Typical spring weather – sunny and calm one day, rain squalls and rainbows the next. But the diving is good with the visibility above 5m in the river despite the fresh water runoff.
We’re still seeing whales in the river as well as nearby bays not to mention dolphins and seals. The number of Little Penguins feeding locally is a great indication that schooling fish remain in the area.
With two weeks of school holidays starting today, we’ll be diving daily. Snorkellers are welcome on all dives except the Betsey Island wreck dives, likewise people who would like to try scuba under the guidance of an instructor.
Sun 5 Tinderbox Marine Reserve – drift and reef dives
Mon 6 Variety Bay reef and kelp forests
Tues 7 North Bruny exploration
Wed 8 Bruny Island kelp forests and sea dragons
Thurs 9 Betsey Island – reefs and wrecks
Fri 10 Tinderbox Marine Reserve
Remember that spring is traditionally windy and so, as always, we might need to modify our calendar to suit the conditions.
If there’s a dive that you want to do, just ask! We’ll run with a minimum of two. Email or phone me to talk about what you’d like to do.
Arch Rock is a fascinating place above and below the water.
The small sandstone island is named for the cave that forms an arch in its centre and it’s a notable geological feature as well as being an interesting dive.
A winter visit to Arch Rock in 2002
The waters around Arch Rock are subject to high levels of tannin from the nearby Huon River. Less dense tea-coloured fresh water overlays the colder sea water, sometimes in distinct layers, sometimes reaching to the bottom, other times with little tannin evident. Swimming through the different densities can produce odd visual effects not to mention noticeable changes in buoyancy!
The tannin creates a unique experience for divers in other ways. The sun creates a golden glow. Tannin filters out light, which means colours are muted and it can take some time for your eyes to adjust. But whilst it can be dark, the water can be crystal clear and the lower light levels lead to some marine life being seen in much shallower waters than otherwise.
The marine life is an interesting mix of algae and critters. Red algae thrive, along with green and brown seaweeds. There are the usual invertebrate species found in the Channel area – sea whips, bryozoans, sponges, hydroids, sea stars, feather stars, and more. You don’t have to look closely to see large shrimp and other crustaceans.
Arch Rock is located in the southern reaches of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, approximately one kilometre south of Ninepin Point. It is now part of the Ninepin Point Marine Nature Reserve, which was expanded from 60 to 731 hectares in late 2009.
FACT FILE:
Depth – to 15m
Highlights – invertebrates, fish life, range of algae
Travel time – 90 mins
Of interest – high tannin levels due to proximity of Huon River
Gear – a good torch, SMB or surface signalling device in case of currents
More reading – Parks and Wildlife information about Ninepin Pt Marine Nature Reserve
Tinderbox Marine Nature Reserve is one of Tasmania’s best kept diving secrets.
Tinderbox offers wonderfully diverse diving, in part due to its location at the meeting of waters from the Derwent River, Storm Bay, the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and North West Bay. Sponge beds, weedy reef, rock ledges and crevices, seagrass, sand and silt bottoms and offshore reefs mean plenty of things to see and fascinating changes with the seasons.
Tinderbox can be much maligned by those who only see the highly degraded beach area on a dive course, but the reality is it’s a dive site to rival any in Tasmania.
There are dozens of species of invertebrates, fish and algae. You’ll see green, brown and red algae as well as kelp forests. The currents and eddies off Piersons Point are perfect for invertebrates such as sea whips, sea pens, basket stars, and gorgonia corals. On the rocky reefs there are encrusting corals, sponges of all shapes and colours, zoanthid, lace bryozoans, jewel anemones, not to mention sea hares, nudibranchs, sea horses, and schools of bastard trumpeter, mackerel, pike and jackass morwong and masses of southern hula fish. Look closely and find the rarely seen red velvet fish, weed fish, draughtboard sharks and more.
Much of the best invertebrate life is in 10-15m of water, which means Tinderbox is accessible to divers of all certification levels and the longer bottom times will have great appeal to photographers.
Tinderbox was one of Tasmania’s first Marine Reserves and was proclaimed in 1990. It is one of only two no-take reserves in SE Tasmania (the other is Ninepin Point).
FACT FILE:
Depth – to 30m
Highlights – invertebrates including corals, sea pens, fish life, range of algae
Travel time – 30 mins
Of interest – definitely the invertebrates!
Gear – SMB or surface signalling device in case of currents, a torch can be useful
More reading – Parks and Wildlife information about Tinderbox Marine Nature Reserve
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