A Morning Dive at Fairy Bower

Waking up before the sun is always worth it when you’re headed for a dive, especially if it’s at Fairy Bower. I arrived just as the sun peaked it’s head up from behind the horizon, and was treated to the most glorious sunrise. A few of the other divers were already there, so we caught up over a cup of coffee as the sun started to warm the chilly, 8 degree air.

Fairy Bower is a marine reserve located in Manly. It’s a family friendly site which is great for snorkelers and scuba divers alike. It’s protected by a large headland, which means the site is diveable in all but the worst conditions (coming in from the north-east). The site is generally teaming with life, and being ocean facing, you can be surprised by anything from a penguin to a grey nurse shark. It can be busy, so be sure to get their early if you want to secure a parking.

Generally when I dive the area, I tend to enter the water at Shelly Beach, and then may my way along the left hand side to Fairy Bower. To be honest, I’m not sure why I do this, since the Fairy Bower section is the best part of the left hand side, so getting in at the rock pool makes complete sense, since you skip out the 10 minute swim to get their from the beach.

After giving the dive briefing, we made our way down the metal stairs and slipped into the water right at high tide. Almost immediately we spotted a turtle resting in the kelp, calm as can be. This was followed by an octopus tucked into a crevice, eyeing us curiously, and then a massive school of yakka all around us. There were blue gropers everywhere, although they were all on the smaller side, which is unusual for this site. Visibility was decent at about 6 meters, and the water temp was a chilly but manageable 17 degrees. Nothing a 7mm wetsuit can’t handle!

An hour later we popped our heads up, and made our way back to the exit at the pool. It’s hard to imagine a better start to the day. And I got home not long after the kids woke up, which is a bonus in itself.

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