First trip to Chowder Bay Dec 7th 2009

Back on December 7th, I looked forward to my first 'dip' of summer 09/10 at Chowder Bay. This was where I experienced my first official snorkel with my own gear set, i.e. mask, snorkel, and fins. Unfortunately at this stage, I was not yet convinced that I would become so fixated with snorkeling so I did not invest in any underwater camera. Instead I had my Canon G9 to take all the photo's for me. Below are some pictures of Chowder Bay taken from the beach.

As you can see, the water was a beautiful blue and was secluded from any of the summer crowds. This picture is actually of the shark net enclosure (facing west) where the jetty acts as a section of the shark net. A better view of the shark enclosure is shown below. You may have noticed some heavy duty cranes in the background. I am not too sure exactly what they are doing to the bay but I believe this is one of the reasons why my later dives were not as enjoyable.

Trying to gain some confidence in myself, I decided to stay within the realms of the 'so-called' shark net. I can see why some people may imply that shark nets are just security blankets for the tame as there is a huge hole enough to fit the size of JAWS through. Seeing that I was snorkeling in the shark enclosure, I was surprised to see the underwater activity with schools of luderick swimming aimlessly, bream darting back and forth with some up to 40cm, and king george whiting around the same size. Normally seeing these fish on the end of my fishing line, I was excited to see the abundance of fish in this area. I was also very surprised with the depth of the shark enclosure. I would say that the deepest section would be around 3m depending on the tide. Although not visible in the pictures, rubbish such as drink cans/bottles, empty bait bags (i mean lots!), and golf balls were found. Regrettably, it is the fishermen that are guilty in dumping alot of the rubbish in the ocean.

  

Continuing on to the next section, the picture above shows the east side of the shark net and I believe that one of the shops in the building belongs to the Mosman diving school. Certainly a place I will consider to learn to scuba. I also believe the building holds a nice cafe and an extravagant restaurant. You know where to go whenever you get the munchies!

I must admit that although there were lots of rubbish to be found, this trip to Chowder Bay has instigated my need to seek new snorkeling adventures. I have lived right on the doorsteps of one of the most beautiful harbours but have neglected to enjoy its full potential until now. Snorkeling adventures here I come!

Signing off

Chad

ps. I will post up my other trip to Chowder Bay in the near future