Descend Downunder
Ex- HMAS Canberra scuttled off Victoria..SHES DOWN!!!
Well if you didnt already know you will know about it now. Thats right the Ex-HMAS has finally been sunk. It was Sunk on Sunday the 4th October around 2.00pm Ex-HMAS Canberra is perfectly positioned to form an artificial reef, after being scuttled off Victorias Bellarine Peninsula.The vessel was due to be sunk off Ocean Grove around 9.15am on Sunday the 4th, but weather conditions meant a delay of about five hours, calm conditions were needed so the ship could be anchored properly before it was sunk as weather can be unpredictable it did cause a bit of a delay for the ship but now the vessel is 100% as it should be, it is in the right position and they did it very sucessfully, it apparently went down well and commercial divers have come back to report that the Canberra has scuttled upright & perfect. The Canberra will become a new reef & dive venue.
While the Ex- HMAS Canberra has been scuttled, it may be some time before we can dive it. Roughly around 3 to 4 weeks sometime in November.The following activities are expected to happen over the coming weeks.
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Properly experienced & skilled clearance divers have inspected the ship and declared that she is upright and has settled correctly.
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Parks Victoria will install a mooring system with moorings allocated for commercial operators & private boats.
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Parks Victoria will declare the site is opening for diving.
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Parks Victoria will introduce an online booking system for mooring permits for private boats to access the Ex-HMAS Canberra dive site.
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Parks Victoria will announce which commercial dive operators have been granted mooring licences to conduct diving tours at the Ex-HMAS Canberra dive site.
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Parks Victoria will announce details about accessing & using the dive site.
We will be sure to let you all know when it is diveable..Stay Tuned!! See attached flyer to see the dive site and dive site moorings.
PNG - Kavieng | | Papa New Guniea |  |
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There are only 10 places available to go on the PNG trip & there has been alot of interest shown so to confirm your spot on this amzing trip you do need a $330 non refundable deposit payable to Allways.
8 nights 10 dives including 1 night dive ex Sydney. Return airfares from Sydney to Kavieng flyign Air Niugini. (Pleasee note that own flight arrangements will have to be made on Friday the 6th to Sydney)
Trip includes return airfares from Sydney to Kavieng, flying Air Niugini
Nusa Island Retreat - 8 nights twin share accommodation/shared bathroom (upgrade to premium bungalow private bathroom available $140pp subject to availability)
10 dives with Scuba Ventures Kavieng including 1 night dive
2 Residual air dives on shallow plane wrecks
Free non guided shore dives at Scuba Ventures Jetty each afternoon untill 5pm
Group DVD Slideshow
Copy of DVD for each member of group
Complimentary digital camera downloads20% discount on nitrox fills 32 fills @ $14.00 per fill
Tanks weights airfills
Return airport transfersAustralian Departure & International taxes
N.B Visa is required for travel to PNG
Cost only Diver $2724.00/including taxes
non diver $2092.00/including taxes
Call Descend now for further information on 02 60411405 or e-mail dive@descend.com.au & see attached flyer for more.
New Experience... | | Taylor Dickson on work experience with Descend | |
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A new experience for Descend & that was for the first time we had a year 10 student all the way from Canberra at Melrose High School, Taylor Dickson joins us for work experience.
For Taylor's work experience his chosen to come do it with us here a Descend, due to his interest in becoming a commercial diver but because of his age he will have to wait a few years. Unfortunately Taylor wasnt able to get into the water but he was very helpful on land and in the boat when the students were diving at the weir. Taylor got to assist the students helping them getting ready for their dives, helped with the umbillicals, sat in on a few theory sessions, watched Mark, one of our instructors hyrdo cylinders & even learnt how to fill them with air. Lets find out how Taylor enjoyed his experience
Reflections on 4 days work experience at Descend dive shop & diver training centre: By Taylor Dickson.
Ive been interested in diving for about a year now and needed some more information to find out more about it. Whilst surfing the net I came accross Descend, a dive shop, in Albury which provides accredited commercial diver training. My school work experience placement was coming up in a month and Descend seemed like the perfect place to go...
Monday - I arrived in Albury on Monday afternoon, was introduced to the Descend team consisting of Kirk, Rick, Mark & Naomi and then i was given a tour of the facilities. Wow...lots of gear & equipment.
Tuesday - The day kicked off at 8.30am where i started off being shown some of the eqipment, doing a couple of basic jobs like cleaning & coiling the umbillical lines & then i got to join the students class to learn about some dive theory, I found this very useful as I learned heaps about scuba regulators & the human anatomy.
