Warren Prior, Author at Baha Adventures

02Sep 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Freediving at Shelly Beach

Diving

On Saturday morning I headed down to Shelly Beach to take a mate freediving. Generally I scuba Shelly Beach, so I'm always excited to get into the water without a tank and experience the bay in a different way. And it different certainly is! You can stay in the water for as long as you want, and you tend to focus on different areas of the site, areas that you would generally miss or ignore while scuba diving. We got into the water at around 9:30am, and headed out on the left hand side. The left is is generally more popular with snorkellers since it's shallower and has a higher abundance of both fauna and flora. There were a few things on our bucket list; Port Jackson sharks, turtles, giant…

19Aug 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Blue-ringed Octopus at Clifton Gardens

Diving

Saturday morning got off to an early start as I headed down to Clifton Gardens to lead one of Frog Dive's shore dives. It was a beautiful morning, with an orange glow coming off the sun, not a cloud in the sky, and absolutely no wind to speak of. The sea was dead flat, and judging from the surface, visibility looked good for Clifton Gardens. I was expecting 7 divers, but the group grew to 9 when the shop's boat dive was cancelled due to poor conditions. Thankfully Cec had offered to help out, and arrived shortly after me. The group group geared up in the parking lot, and once everyone was ready, I gave the dive briefing around one of the many tables scattered around the field. I opted…

22Jul 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Diving With Dolphins at the Monument

Diving

Every so often something magical happens on a dive that lodges it into your memory forever. This was one of those dives. It started on less positive notes, as a friend was leaving Sydney, so the dive was planned as a farewell of sorts. Visibility had also been amazing all week, but due to large swells overnight had taken a turn for the worse. We therefore weren't expecting much from the dive. Things got off to a rocky start...thanks mostly to the rocks. The swell from the evening before was still present, although it had gotten a fair amount smaller. That said, we still needed to wade across the rocks, and then do a rock entry into a small swell. One of the divers with us had some balance issues,…

08Jul 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Glorious Morning Guiding a Dive at Shelly Beach

Diving

A glorious sunrise from the Shelly Headland I arrived at Shelly beach just as the sun started to creep up over the horizon. Despite the lack of cloud cover, the sky above the Pacific Ocean was painted a mesmerising combination of reds, oranges, and blues, which was well worth the few moments I spent admiring it. There was a chilly breeze blowing off the water, so I headed back to the car and climbed into my wetsuit, and then went about setting up the rest of my gear in the parking lot. Ready to go, I climbed down the stairs to the grassy area behind Shelly Beach, where I waited for my group of divers. Slowly they rolled in, and we chatted away on the lawn as we waited for…

24Jun 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Bonito off the Kayak in Sydney Harbour

Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water

After months of diving, focused primarily on my divemaster training as well as gaining experience teaching and guiding, I decided that it was time to get back onto my kayak with a fishing rod. The plan, a calamari catch and cook. This meant the usual early morning start. I even managed to beat the sun to Tunks Park boat ramp. The parking lot was thankfully empty, which meant it was easy for me to offload my kayak and kit up for the day. I launched at sunrise, and immediately started paddling towards toward Spit Bridge, and my secret squidding location. Behind me I trolled a small Rapala, hoping to pick up a kingfish or Aussie salmon en route. Sunrise at Tunk Park boat ramp Heading out on my kayak on…

11Jun 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Guiding at Blue Fish Point and Chapel Steps

Diving

On a crisp Saturday morning, I headed down to the Mosman Rowing Club to guide a double boat dive for Frog Dive. We launched at the usual 8am, and headed straight for North Head, where we planned to dive Blue Fish Point. After the safety briefing, we chatted away for the short 15 minute boat ride out to the heads. The weather was perfect, blue skies, no wind, and limited swell, with temperatures eventually rising to 18 degrees. There were even whales to be seen in the distance, although we didn't get close enough to truly enjoy them. At Blue Fish Point I did the dive briefing and weight checks, and then we dropped down to a rocky bottom in 15 meters of water. Visibility was incredible, as it usually…

16Apr 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Exploring Fairlight Underwater…

Diving

Not every day goes according to plan...but generally it all works out in the end... Early on Sunday morning, Sharon and I snuck off for a quick dive at Fairlight. It's not the most popular dive site in Sydney, but it's definitely worth a visit every now and then. Our day got off to a bad start when we discovered a leak in Sharon's regulator's first stage. While I was trying to repair it, a lady walked by with a King Charles Cavalier puppy. Sharon got talking to her, told her we also had a King Charles Cavalier puppy, and explained our situation. Eventually, the lady continued on her walk, and we started packing the dive gear back into the car to go and try hire a regulator from Dive…

26Feb 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Blooming Good Adventure

Diving

This weekend I had the pleasure of taking a few out of town workmates for a quick dive at Shelly Beach. Sharon also got to join thanks to granny having finally arrived from South Africa, meaning we now have a free babysitting service. Sharon and I picked up my colleagues from the ferry terminal bright and early, knowing that parking at Shelly is always an issue. Early starts are rarely wasted, and we got to enjoy a cracker of a sunset which set the tone for the dive. We waded into the water at 8am, and did a quick weight check for those who were renting gear and hadn't been out in a while. And then we descended and headed off on our dive. The visibility was descent at first,…

15Jan 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Dive Duathlon

Diving

After Mike's first dive at Clifton Gardens he was itching to get back into the water. And so, early on Sunday morning,I picked him up at the Manly Ferry terminal and we headed down to Shelly Beach. Much to our dismay, they were setting up for some form of event, and we were unable to find parking. Finally giving up, I left Mike at the benches with our dive gear, and drove into Manly hoping to find parking. This left me with a 1km run, in thongs, to get back to the dive site. When I finally got back, huffing, red faced and ready to jump into the water, Mike was waiting patiently, partially kitted up. We finished setting up the gear, and headed out on the right hand side,…

05Jan 2023 by Warren Prior No Comments

Diving Manta Bommie and Shag Rock with Manta Lodge – A Video

Diving, Video

https://youtu.be/HjwFnvunkZE Check out some of the underwater fun we had exploring the incredible dive sites of North Stradbroke Island with the amazing Manta Lodge team. On the day we dived Manta Bommie and Shag Rock. Manta Bommie is a renowned hotspot for marine life, and it lived up to its name as we were greeted by the majestic sight of gliding manta rays (and a little current). Shag Rock was equally as amazing, and we got to enjoy a more relaxed dive with some of the smaller critters. Between the two dive sites we saw everything from graceful manta rays and lazy leopard sharks to vibrant mantis shrimp and imposing moray eels. There were sneaky octopus, friendly clownfish, guitarfish, bull rays, wobbegongs, and the ever humorous prickly porcupinefish.

Author: Warren Prior