Quote: (Originally Posted by
sadave)
Just ignore those people in the South-Eastern corner...
They feel the need to push their wheelbarrow, coz they live in the two most crowded and polluted (and just my opinion - worst) cities in Australia.
Seriously though, for decent wreck diving, any of Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth are great.
I've dived and travelled a LOT around Australia (working for airlines for the last 7 years helps!)... and these are JUST my PERSONAL opinions, based on the diving I've done... I know the Sydney crowd are gonna hate me, but get over it guys!
Sydney, pretty much all the wrecks are just scuttled, with not much fishlife. Water is 15deg to 24deg depending on time of year. Some of the scuttled wrecks are "nice" but thats about it.
Melbourne have the ships graveyard, with some great wrecks, in 30-80m of water. Just up the road from Melbourne is Bermagui, with at least half a dozen wrecks in the 80 to 120m range. Water temps in Melbourne range from about 8deg to 18deg.
Brisbane has a heap of good wrecks from 30-80m, but its hard finding an operator to take you out, all the deeper stuff here is off private boats. But the water here is nice and toasty warm all year round! (18deg C to 26deg C).
Perth, they went through a phase for a while of finding a new deep wreck or two most weekends, but it all seems to have tailed off. There's only one boat doing the deeper stuff, but I must say, its a great boat. Water temps, 16 to 24 or so. (one of the locals can confirm, but that's what I've experienced!).
Liveability, If it wasn't for the fact that I've got a pretty good job, with potential for career development here in Brisbane, I'd move to Perth tomorrow. There is a good crowd of decent divers (Tech and Rebreather) that seems to be growing exponentially. And the more divers there are, of course the more the boats will get out to the "better" spots.
But having said that, I still reckon Brisbane comes a close second best.
Sorry Dave
, you being brain wash with too many QANTAS adds at work
.
Its all in the numbers# lets just take from RBW data base of members with same CCR as him.
Total RBW members/ Vision/classic owners.
Sydney 115/ 9/26 =35 people with ap valves ccrs out of 115.
Melbourne 50/ 2/2 =4
Brisbane 35/ 1/8 =9
Perth 43 /1/6 =7
Since when has fish life being more important than finding brass on a wreck.
Dive the Advance wreck 1 hr north of Sydney and you will have to find a way to scare the fish off so you can see the wreck in the first place.
Brisbane they treat you like tourist doing your first dive,too many rules,
10 years behind the times,Example they even wake you up to sign the divemasters dive log when your trying to get some sleep on a live aboard dive boat and a group decides to do a dive,they have to prove they know where you are. Your need your own boat then your ok. But a beautiful place to live.
Melbourne lots of wrecks dumped in 3 areas. with some good wrecks in 80m plus depth but they have to cross the border into NSW to dive them. Toooooo cold most of the time IN the water. If you are serious about moving there due to work make sure you know how to get to Torquay,now thats a nice place with dive boat which can get most of your ccr supplys like sorb/O2 etc..
Sydney after 8 years since ap valves first supply 4x classics to Bazza,you can get on ANY dive boat and find a number of ccr divers on all boats. Most of our wrecks are real wrecks except for the ones at long reef. One even still has its bell still to be found. Lease amount of rules so you can actually go diving.
Perth nice place nice people at lease one charter boat for CCR for now with the small numbers of divers with ccr. growing fast due to mining boom, after Sydney would live in fremantle/perth, but Sydney is where the money is unless your are in the mining game. but at times you will have trouble finding someone to dive with on ccr. But Steve James and Luke of image dive and others are making tech diving a growing sport over there.
At the end of the day,where does your family want to go? Or you could reject all our advice and live in Hobart of all places. na dont do that.