Karen Woodcock

Favourite Local Dive - BOGI

Where is that I hear you ask. (Tucked away on our GPS). We are lucky enough to have our own boat and BOGI (Back of Garden Island) is a fairly small dive site we have found, slightly North West of 5 Fathom Bank - Behind Garden Island. It is approx 15mtrs deep and in the middle of some very flat reef. The site is a hole in the reef approx 25mtrs in diameter.

It is always guaranteed to be full of fish and marine life as its geography offers a lot of natural hide-aways and protection. On this dive we are guaranteed to see lots of Crayfish (when they are in shallow), bright orange Nanygai, Western Blue Devils, Cuttlefish, Bullseyes, King George Whiting, Dhufish, Queen Snapper, King Fish, Old Wives, and so many more. The dive has many swim throughs which usually have schools of glass fish at each end making for a very attractive photo

Instructor Qualifications

• PADI OWSI Instructor
• EFR Instructor
• TDI - Advanced Trimix Diver
• CDAA - Cave Diver

Most Memorable û Two Favourites

Awesome can only vaguely describe this place. In the middle of a Sheep paddock, down a very steep ladder to a kit up platform. Looking up you see limestone walls surround you, looking down you see very blue clear water. The entrance to the sinkhole is approx 20mtre diametre, once underwater the cavern opens up larger than Subiaco Oval. If you are lucky enought to dive on a sunny day, the sunlight streams inlike a lazer show. Viz is well over 50mtrs and the water is indigo blue.

This was one of my first dives overseas after getting my OW Qualification back in 1998. I had never seen a shark before and was slightly nervous at the thought. Yellow Corner is on the Ferguson Passage in the Solomon's and is the local highway for any pelagics swimming in the area. We dropped in and settled at approx 24mtres, followed the reef to a slight right angle turn and swam directly into a feeding frenzy. I did my best to look like a piece of coral as we watched approx 12 Grey Reef Sharks plus numerous Tuna, Giant Trevally, Mackeral and Barracuda demolish what was a large school of Fuseliers. The Sharks were so excited they actually bit a chunk out of one unfortunate sharks dorsal fin. At the bottom of the feeding frenzy was one very large Cod, mouth open wide catching all the crumbs. To say the heart was pumping is an understatement - Awesome.