Descend Downunder

Descend's lucky divers aboard OceanTrek at Jervis Bay

May 2003

It sure has been hard getting back into the swing of things after the break we’ve just had. Hope you were able to get some dives in over Easter and for those of us who were the lucky ones on the Jervis Bay liveaboard, boy did we have a ball. We had great weather, fantastic dives, wonderful company & a very professional crew looking after us aboard Oceantrek. Four days onboard with up to four dives a day, including a night dive was definitely the way to wind-down for Easter. We even had some divers who also spent Easter over the coast after the liveaboard to get in some more great diving – Now that’s dedication… I could go on and on about it but for more details on our trip, read our group written article below.

Nullarbor Expedition..

Geoff Reed in a tight spot

While we were taking it easy diving on Oceantrek, Des and his crew of cave divers were doing it tough in the Nullarbor. Their trip was a huge success and Des captured some amazing shots on film and video of their experience. Hopefully he will share it with us sometime. It would make a great club night.

12 weeks till Papua New Guinea…

Yep, hasn’t that snuck up on all of us. So far we have the following lucky travellers joining us; Gordon McBurnie & Trudy McCall, Geoff & Rachael Reed, Leigh Knight, Chris Lethbridge, Russell Godson, Phil Randell, George Hargrave, & Ross Guddon, all accompanied by Andrew as their tour leader. If you are still thinking about it, now is the time to make a final decision and book on!! We are having a Pre-PNG get-together on Saturday 21st June for all those that are going and those of you still thinking about it.  Full details below..

Equipment Course..

How frustrating when you get to your dive site, put your gear together and your reg’s are leaking. Learn how to do minor onsite repairs yourself, and actually give your gear a full service while on course. Don’t have your own gear – no worries you can service ours. This is a great hands-on course that everyone should experience. Details on course below.. Book Now..

The Pit..

Looking for a local dive? The Pit is fantastic at the moment, come and get the key anytime, just give us a call first.

Equipment Specialist Course..

Enjoying an interest in diving is not complete without a basic understanding of your equipment.

Descend's Equipment Course will provide training in the technical aspects of SCUBA equipment allowing you to facilitate minor onsite repairs and maintenance. You are encouraged to bring along you’re own regulators, B.C’s and cylinders and service them on course – all ready for the next diving season. Don’t have your own equipment – no dramas – we will supply you with equipment for the weekend. Not only do you get hands on experience, but also theoretical knowledge on care, maintenance & storage, key features of equipment to help you with purchases plus much, more!! You will NEVER look at scuba gear the same!! Don’t miss this opportunity to see the equipment guru himself in action!! (Yes, Des)

Des helping students service their own regulators during an equipment course

Dates:

Friday 11th July 7:30 – 10:30

Saturday 12th July 9:00 – 4:00

Sunday 13th July 9:00 – 4:00

Cost: $240.00 incl. GST – remember that includes a full service on your equipment (parts extra if needed)!!

We are also offering 10% off all equipment if purchased during course. Places limited

Call us now on 0260 411405 to book

Descend with Mick & Lyn & the BULL HORN - 13th -17th April 2003

OceanTrek Liveaboard

The Descend team is back for another fantastic trip of being pampered by Mick, Lyn, Warren and Tim. Some new faces with us this time but we have a group of 17 keen divers to explore the wonders of Jervis Bay.

9.00am. The Docks - Point Perpendicular. Sun shining, 15metre viz and 20 degree water - shit its great to be back!

Jervis Bay is fast becoming one of my favourite dive sites, it doesn’t seem to matter what the weather is doing, the Bay is so big and so sheltered that Mick and Lyn can always find somewhere really specy to dive. The Docks is a great dive to start the trip off, my dive buddy is using this dive to finish off her open water course - I’ll let Sam take up the story.........

With a great deal of anxiety from a terrifying first experience in the ocean, it was wonderful to finally smile when I got out of the water. My first dive for the trip proved to be breathtaking (not in a scary way!!) and I am now looking forward to all the ocean wildlife to discover. Beautiful fish, scary looking creatures and stunning plantlife. The only challenge now is to successfully communicate with my loved one under water. Easier said than done I’m afraid - but that’s another story....I’ll let Justin take up the story............

Someone please invent a underwater fax machine......

First time night diving!! Fantastic!! Spider cave looked great day & night. We had a little visitor on the night dive (hammerhead shark), which excited some more than others......I’ll let Troy take up the story...........

I just want to touch everything! Sam said "NO IT WILL BITE U!" dives are great. Still do not know why I got in tonight somebody said there was a shark 20m from the boat! Just hope it had already eaten dinner ........ over to Adam.....

Some how I’ve become the navigator out of our group, just because I accidentally found the boat on our first dive. Though it could also be because I’m the only one with a compass. Regardless were all having a great time and I can’t wait for our next underwater adventure in the morning.

This is now the second time I have done this trip and there is still so much to explore. There has been a slight change of crew since I last cruised with Ocean Trek. Tim the wonder chef almost cooks a roast as good as my mum’s. Warren extends his talents to even take the fins off a weary diver - where else could you go for such fabulous service.

The dive on North Bowen proved to show something different besides some gorgeous weedy sea dragons- a Blue Groper with a new fashion statement - wearing a trendy pair of sunglasses that Rex accidentally lost overboard whilst he was trying to spot NUDIST sunbathers.

The gap dive on Wed afternoon was a nice change, being ferried to the dive site in Priscilla the ever faithful dive tender, (and taxi for weary divers unable to find their way back to the boat). On command from Mick all drivers rolled over the side into the surf zone then descended to the bottom.

Once at the bottom it was a matter of just going with the surge and riding the incoming tide through the boulders, a turn to the south west once hitting the sea grass led us straight back to the sweet sound of the dive boats engines drumming through the water.

