The morning calm at Woollamia Boat Ramp sets the tone as Woebe Two casts off through Currambene Creek towards the open water of the bay. Slipping beneath the surface at Drum and Drumsticks, an encounter with a playful colony of Australian fur seals proves that our local waters host world-class marine life.
After years of diving Jervis Bay, I recently made it back in the water to dive one of the most varied and exciting dive destinations in NSW. A day out with Woebegone Dive was a timely reminder of just how much can be experienced beneath the surface.
I have been diving in Jervis Bay for years. Even before I moved here, I would come down with a group of friends, often chartering a boat for a full day of diving and making a weekend of it. This was before the Husky Pub was redeveloped and there were 3 dive operators in the area. We dived year-round and, in winter especially, spending plenty of time doing technical dives.
Living here has changed that in a slightly ironic way. I am closer to some of the best diving on the South Coast, yet family life and work mean I get into the water far less often than I did when I lived elsewhere. The good thing is that you can get in the water here at any time of year, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a great experience.
So, when Woebegone Dive began offering scuba trips alongside its established freediving and snorkeling experiences a few months ago, it gave me a good reason to book on the boat. I did not have a group to charter a boat with, but I did not need one. Booking online was straightforward and, because I have my own equipment, all I needed was air for a double dive.
On the morning of the trip, I met the boat at Woollamia Boat Ramp nice and early. Bruce was our dive guide and Wazza our skipper, both very familiar faces from the local diving community. From the outset, the operation felt relaxed, organised and well set up. There was no pressure on the guests to get on the boat in a hurry. It was calm, hopefully the same as the seas.
The boat itself, ‘Woebe Two’, is a stable catamaran, custom-built for scuba divers, freedivers and snorkellers. It has comfortable seating, weather blinds if the wind or sea spray gets too much, a head (toilet), and freshwater supply. Those details make a difference over a full day on the water, particularly when divers are managing equipment, changing tanks and drying off between dives.
The boat was quite spacious, which matters when you have a dozen or more divers, tanks, cameras, fins, wetsuits and the inevitable collection of dry bags and snacks. Our group had a real mix of experience: local divers, visitors from Sydney and overseas, photographers, technical divers and recently new divers. There was space to set up comfortably, stow gear safely and move around without feeling as though you were negotiating an obstacle course in full dive kit.
We headed through Currambene Creek, past Huskisson out of the bay and headed north towards Drum and Drumsticks. It was a beautiful morning, with calm water and a couple of dolphins making an appearance on the way. Drum and Drumsticks has long been one of my favourite areas to dive. The site has plenty going for it, including the 1915 wreck of TSS Wandra, but on this day the main attraction was the Australian fur seal colony.
Although I had arrived on my own, Woebegone buddied me with a diver from Sydney. He was a recently qualified Divemaster but had never dived in Jervis Bay. He was in for a treat. It was reassuring to see how naturally the crew handled buddy pairings across the group. It is an important point for anyone considering a trip without a regular dive buddy: you can turn up alone and still dive with confidence.
Before we entered the water, Bruce gave a thorough briefing. We covered the depth, visibility, conditions, likely marine life and what the dive would involve. It was clear, practical and pitched well for the range of experience on board.
Entry was simple: a giant stride from the back of the boat and a quick check that everyone was ready. Once on the surface, we completed our buoyancy checks to make sure everyone had enough weight before descending the anchor line into the clear blue water.
The conditions could hardly have been better. There was no current, the visibility was good and we did not need to go particularly deep. Our maximum depth was around 18 metres, which made it an easy, enjoyable dive.
What made it memorable, though, was the seals.
There is something endlessly entertaining about Australian fur seals underwater. They are curious, quick and completely at home in an environment that still requires us to manage tanks, gauges and fins around just to visit. They moved around us with the confidence of locals who know they have the best playground, swimming through the water and appearing suddenly in front of us.
Alongside the seals, the reef was full of fish life, nudibranchs, salpas and the kind of detail that rewards slowing down and looking properly. Salpas are long, gelatinous tunicates that calmly drift along while feeding on plankton. Jervis Bay has a remarkable variety of marine life, and dives like this are a good reminder that we do not have to travel far to see it – you’ll often see new things on every dive.
After about 60 minutes, we returned to the boat for a surface interval for an hour to warm up and to allow some of the residual nitrogen leave our bodies. Fresh tanks were swapped over, tea appeared and the homemade snacks came out. The banana bread deserves a specific mention.
Our second dive was a drift dive, with the boat following our group as we moved along the site. The terrain changed again: big boulders, swim-throughs, caves, anemones, soft corals and plenty of fish life.
Then came the surprise. We encountered a small group of grey nurse sharks.
They were not what I expected to see that day, and that is part of the appeal of diving here. You can plan the site, check the conditions and know the broad shape of the dive, but the ocean still has the final say. Seeing the sharks moving calmly through the water was a proper highlight, and one of those moments that stays with you well after the boat ride home.
The second dive was a little shorter, at around 50 minutes, but every bit as enjoyable. We ascended slowly, climbed back on board and began the trip home with that familiar mix of contentment and mild fatigue that follows a good day on the water.
What stood out most about the day was how accommodating the crew were across the range of divers. Bruce and Wazza know these waters better than most, not only from a wildlife perspective but from decades spent diving and boating in the area. That knowledge comes through in the briefings, the choice of sites and the easy confidence with which the day runs.
Woebegone also has a quality range of hire gear for anyone who needs it, including BCDs, regulators, masks, snorkels, fins and wetsuits, along with clean air and a well-equipped boat.
For me, it was more than just two enjoyable dives. It was a reminder to make time for the things on our doorstep. Jervis Bay is spectacular from the shore, but beneath the surface it is a completely different world.
I won’t leave it so long before getting back in because there will be plenty of Port Jackson sharks to see in October.