Wednesday - Was my first day of observing a dive task where the whole group went out to "The Pit" which is a flooded quarry used as a training site for the student's. they had to construct underwater (The Maze) a huge metal structure consisting of all kinds of pipes, nuts & bolts. I got to assist by helping tender the umbilical & ropes used by the students as they worked underwater.
Thursday - We went out to the Hume Weir where the team had to dive to 15m learn to cut metal & wood objects underwater in a set time frame... it proved quite a challange & was much more difficult than i initially thought it would be !
Friday - The students had their weekly test, so i washed up equipment and learnt how to safely fill the air tanks. I found the presentation on different types of regualtors and their applications very interesting. The day was finished before i knew it and then i was on the bus heading back home. Many thanks to all at Descend (including the students) for providing me a taste of a week in the life of a commercial diver in training, I throughly enjoyed it.
Thanks Taylor, we look forward to seeing you in a few years.
Descend's Xmas Party!!!!  | | Merry X-Mas | |
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You dont want to miss the X-Mas Party of the year. Only 5 weeks to confirm your attendance!!
When: Saturday 5th December
Where: Commercial Club Golf Resort
Time: From 6.30pm with champagne on arrival, followed by a 3 course meal.
Cost: $40/ head
Bookings Essential!! Call Descend Now on 02 60411405
Long Weekend @ Merimbula
17 members headed off to Merimbula on the long weekend for a diving trip. Lets find out who those divers were & how the trip went below.
Merimbula Dive Trip 2009 | | Steve & Travis watching Simon, Kirk & Paul in the water | |
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17 members set off to head to Merimbula for the long weekend. Steve Watson, Jeff Christesen, Travis Ledger, Joy Kent, Anne Strange, Naomi Corker, Kirk Savage, Mark & Kathryn Padmore, Andrew & Matt Kingerlee, Simon Malsem, Paul Preston & the Butler family Phil, Tonia, Angus & Dylan.
Finally got away from work to set off for a long trip to Merimbula, well 6 hours in a car is long enough for anyone isnt it? Arriving at the Merimbula Divers lodge was straight to bed as our first dive the next day was at 7.30am. There were two groups of divers one group of 7 which had the Kingerlee family, Joy, Anne, Naomi, Kathryn & Mark and one group of 8 who had Phil & Angus, Kirk, Jeff, Travis, Steve, Simon & Paul. Our first dive site for today was the Tasman Hauler, a ship which was made diver safe & scuttled in 1987. Sitting upright in 30m of water the wreck is covered in colouful sponges & jeweled anemones with plenty of fish life to see. Below the deck is the cabins & engine room to explore without any chance of being trapped (although I still didnt go through it), quiet a nice wreck to dive.
After that dive everyone warmed up with hot chocolates, toasted sandwhiches & bacon & egg rolls, just the sort of food & drink whilst sitting in your wet gear. The second dive site was The Cave, which group 8 got to explore, The Cave is filled with marine life & plenty of fish life to see. You can go through The Cave for 20 metres before opening up into a larger cavern. It is covered in brilliant sponges, sea squirts, gorgonians & lace coral, once out of the tunnel the walls also featured excellent examples of life, nudibranches, many octopus & the occasional cuttlefish. Unfortunately group 7 didnt get to enjoy The Cave due to the weather, but instead headed off to the Chipmill which had plenty of the weedy sea dragons, big groper fish, nudibranches even a little Port Jackson shark was there. A nice cruisey dive to end our day.
Day two we had planned to dive Short Point Bommie & the Empire Gladstone but as weather is unpredictable our dive sites had to be changed, luckily enough we were able to get at least one dive in, which was the Old Man Rock dive site at Pambula. The water was choppy & the boat ride to get there was about 30minutes & Naomi started to feel a little sick but once arrived at our destination I toughened up & got in the water for a dive, which was meant to be a drift dive but wasnt much of one however we still got to see two Port Jackson sharks, stone fish, star fish, sponges & nudibranches. Then it was off to the showers, nothing beats a nice hot shower especially on a day like it was that day. We look forward to going back to Merimbula & hopefully the weatehr will be nicer to us.
Have a look at the pictures from the Merimbula trip through the link below
Open Water Sea Weekend
Haven't been in the water for a while?? Well why not come & join Descend on a trip down to Queenscliff 14th /15th November.
2 x nights accommodation
2 x boat dives
All air fills
Unlimited shore dives
Cost $235.00
Hire gear additional
All Welcome.
Call Descend now to book a spot on 60411 405 or email dive@descend.com.au
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