Originally Posted by cresta57

Last week I took our son Josh [15] up to Bundaberg to do his open water dive course. We had a fantastic time and his tuition was one on one until the four open water dive's when it was two on one plus myself as chief photographer [any excuse to get wet] He passed the course with flying colours and my new dive buddy promptly relived me of my BCD, computer, spare knife and spare wetsuit. It's looking like an expensive few months for me as it's now buy two of everything.
We did the actual open water dives at Barolin Rocks (Coral Cove) about 17k out from Bundy. It's the first time I've dived there and the place is teaming with hard and soft coral, fish life is abundant, we saw so many different species Josh's log didn't have room to name them all. For an easy shallow dive, I clocked a max of 6 m, Barolin Rocks is going to be hard to beat. Vis was good the first day at about 5-6m poorer the second day as the wind was gusting 15 Knots onshore.
If anyone is interested in learning to dive or upgrading their present skills Bundaberg Dive Academy is highly recommended.
Josh is now looking to do his Advanced and is already hounding me for a trip out on the dive boat to Lady Musgrave Island, I'm so weak willed I'm sure I'll give in easily.

The Warning:
Do Not Bring U.K Cylinders They Will Not Be Tested, unless you pay the bureaucrats in the Australian Standards Dept lots of cash and wait up to 18 months for them to approve your individual cylinders. I had a long chat to a bloke in the Quality Assurance Department who said "While it's technically possible to get approval for an individual cylinder it would be cheaper to buy new"
I posted a bit of this on another thread;
Having just spent the afternoon researching the cost of Scuba Cylinders a couple of things become immediately noticeable:
1] There are very few online shops in Australia and if you find one you have to ring for a price. I found just two shops displaying prices in a whole afternoon of surfing.

2] Prices here are not just a bit more expensive they are massively more expensive.

The excuse I hear frequently is "well we have to add 10% GST" BIG DEAL! we had to add 17.5% bloody V.A.T in the U.K and stuff was still way cheaper.

To compare like with like for an example I wanted to buy 4 X 232bar 12 litre Faber steel tanks.

U.K prices varied between £120 [$302.00]and £150 [$377.00]the cheapest price for one cylinder was £109.00 [just $274 Bucks]
Australian prices for the same thing were from $480 to $599 [£191.00-£239.00]

Obviously I didn't ring the U.K companies and ask for discount for buying four I did ring the Aussie ones and ask for a bulk buy discount. One company wouldn't deal the other two knocked off $100 bucks per cylinder but were still way more than I'm prepared to pay.
The cheapest I could find O2 clean cylinders for was for four $402 bucks each $1608 bucks compared to $1100 if I bought them in the U.K
EDIT:
I just received an email from Scuba Direct [Perth] they are the best price yet.

We can also supply the following High Quality FABER light weight steel cylinders.
( Including rubber boot and stamped Din / K valve )

C21 LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL - 85 cu/ft cylinder ( 10.5 Litre ) - RRP: 525.00 AU Dollars
( Nominal Tare weight 11.5 KGs )
Our Special Price is $329.00 INCLUDING DELIVERY IN AUSTRALIA ONLY.

C22 LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL - 100 cu/ft cylinder ( 12.2 Litre ) - RRP: 580.00 AU Dollars
( Nominal Tare weight 13.2 KGs )
Our Special Price is $349.00 INCLUDING DELIVERY IN AUSTRALIA ONLY.


__________________
Sean

Originally Posted by cresta57

Last week I took our son Josh [15] up to Bundaberg to do his open water dive course. We had a fantastic time and his tuition was one on one until the four open water dive's when it was two on one plus myself as chief photographer [any excuse to get wet] He passed the course with flying colours and my new dive buddy promptly relived me of my BCD, computer, spare knife and spare wetsuit. It's looking like an expensive few months for me as it's now buy two of everything.
We did the actual open water dives at Barolin Rocks (Coral Cove) about 17k out from Bundy. It's the first time I've dived there and the place is teaming with hard and soft coral, fish life is abundant, we saw so many different species Josh's log didn't have room to name them all. For an easy shallow dive, I clocked a max of 6 m, Barolin Rocks is going to be hard to beat. Vis was good the first day at about 5-6m poorer the second day as the wind was gusting 15 Knots onshore.
If anyone is interested in learning to dive or upgrading their present skills Bundaberg Dive Academy is highly recommended.
Josh is now looking to do his Advanced and is already hounding me for a trip out on the dive boat to Lady Musgrave Island, I'm so weak willed I'm sure I'll give in easily.

