The Wilsons Prom Adventure: A Dive Day to Remember
Last weekend was an adventure like no other—our Wilsons Prom boat dive trip. To those I’ve spoken to already, exuse the retelling, to those whose ear I haven’t chewed off about this yet, I hope you enjoy the recounting of one of the most hectic trips I’ve done so far!
I knew it was going to be a big day, but I had no idea just how big! The day started at 3:00 AM with an early coffee and the hope of a quick bathroom trip. Once I had my gear packed, sunscreen and zinc on, I was ready to go. By 4:30 AM, I drove to the MUUC shed, where I met our trip leader and the rest of the team: Kit the captain, Flemming, Liam and Andrew the tech divers, and Sean, Michael, and Lara, my fellow exploration divers. A last-minute decision had me driving my car down to the Prom, and it turned out to be a lovely drive, complete with a newfound appreciation for Sean's favourite music—European heavy metal.
A Drive with a View
After about 2.5 hours of beautiful sunrise vistas over rolling hills, we spotted the first glimpse of water at Port Welshpool boat ramp. The dive briefing had mentioned great conditions but also a 2m swell. I wondered to myself, "Do I really know what 2m is? Surely, it's not that bad..."
The Journey Begins
take note of the lack of seats and handles, lots of room for tanks though :)
A bit more chit-chat and boat prep later, we set off on our journey past the southernmost point of mainland Australia. A few minutes past the harbor, the ocean made it clear we were at her mercy. The swells rose, and for hours we cruised up the waves and crashed back down. Holding on tightly, I had to jump with the waves to avoid being bounced off the side of the boat. Emotionally, it was a rollercoaster—I was scared but also reminded that fear can be a good thing. physically, it ravaged the skin on my knuckles and forced me to discover muscles in my back I never realised I needed! By the time we reached our dive spot, shaken and rattled, I experienced an unexpected relief after a much-needed bathroom break off the back of the boat. Note to self: never go on an extremely bumpy boat ride needing to pee— trust me, it makes everything so much worse!
Into the Water
the incredible divemaster, Lara!
At around 11 AM, 8 hours after waking up, it was finally time to dive. We buddied up in teams of two but decided to stick together as these were mostly uncharted dives at Wilsons Prom. Lara, our most experienced dive master, took charge, asking questions and quickly pulling together an impromptu dive plan. We aimed to descend to 30m at the entry point and work our way along the wall, keeping it on our right shoulder as we ascended to around 15m.
An Underwater Haven
Despite the waves on the ride over, getting in the water was smooth. We found a sheltered section of water with little to no waves and the boat design made scuba entry easy. The first 10m were a bit murky, but then the underwater haven opened in all its glory. Schools of black and white fish with bright yellow fins, gently waving sea kelp, and stunning underwater rockscapes greeted us. Beautiful massive, banded morwong swam gracefully around us, curious of their visitors and I saw the most beautiful blue and gold fish that loved the kelp and would dance through it with ease. On reviewing the footage later, I also realised that I was filming a nudibranch without realising. About halfway through this dive I managed find the most brilliantly coloured fish with orange and blue in neon hues, I couldn’t help the wave of awe that swept over me getting to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, it’s a feeling I get regularly while diving. Swimming through rocks and up a tunnel, I couldn’t help but think of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. The sun’s rays through the water were breathtaking.
A Dive to Remember
After 40 minutes, filled with fish-following and video-taking (including a curious pair of boar fish and may oldwives and trout), it was time to end the first dive. I had a new Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) that I wanted to try out—after the Rye debacle—but things didn’t go quite as planned. To say the least, it was a chaotic mess where I lost my regulator and one fin that got taken off by the rocketing cord, and I quickly learned the importance of practicing with new equipment in safer conditions. Thankfully, after remembering that I needed to breathe, I managed to retrieve my lost regulator. Swim with one fin down a bit to my safety stop depth and luckily found my fin and got that back on. After all of that, with a much fast heart rate, I completed my safety stop, feeling grateful for the lessons learned and gingerly returned to the surface.
A Smoother Second Dive
The second dive was just as beautiful but less dramatic—always a good thing in diving. I took more stunning videos of fish, kelp, and coral, navigated well, and tested my underwater notepad when Lara communicated a change in the dive direction due to a strengthening current. Lara’s leadership was impressive, and I was grateful for her guidance. I hope that someday I can provide that kind of comfort to others while diving. The SMB deployment this time was much smoother—no lost regulators or fins, just a firmly inflated buoy and a relaxing return to the surface world!
An Unexpected Encounter
Back on the boat, waiting for the tech divers to finish, we shared our dive experiences, one of my favourite parts of diving. Suddenly, we spotted seals sunning themselves on gigantic rocks. With excitement, we all jumped in with our snorkels to see if the seals would swim with us. After a while of swimming with no luck, a magnificent seal swam up to me out of the blue, intrigued by my camera setup. Thankfully the second I caught site of something coming toward me I turned my camera on and got some of the most incredible footage I’ve ever captured. It was an unforgettable moment, swimming with a wild Australian Fur Seal, one that I will never forget. Its these moments that make the life of an explorer and adventurer really worthwhile.
The Ride Home
If I thought the ride out was rough, the ride home was a pure nightmare. The seas rose quickly, and we faced 3.5m waves this time. Holding on for dear life, I experienced one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done. The thought of being lost at sea was overwhelming, but I managed to calm myself down and moved to the back of the boat, making the rest of the trip more manageable. Stepping on solid ground never felt so good, and I will never complain about rough seas in larger boats with actual seats, ever again.
This adventure was a reminder of my inner strength and resilience—a quiet struggle, but a big one. But I feel much better equipped for more adventures now, knowing that I could go through something so terrifying over such a long time, but not completely lose my shit, I’m grateful for that fortitude I’ve developed over the years to face such challenges and come out stronger.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the therapeutic recounting of my adventures and the things I did and saw. Until next time, happy bubbling and stay tuned for more zany diving adventures.
