This long weekend was spent doing plenty of diving on Aliwal Shoal, with Paul leading more dives, gaining experience in new environments, and really getting to know the reef.
Yesterday’s shallow dives on Chunnel included a great crew from Port Edward, led by RAID Instructor Baz Sanders. Baz now offers SCUBA training and gear servicing, among other things. One of his students completed her first Open Water dives on Aliwal Shoal — what an incredible first experience!
Conditions were perfect: 20 m visibility, light current, flat ocean, and 24°C water. Sightings included free-swimming honeycomb moray eels, five hawksbill turtles, multiple nudibranchs, several shark teeth recovered from sand patches, a whitetip reef shark, and of course “Basil” the potato bass who came over to say hi. The list goes on!
It was a lovely experience meeting Baz, his family, and the rest of the crew. Baz and his son are also NSRI trained, just like Paul — a clear sign of their love for people and the ocean.
If you’re in the South Coast area and looking for a knowledgeable instructor or a reliable SCUBA gear service technician, give Baz a call!