The Warning:
Do Not Bring U.K Cylinders They Will Not Be Tested, unless you pay the bureaucrats in the Australian Standards Dept lots of cash and wait up to 18 months for them to approve your individual cylinders. I had a long chat to a bloke in the Quality Assurance Department who said "While it's technically possible to get approval for an individual cylinder it would be cheaper to buy new"
I posted a bit of this on another thread;
Having just spent the afternoon researching the cost of Scuba Cylinders a couple of things become immediately noticeable:
1] There are very few online shops in Australia and if you find one you have to ring for a price. I found just two shops displaying prices in a whole afternoon of surfing.

2] Prices here are not just a bit more expensive they are massively more expensive.

The excuse I hear frequently is "well we have to add 10% GST" BIG DEAL! we had to add 17.5% bloody V.A.T in the U.K and stuff was still way cheaper.

To compare like with like for an example I wanted to buy 4 X 232bar 12 litre Faber steel tanks.

U.K prices varied between £120 [$302.00]and £150 [$377.00]the cheapest price for one cylinder was £109.00 [just $274 Bucks]
Australian prices for the same thing were from $480 to $599 [£191.00-£239.00]

Obviously I didn't ring the U.K companies and ask for discount for buying four I did ring the Aussie ones and ask for a bulk buy discount. One company wouldn't deal the other two knocked off $100 bucks per cylinder but were still way more than I'm prepared to pay.
The cheapest I could find O2 clean cylinders for was for four $402 bucks each $1608 bucks compared to $1100 if I bought them in the U.K
EDIT:
I just received an email from Scuba Direct [Perth] they are the best price yet.

We can also supply the following High Quality FABER light weight steel cylinders.
( Including rubber boot and stamped Din / K valve )

C21 LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL - 85 cu/ft cylinder ( 10.5 Litre ) - RRP: 525.00 AU Dollars
( Nominal Tare weight 11.5 KGs )
Our Special Price is $329.00 INCLUDING DELIVERY IN AUSTRALIA ONLY.

C22 LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL - 100 cu/ft cylinder ( 12.2 Litre ) - RRP: 580.00 AU Dollars
( Nominal Tare weight 13.2 KGs )
Our Special Price is $349.00 INCLUDING DELIVERY IN AUSTRALIA ONLY.


__________________
Sean

Originally Posted by annqldau

I'm sure Crestas ConciConsciencet be as weak willed... :D .

As for the cylinders as you know that's why we now have two alimialuminium. Find they are a lot longer and bang you more than the steel one ever did as I had a dumpy one from Faber. They are now ornamental FaberFaber's

Originally Posted by mackinnon

Hmmmmm diving.........



Whilst I remember, have any of you guys heard of a Saline Challenge Test?


http://www.lungnet.com.au/fact_sheet...ng-health.html

Originally Posted by walaj

thanks for the post. Still got to get a cylinder or 2 - did find out before moving that the UK ones were just not worth bringing. Looking at the prices I'm starting to suspect it is a conspiracy by the diving shops to buy a new one from them! (or am I just being cynical?)

Congrats to Josh :D

BTW do you normally dive with a club or just book adhoc dives with dive operators?

Walaj - Hoping to be back in the water in around 4mths

Originally Posted by cresta57

Boss hog
I refuse to pay the exorbitant fees required to dive on the Brisbane I live an hour away and it's not top of my list of to do's. IMO there are far better wrecks to dive than the HMAS Brisbane it's only been down there a year, I watched it as it sank and that was quite an awesome sight in itself.

Originally Posted by Bosshogg

There are better wrecks than the Brisbane? Excellent, I can't wait to get back out there. It was my first dive since qualifying at Stoney Cove!! ;)

Originally Posted by mackinnon

I believe the best wreck dive in Australia, and one of the best in the world is the Yongala of the coast of Townsville.