With Summer on its way its great to see people getting outdoors and enjoying Port Phillip Bay, whether underwater or on top, on SCUBA, Snorkel, Jet ski or Boat...

We felt now is a great time to remind all water users of the rules surrounding the use of Dive Flags.

In Victoria, any vessel supporting divers must always display signals to inform other vessel users. All vessel operators should steer well clear of vessels and floats displaying these signals.

During daylight hours an international Code Flag 'A', alpha Flag must be displayed from a vessel as soon as divers enter the water and taken down as soon as all divers are safely back on board. This flag must be at least 750mm wide and 600mm high. It should be placed high above a vessel to ensure full visibility for vessels approaching from any angle.

When diving from shore it is also advisable to tow a float displaying an international Code Flag 'A', alpha Flag at all times.

At night times, vessels must show the international light signal for a vessel restricted in its ability to Maneuver being three lights in a vertical line, red on top, white in the middle and red on the bottom, these lights must be visible from all angles.

The blue and white Alpha flag or "A" Flag is the recognised flag in Australia, some divers may unknowingly use the red and white american version, although locally this is non compliant it should be treated with the same caution as the blue and white version.

Unless ascending directly up an anchor or shotline be sure to launch an Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) at or before 6m. Many boat operates may not be familiar with these devices, they are simply a high vis float to signal that a diver is ascending (see image below) , please keep clear of SMB's. It is advisable that every diver carries an SMB at all times, although your intention may be to ascend up the anchor line it is not always an option, an SMB will ensure your safety if the unexpected should happen. Like wise if you surface some distance away from your vessel an SMB and Whistle are invaluable signalling devices.

To ensure safety and enjoyment It is important that Boat Operators ,Personal Watercraft (PWC) Operators and Water Skiers understand that they must not exceed 5 knots within 100 meters of any vessel, buoy or structure displaying a "Diver Below Flag" or Light signals showing there limited ability to maneuver. Likewise it is equally important that divers are sensible, ensuring they stay within 100m of their buoy or vessel esspecially when at shallow depths, ensure they dive in appropriate areas and do not impede the amenity of other water users.

Whether you are under the water or on top, stay safe and be sure to share the water courteously!

Its almost 18 months since the Victorian Fisheries Authority introduced the Mandatory Tagging of all Southern Rock Lobsters (Crayfish) caught by Recreational Fisherman in Victorian Waters. This policy requires all fisherman and divers to order cray tags online prior to catching Southern Rock Lobster.

Tags must be attached within 5 minutes of bringing rock lobster to the onto a boat, or if taken from the shore, within 5 minutes of landing and within 50 metres of the place of landing (these conditions are consistent with existing tail fin clipping requirements).

The tags are essentially a zip tie or cable tie with a unique serial number simply tie the tag around the crays horn. Find out more about cray tagging on our original blog post and FAQ HERE .

This year the tags are YELLOW, the OLD BLUE TAGS CANNOT BE USED.

Cray tags are FREE but you must pre-order them from fisheries!

If you have not previously ordered tags before create a profile on the Victorian Fisheries Authority Cray Tag App HERE . If you previously had the old Blue tags, report your tags as used, lost or unused and order new tags HERE .

Fisheries suggest you will receive your tags within 5-7 business days. With Cray season opening on the 16th November its important that you order your cray tags now!

If you have left your run to late or you get caught out, set up a profile online and order some tags asap, if you ask your dive buddy or dive shop, they may transfer you one for a small fee (payable in Beer or Crayfish)!

Want to become a CRAY Diving Master?

Want to know all about crayfish, how to find them, how to catch them and how to cook them?? Join one of our very popular Cray Diving Masterclasses, find out how HERE

The days are getting longer, the water is getting warmer! Its a great time to get back into SCUBA Diving!

To give you a nudge in the right direction we are offering FREE Group Shore Dives and FREE Group Boat Dives throughout October! All you need to pay for is your rental gear (if applicable), Your Air Fill and your place on the boat (if applicable)! We will provide a Dive master or Instructor to take you out absolutely FREE of charge! That's a saving of $20 OFF the regular price!

We have put up a heap of Shore Dives and some awesome Boat Dives to get you motivated! For shore dives we will decide on the destination based on weather and your preferences on the day, if you have your heart set on a certain destination, let us know and we will work it out.

Free guided group dives are subject to minimum numbers and weather conditions. Please book well in advance to assist us with planing.

