Through the certification process, work at the Marine Center and volunteering I have found many opportunities for Scuba Diving in the Solitary Islands. My diving opportunities range from going on collections for the aquarium, participating in SURG fish and coral surveys, recreational diving and we are about to begin a large scale mollusk collection for genetic analysis at the center which will include both collecting the organisms (for later genetic analysis) as well as photographing each individual. Prior to arriving in Australia I was not certified and had no experience diving. Although obtaining my certification was not required for work it was encouraged and definitely something that I wanted to give a try. The PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) open water diver certification process was really straight forward, as I did the theory portion online prior to the practical portion which I completed at Jetty Dive in Coffs Harbour. The practical portion includes a swim test, a day of pool skills and then 4 dives of applying the skills in the open water. After completing my open water certification I decided to continue on to my advanced certification (which I am currently working on) which consists of more theory and skills including deep diving, underwater navigation, night diving and a range of optional skills. The Solitary Islands has proved to be an amazing place to learn to dive and constantly continue to improve upon my skills.
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| Open Water Certification Crew |
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| The Solitary Islands are such phenomenal places to dive in terms of the amount of biodiversity seen because the warm tropical waters are brought down by the EAC (Eastern Australian Current) and mix with the cooler temperate waters so species from both tropical and cooler waters are present! |
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| "Scooter" one of the resident rays |
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| Wobbegong Shark |
The PADI website for information about becoming certified anywhere!
http://www.padi.com/scuba/default.aspx
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