Dive 1 — Philip Island We entered the water at around 7:30am. Water temperature was comfortable, and the current was relatively mild — easy conditions overall. It was my first time catching a greenlip abalone, which felt pretty special. Nothing rushed, just steady dives and good visibility for the spot. After surfacing, we took a break onshore to recover some energy. Somewhere during that time, one of the abalone got stolen by seabirds — annoying, but also kind of funny in hindsight. Just part of the day. The dive was fun, but we still didn’t feel like enough.
From Philip Island to Sorrento
Dive 2 — Sorrento So we made a last-minute decision to go for a second dive. Loaded the tanks, took them to a dive shop to get filled, and headed to Sorrento. We entered the water at around 1:30pm, with a starting pressure of 250 bar. Water temperature was still comfortable, but the current was extremely strong. Underwater, I was getting pushed around constantly — at times I had to hold onto rocks just to avoid being swept away. The dive was physically demanding. Despite the conditions, I managed to catch quite a few blacklip abalone, but it came at a cost. By the time I surfaced, my tank was down to 10 bar. Very little margin left, and definitely a dangerous situation. I was severely exhausted, both from fighting the current and from the accumulated fatigue of the day. Not a dive I’d want to repeat the same way — but an important reminder to respect conditions and limits.
Happy Diving, Happy Hunting
Also met two new dive buddies on this trip: Lulu and Mo. First time diving together, but we clicked straight away. Good teamwork underwater, plus plenty of random, slightly questionable moments that probably don’t need to be written down — haha. We’ve already planned a car-camping trip next time to go lobster diving. Looking forward to the next one — with better planning and safer margins.
Lessons Learned
• Strong currents can turn a familiar dive into a high-risk one very quickly. Conditions matter more than location.
• Fighting current burns air and energy much faster than expected. Plan air reserves more conservatively in heavy flow.
• Ending a dive at 10 bar is not acceptable and leaves no room for error. Surface with a bigger safety margin.
• Physical fatigue compounds across multiple dives — the second dive of the day deserves extra caution.
• A successful catch is never worth compromising safety.
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