructors for a dive of their rEvo rebreather course. After the initial training dives in Goulden’s Sinkhole, the rEvo courses had moved on to the much more photogenic Kilsby’s Sinkhole where these shots were taken. Following the successful morning dive for both student buddy pairs and their instructors, I jumped in with afternoon sunlight streaming down. By this time of year we’ve progressed from summer into autumn, and it takes longer for the beams of sunlight to hit the bottom of the sinkhole in the morning. The stairs cut through the high rock walls allows spectacular beams to hit the water later in the day [read more…]

Exposure compromises in Kilsby’s Sinkhole

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  No Responses »
Feb 132012
 
Exposure compromises in Kilsby's Sinkhole

About the site Kilsby’s Sinkhole is a huge, crystal clear freshwater cave formation in Mt Gambier. From most areas in the cave you can look back and see daylight, although past 40m you can get down between the rocks. A classic sinkhole formation created by a roof collapse thousands of years ago, Kilsby’s has a rockpile in the middle coming up to 15m depth or less. One side descends to 25m or so, and the other down to 60m+. Visibility is usually in excess of 40m – you can watch divers swim along the opposite wall and see their trailing bubbles ascend to the surface above. About the dive The clear water, natural light and sheer size of the space [read more…]

Sunlight through Kilsby’s Sinkhole

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  5 Responses »
Jan 162012
 
Sunlight through Kilsby's Sinkhole

About the site Kilsby’s Sinkhole is perhaps the single best reason to do your Deep Cavern course with the Cave Diver’s Association of Australia. With crystal clear water filling the huge open amphitheatre, other divers appear to be swimming through space. Moving back under the roof at the deep end allows you to look out into the sunlit daylight zone. Alternatively, you can swim on down between the white limestone with trimix dives allowed to 60m. It’s been my favourite dive in Mt Gambier for years, although closely followed by Piccaninnie Ponds and Tank Cave. I took some photos in here back in winter which were nice but not stunning. They were hampered by the high sides of the sinkhole blocking [read more…]

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