We are all having a fantastic time. Our dives have been very eventful and interesting. Mick and Lyn and staff certainly know how to turn on the hospitality. Thank you to you all.

The nudist sunbathers both male and female generated a lot of interest especially by Lindsay, whose red ringed eyes (from using the binoculars) now stand like traffic lights.

Great last dive, going overboard from Priscilla was something else.

Di and I ( Francis) had a great time. I had a few probs. with descending but with an odd tip or two from Lyn and Mick the whole trip was great. (I will be Back HERE). Great nights after diving, great company. Thanks to Mick and Lyn. I recommend THE GAP (Something else).....Who needs weight belts when you can place that spare weight in your jocks. Yes my new nick name is lead pencil.

Lindsay here.......I guess its ok to tell the rest of the crew from descend now that the time has passed that I was skippering the boat last night, that’s right in the skippers seat (little did they all no) it was all going well until Mick said 20 degrees port and the boat started to travel right which wouldn’t have been too bad except we were headed straight for the beach and turning the wrong way, but Mick being Mick just said "its ok".............well what more could anyone ask for, we have all the luxury from home aboard the ocean trek resort, great food, great diving sites, great staff, and thanks to Frank for pointing out to everyone I have a merkon on my chest

Our last night on the boat proved to be very entertaining. Gordon led everyone when singing his version of Root-ta-ta, which ended with Gordon taking his pants off, much to Kristy’s disgust! After lots of hilarity stories and joke telling most of us went to bed except for a few stayers ,namely, Rob, Rex, Russ, Mick (skipper) and of course Gordon McBurnie. All started out fairly quietly but Jesus did they break loose. Poor Rex tried to get to bed twice but someone gave the boys a megaphone to play with so at 2 o’clock in the morning Gordon thought it would be very funny to get Rex up again, forgetting that everyone else could hear that bloody megaphone also. but as they say what goes around comes around when Gordon was trying to sleep in he got a rude awakening. Ha!Ha! See you all next Easter 2004!

Brave Bazza loses battle for life…

Extract from Merimbula News Weekly, April 16th – c/o David and Fran Elliott

Rescuers have lost the fight to save the life of one of Merimbula’s best-known tourist attractions, Bazza the Blue Groper that died at Merimbula Aquarium on Friday after being impaled on a squid jig.

Bazza had been a favourite with divers at the Merimbula Wharf for more than 15 years, swimming up to them and tapping them on their masks to demand to be fed his favourite food, sea urchins.

Nearly one metre in length and weighing 8 – 10 kilograms, the large blue fish had previously survived death at the hands of a fisherman who caught and gaffed him but recovered from his injuries.

After being cared for in a tank at Merimbula Aquarium following the first incident, Bazza was returned to his home in Merimbula Bay, the leader of a group of Gropper’s that live near the fishing platform.

The most recent incident was Bazza’s second scrape with death and he was once again recovering in one of the aquarium’s tanks after surgery to remove the multi-barbed jig buried deep inside his body that left a gaping hole in his belly.

Bazza was under the care of Bega Vet Clinic veterinarian Peter Alexander, a keen diver, Merimbula Diver’s Lodge proprietors Ross McDougal and Miles Petty, diving instructor Tony Hunt and aquarium manager Malcolm Matthews who had been nursing him daily.

Each day, the medical team injected Bazza with antibiotics to prevent infection, and they had been encouraging him to start eating again and regain his strength.

"Bazza’s been around for as long as anyone can remember and loves a feed and has been known to knock me on the side of my head as his way of saying, "Hurry up, I’m hungry," Mr. Petty said.

Bazza’s plight was discovered by Mr. Hunt who had a led group of diving students to feed the fish with sea urchins as a reward for graduating from their course on Sunday, March 30.

"I lined up the students and called Bazza in," Mr. Hunt said, "but I noticed he seemed a bit unwell and then I saw a squid jig sticking out of his anus."

Divers netted Bazza on the following Monday after luring him with food and he quickly carried up to the aquarium and place din a shallow tank while the jig was removed with a pair of needle-nosed pliers, Mr. Petty said.

Mr. Petty said he was unsure whether Bazza has swallowed the jig and it had passed through his body, or whether he had become hooked while swimming.

It was lodged deep inside the fished body and rescuers had to carefully untangle loops of intestines hooked around the jig before it could be removed.

Bazza had at first been placed in the aquariums main tank and divers swam with him each day, trying to entice him to eat again but the fish’s recovery had been slower than hoped for, Mr. Petty said.

Bazza was moved to a small holding tank where he could be cared for more effectively but at first he refused food and was found floating upside-down in his tank last Wednesday morning.

Mr. Alexander had contacted the Imlay Veterinary Clinic at Merimbula, about the fish’s plight and vet Julianne Manton donated antibiotics that were given to Bazza each day and he had appeared to respond, becoming more active, Mr. Petty said.

However, he succumbed to shock and infection, dying on Friday morning, and divers returned his body to the sea that afternoon after a simple ceremony at the fishing platform.

Mr. Petty said the fish’s death had upset the diving community, which cared for the environment and highlighted the need for fisherman to be responsible with their equipment.

"We’re not against fishing," he said, we eat fish and enjoy it but with all this advanced technology there must be a way of protecting fish such as Bazza from the pain of a slow death from discarded fishing gear."

Kavieng Pre-Trip get-together..

Join your fellow travellers in an information night and pre-trip get together. Get all those final questions answered and meet your tour leader and dive buddies.

When: Saturday 21st June

Where: The Termo – Dean Street Albury – (Beer Garden)

Time:6:30

RSVP: Call Descend on 60 411405 by 18th June