We hadn't been to Port Kembla for a while and with
questionable swell forecasts we figured it was worth a go. The
Bombo is always an attraction when diving out of Port Kembla and we were
lucky today, finding that we would be able to do it as a second dive.
There were very few fishing boats out today. The swell was big at
times but very long and not a problem. The chop caused by the wind
was likely to be a bigger one. We anchored on the South side of
Pig Island, our favourite side. With high tide approaching we
looked for good conditions. The water was a balmy 22oC
and viz looked good. We dropped both anchors, Wayne
attending to the front one and me the back. We met in the middle
and away we went. You can get some good depth here, up to 26m on
high tide, or stay as shallow as 10-12m. As we had expected the
fish life was prolific. We had schools of yellowtail, old wives, a
large wobbie wedged in a crack and close to it a PJ. There were
heaps of other fish as well, too many to note. We had an
interesting encounter with a moray which was coaxed out of it's hole by
Wayne. And a cuttle swimming in mid water that took an interest in
us. We were able to interact with it for a few minutes before it
headed off. When time came to finish the dive we could hear the
anchor chain but not see it. Following where we thought the sound
was we came across both anchors being dragged across the bottom.
We managed to get the back anchor, which is a plough type, to hook into
a crevice and sent the front one up. This was to stop the boat
from drifting too far. It was being pushed by the wind and not
knowing how far away the island was, this was the safe option. Needless
to say we had some fun getting the anchor loose again. A well
deserved surface interval back at the boat ramp and we headed out for
the Bombo. |