Scuba Diving in Australia = Great Barrier reef. At least that’s the perception of the majority of people. And if not the Barrier reef then the Ningaloo Reef of Western Australia. But have you heard of Mount Gambier? If you’re tired of diving the same old coral reefs and are looking to kick things up a notch in the adventure diving arena, head to Mount Gambier in Southern Australia for your next scuba diving vacation! Known as the Limestone Coast, Mount Gambier is home to some of the most unique and ancient landscapes of volcanic craters, stunning lakes like famous Blue Lake and a vast network of mysterious limestone and underground waterways, caves and caverns.
It is said that the Mt. Gambier district has over 200 lakes and sink holes of which 40 are popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. The “air-clear” water of the sinkholes and caves drew divers here around the early 60′s. It’s popularity grew and and more and more divers headed to the area, but unfortunately lack of experience and guidance led to a series of tragedies that reported the deaths of 11 divers in a span of just 4 years. The Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) was then formed to rate the different dive sites based the difficulty level and instruct divers on the safety procedures before diving. Today, Ewens Ponds is the only lake in the area that can be dived without a CDAA permit. All other sinkholes and dive sites are categorized as follows: Deep Cavern, Cave and Advanced Cave. So before you can cave dive here you need to do the appropriate CDAA training, but it’s totally worth it.
Mount Gambier’s freshwater lakes and cave dives are easily one of the most under-rated dive destinations in the world. With cool clear water the visibility exceeds 100 meters on most days, unfortunately your dive lights don’t reach that far. There isn’t very much aquatic life either, but Stromatolites containing fossil records that date back millions of years are something you can’t see or experience in very many places. The underwater scenery of the limestone caves is simply spectacular and make this place oh so very special.
Mount Gambier’s famous Blue Lake, Little Blue Lake, Ewens Ponds and Piccininnie Ponds are just a few of the locations which provide a “window” into this region’s vast underground freshwater system. Ewens Ponds, consists of three different ponds connected with each other through little channels. The first pond is about 10 meters deep and crystal clear perfect for a night dive clear night where you can lay on the bottom and look at the star through the water. The biggest pond is over 50 meters in diameter and the water so clear, that you can see the other side of the pond on most days. The bottom of these ponds are covered in grasses and tall reeds that make you feel as though you are flying over a rolling grassy hill. You can look out for the rare pygmy perch, eels and spiny crayfish in the second pond and lobsters and smaller fish in the smallest one.
Read more a Mount Gambier Dive sites in our next post- Dive The Craters And Sinkholes Of Mount Gambier
*Photo Credits: Photos by raguy and saspotato on flickr