View and book all FREE group shore and boat dives HERE

Check out our group shore dives HERE

Check out our group boat dives HERE

So come on, dust of the dive gear and come for a SPLASH!

Extreme Watersport is pleased to be a member of the Dive Industry Of Victoria Association (DIVA).

Diva is the peak industry body representing Victorian Divers and the Victorian DIve Industry, DIVA have an underlying role in ensuring the safe operations of diving in Victoria as well as promoting SCUBA Diving in the Greater Victorian Marketplace.

DIVA are responsible for initiatives such as The 2017 Guinness Book Of Records Attempt, and were instrumental in Victoria's bid to secure and Successfully scuttle the Ex HMAS Canberra of the Victorian Coastal town of Barwon Heads.

Steve Dale (Director of Extreme Watersport) is an active member of the DIVA committee.

For more information about DIVA visit http://divingvictoriaassociation.com.au/

The DIVA Mission:

The Dive Industry Association of Victoria (DIVA) was established to promote the sport of diving in Victoria and to support Victorians involved in the diving industry. DIVA strives to achieve this by;

Promoting the benefits of diver training and continuing educationPromoting Victoria as a diving tourist destination nationally and internationallyEncouraging divers to become active and develop responsibility for their diving environment by promoting underwater clean up events and marine pest collection divesEducating the public on safety and environmental issuesActing on concerns raised by the public or by those involved with the diving industry that may affect the sport of diving in VictoriaEncouraging those involved with diving activities to operate to high levels of safety standards through the use of the Victorian Code of Practice and to encourage members to adopt hight levels of moral and ethical conductLiaison with Government bodies and authorities on marine conservation, environmental issues and other matters that affect the diving industry and the sport of diving in VictoriaProviding a source of information and assistance to those within the Victorian diving industry

Spider Crabs that is!

Our infamous Spider Crabs are on the march again!

Every year around May or June, Millions of Spider Crabs Congregate around the Shallows off Blairgowrie or Rye as part of the Annual Spider Crab Migration.

Often throughout the year you will find one or two lonesome Spider Crabs in Bass Strait or Port Phillip Bay just wandering around, doing its thing, all alone. But this time of year the otherwise solitary Spider Crabs start appearing together in huge masses, it assumed the mass congregations are the Spider Crabs defense mechanism, providing safety in numbers as they molt their shells.

Congregating in groups of many tens of thousands sometimes even hundreds of thousands, the crabs often spread tens of meters and up to hundreds of meters across the bottom.

It is believed the Spider Crabs congregate en mass like this in a hope to keep themselves safe from predators and prey as they shed their protective shell and their new shell hardens . Often local rays can be seen nearby coming in for a feed, the rays may pick a few stragglers off of the pack, but the sheer volume of these congregations provides shelter and safety in numbers for the now vulnerable Spider Crabs. Sometimes we will see huge stingrays swimming nearby, these creatures are upwards of two meters across and their stomachs bulge out like a basketball, after feasting on the smorgasbord of crabs.

Over the past few years this unique annual phenomena has attracted a huge following globally with news stories appearing across American and European main stream media last year, it has even attracted the interest of the naturalist David Attenborough and the BBC,. However for a large number of Melburnian's the annual spider crab migration is still just one of the many secrets hidden just below the surface of Port Phillip Bay.

If you are a diver already we suggest Melbourne's Spider Crab Migration should be a priority in your bucket list of dives! Especially if you are based in Melbourne there is really no excuse why you would miss this amazing show of nature!

Not a diver yet? We can help you with that too!

At this stage we are tipping the crabs will be around for about a week to ten days and they would be best viewed from about Thursday 8th June (based on conditions and current crab movements). This Queens Birthday Long Weekend would be a good time to try and catch a glimpse of this incredible display. We have divers out daily following the location of the crabs, over the coming week we will be featuring the Spider Crabs on our guided shore dives, assuming they are in a safe accessible place and we manage to keep tabs of their location, Port Phillip Bay is a big place, its surprisingly easy to loose a few hundred thousand Spider Crabs!

Finally if you are planning to jump in the water and make the most of this incredible opportunity to view the Spider Crabs, please dive safely, the crabs are often in places where diving is not permitted or not safe (I.E under the boats in Blairgowrie Marina), if you haven't dived in a while consider a refresher dive or guided dive as part of your experience, view our guided dives here. And respect the crabs, don't harras them!