Hidden lights in Piccaninnie Ponds

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  1 Response »
Dec 172012
 
Hidden lights in Piccaninnie Ponds

About the site Piccaninnie Ponds is a sinkhole rated site out of Mt Gambier. With a permit you can snorkel there, and clear water means you can watch cave divers descending into the darkness. The dappled sunshine, white walls and green weed in the open sections means Pics is a regular feature in tourist videos of the Limestone Coast – it’s a very pretty dive. About the dive Usually I try and get into Pics for the first booking slot on Saturday morning. While the booking slots are spaced three hours apart to let the water settle out between divers, once a number of groups have been through on a weekend the water starts to get distinctly murky. On this [read more…]

A sunny day on the J4 submarine

 Ocean diving, Wrecks  1 Response »
Dec 102012
 
A sunny day on the J4 submarine

About the site The J4 sub is the most-often dived of the J class subs that were scuttled out of Port Phillip Bay. Built late in WWI in response to rumours that the Germans were developing something better, they were sold to Australia by Great Britain after the war ended. Despite an expensive refit process here in Australia, by the 1930s there was no use for them and they were scuttled. The J4 was rediscovered in the 1980s, and is also known as the 26m sub for the depth of water that it sits in. Shallower than the others and with correspondingly less narcosis, it’s an easier wreck to photograph. About the dive This dive was about five days after [read more…]

Lighting the tunnel in Weebubbie Cave

 Cave diving, Nullarbor  7 Responses »
Dec 032012
 
Lighting the tunnel in Weebubbie Cave

About the cave Weebubbie Cave is out on the Nullarbor Plain, a long way from anywhere. The brilliant white limestone and huge water filled passages are the incentive for cave divers to drive across half a continent with half a tonne of dive gear to camp in the red desert dust. The water tables lies between 80m and 100m below the Nullarbor. The trek with dive gear starts by lowering the lot over the edge into the doline, and continues with a hike into the darkness. Tanks, weights, dive gear, cameras, lights, lunch and everything else make the trip up and down the rocky slopes to the water’s edge. About the dive I was visiting Weebubbie for a filming trip [read more…]

Cave diving through history: Cocklebiddy Cave, 1983 (Part 3)

 Back in the Day, Cave diving, Nullarbor  2 Responses »
Nov 292012
 
Cave diving through history: Cocklebiddy Cave, 1983 (Part 3)

After a successful push into new territory in the third sump, the team still had to get themselves and their gear home again…back to and over Toad Hall, empty tanks into the three sleds and back 2.5kms to the first rockpile, over the first rockpile, and four sleds of empty tanks home to the surface lake. From there it was a quick march up the doline and more than a few loads of gear up the line to the desert above. Ron Allum sitting on his sleeping mat in Toad Hall, with his home made cave radio. This device provided underground to surface voice communication and allowed the Toad Hall team to report on the successful extension of the line [read more…]

A convenient restriction in Tank Cave

 Cave diving, Mt Gambier  1 Response »
Nov 262012
 
A convenient restriction in Tank Cave

About the cave Tank Cave is a fantastic site in Mt Gambier, with miles of shallow, interconnecting tunnels. Shallow is definitely better from a photographic point of view, as it means a lot more time to play around and reduces the impact of narcosis on the artistic vision. Another very handy feature in Tank is the way the character of the cave changes from area to area. As you can see from my previous postings, there are large chambers, long dark tunnels, small silty tunnels and bright white breakdown piles. This variety means a great selection of places to take photos, as well as the challenge of remembering to change camera and strobe settings as you swim from one area into [read more…]

Cave diving through history: Cocklebiddy Cave, 1983 (Part 2)

 Back in the Day, Cave diving, Nullarbor  3 Responses »
Nov 222012
 
Cave diving through history: Cocklebiddy Cave, 1983 (Part 2)

In 1983, twelve divers reached the first rockpile, carrying tanks over to the second sump. Six divers then swam the second sump to camp in the darkness in Toad Hall. And three divers pushed on, into the third sump. Rest stop in the second sump, sleds against the roof. Ron Allum on the left and Phil Prust on the right. The line dangling from the spare reg on the left is a neck strap. Welcome to Toad Hall. It’s a long way to the top, but less gear to be carried over for the third sump push with only three divers going ahead. The camping gear was taken to the flat section at the top of the chamber. Phil Prust [read more…]

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