[MASC] [RePost] ALERT: Easter weekend diving hailed as best eden trip we've had this year
- From: "Adrian Vinnell" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "adrianvinnell" for DMARC)
- To: MASC General <masc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 2 May 2016 00:07:29 +0000 (UTC)
The original post missed Nadia's creative formatting and some cool pictures -
please enjoy this report as it wasmeant to be!
EASTER WEEKEND DIVING HAILED AS BEST EDEN TRIP WE’VE HAD THIS YEAR
The quotes in this report may or may not have been completely made up. And by
that I mean yes, they are total figments of my imagination. Soz.
MASC divers have unanimously voted recent Eden dive trip as having been a super
awesome fun time, chock full of wrecks, in-your-face groper fish and a sh*tload
of wobbegong and Port Jackson sharks.
Club head honcho, el presidente Jorge, said the six-and-a-half hour drive to
the New South Wales coastal town was completely worth the effort.
“We had four days of amazing boat diving in super awesome ocean conditions. The
weather was sunny all weekend and the ocean was so flat it could have been
steam rolled. It was awesome,” she said.
The eight divers and two snorkellers pitched tents and marquees at the Boydtown
Beach Holiday Park, which was just a few minutes’ drive from launching the boat
to explore sites such as the scuttled tugboats, the Henry Bolte and the Tasman
Hauler, and a World War II supply ship dubbed the SS Empire Gladstone.
MASC diver and Camp Masterchef one-night wonder Nadia said her favourite dive
was “hands down” the Sunday night dive on the Henry Bolte tugboat.
“The tug looked so huge and ghostly in the torchlight, it literally looked like
some kind of phantom ship,” she said.
“Plus, ocean bioluminescence is awesome – the water glowed in the dark when we
drove the boat through it. It was so cool.”
Jacko’s Cave also proved to be one of the most popular dive spots of the trip.
A sea cave running through the middle of a bommie, divers find the entrance by
working their way along a tall vertical wall. The cave walls were encrusted
with coral and lobsters the size of ponies lurked under ledges.
Long-time diver Amanda, who also masquerades as the Easter Stitch bunny that
leaves chocolate eggs inside unsuspecting diver tents, said after leaving the
cave she found a rocky ledge where at least five Port Jackson sharks were
resting, as well as a “huge-ass” cuttlefish hiding in a crevice.
“I also got the biggest fright when I turned around and a massive three-metre
long wobbegong shark was swimming THIS CLOSE to my head.
“I screamed so loud that even Joce heard me underwater. It was really funny. In
hindsight.”
MASC diver and veggie burrito-making queen Joce said one of the other trip
highlights was the Tathra Wharf lady dive, where she, Amanda and Nadia watched
huge rays swim around the pylons.
“We were also having so much fun trying to coax out moray eels from their hidey
holes with food that none of us realised we had spent one and a half hours
underwater!”
The trip, however, was not spent entirely at depth.
Paul and Nadia skipped Monday’s dive shenanigans for a coffee and a visit to
Eden’s Killer Whale Museum.
“Killer whales are just the worst traitor animal backstabbers in the world,”
Paul said.
“I mean, what kind of whale works with humans to kill other whales? And then
eats them? I am outraged. Just outraged, I say.”
The museum has previously been talked about by past club prez Gus, the
self-dubbed “Silent Orca”. Multiple sources, including Gus himself, have
confirmed Gus’ last visit to the museum consisted of him wearing a towel and
not much else.
Diver convert and newly-initiated Logan car driver Patrick said the Eden trip
was really fun and he can’t wait to book himself in on every single club trip
from now on.
“Diving is awesome and amazing and it is all I want to do from now on,” he said.
“Anyone who hasn’t been on a MASC trip should come on the next one because you
have no idea what you’re missing out on.”
Photo credit: Paul Ivory and Nadia Wu
***
Bummed you missed out on Eden? No wozzas. There is a lot more incredible diving
to be done. Keep an eye out for more deets on the upcoming Queen’s birthday
Ocean Grove trip if you want in on some awesome underwater action.
Special thanks to Adrian as the ever-patient trip organiser and boat driver,
Jorge/Georgie as boat driver, Easter Stitch/bunny Amanda and Tom, Reuben, Joce
and Nadia as camp Masterchefs.
And thank you to every single person who came on this trip. Because it wouldn't
have been as much fun without you: Georgie, Adrian, Joce, Amanda, Paul,
Patrick, Tom, Reuben, Gus and Nadia
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- » [MASC] [RePost] ALERT: Easter weekend diving hailed as best eden trip we've had this year - Adrian Vinnell
