16/12/2010 Piccaninnie Ponds, Mt Gambier
Wind: 15knot South-easterly
Conditions: Some surface chop but nice and clear in the water.
Bottom Type: Freshwater spring-fed creek with mud edges lined with vegetation. Lots of reeds in the shallow section and one section has a ‘chasm’ which drops to over 60 metres.
Bottom Time: 100 minutes
Details: After a late night arrival after driving across from Geelong, we arrived at Piccaninnie Ponds to camp for the night. The start of our adventures began. We must have left the lights and stereo on too long as we set up camp and got a flat battery. It was a cold and windy night…very unseasonal…we didn’t think we’d run into many souls in the wee hours so tried to get some sleep to rest up for the next day of snorkelling at diving at the ponds. (which were about 500m walk from the campsite..walkable with gear). About 3am in the morning, we heard a car in the distance…some guys cruising around doing some 4wd’ing on the beach. We managed to get a jump start off them, and after sharing a six pack with them for their trouble it was about 4.30….time for sleep. I think we slept till about 10am and then hit the ponds. They were amazing with colourful vegetation and crystal clear water. Hovering over the ‘chasm’ the light penetrated through the surface, travelled 60 metres down and sent an eerie, yet beautiful blue glow back to the surface. It was very tempting to dive here, but you need cave training here due to some deaths in the past. It definently wet the appetite though. A bit of life aorund…pygmy perch, yabbies, and schools of galaxias.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm , dual SS200 strobe.
Dive Report:
