I can count on one hand the amount of years I have been diving and even though it’s been a short time I have still been lucky enough to have met some incredible people, seen some breath taking places and had some amazing marine life encounters. One place that has stood out to me is a tiny island right underneath Australia. Who’s name is more famous from a cartoon that it is for itself ‘Tasmania’ and if you don’t mind a little cold water, its and outstanding dive destination. I was lucky enough to have had previous cold water diving experience as I completed my Open Water Course through to instructor rating with Dive HQ Christchurch, New Zealand. The Diploma in Professional SCUBA Instruction course at Dive HQ Christchurch, gave me the confidence and experience to make me a sure candidate when I applied for a job with Eaglehawk Dive Centre (east coast of Tasmania). It was a fantastic start to my adventurous career as a SCUBA Instructor, and gave me the opportunity to explore this hidden secret!
The Magical Sea Kelp Forests in Tasmania
From playful Australian and New Zealand fur seals, delicate weedy sea dragons, mysterious cave systems taking your imagination away with you, the 100 year old wreck ‘SS Nord’ and deep dives where the walls look like a disco of colour from beautiful sponge gardens, to my favourite dive site of all the giant kelp forest. It felt like you were diving in enchanted forest underwater. Where the sunlight would flicker through the gaps of the kelp making it feel like magic. The further you explore the forest the more life we would encounter. From finding tiny nudibranchs to schooling fish circling around us and the occasional fur seal cruzing by all using the shelter of the forest for their home. This place has it all and I was lucky enough to have these dive sites on my back door. So if you’re interested in a place with a wide variety of diverse diving then this is the place for you.
Sneaking into an Underwater Cave
If you are passionate about diving and want to make it a career, speak to the team at Dive HQ Christchurch, they can let you know about the different tertiary level courses and how they set you up for an amazing variety of jobs around the world. You can also read more about my experiences as a Dive Instructor on my Dive HQ Christchurch Graduate Profile.
Zoe Fowler
SCUBA Dive Instructor at Dive HQ Christchurch
Dive HQ Christchurch
0800 DIVEHQ
www.diveskiworld.co.nz