get down deep with a Scuba Dive

1 Day Surf Trip

Departs Mondays & Wednesdays: Meet the Surf Camp Australia drivers outside Sydney Central YHA/ Scubar, Sydney at 7:45am. Bus departs at 8:00am. Sit back and relax whilst we take you down the South Coast to our camp location in Gerroa. Upon arrival, you'll be greeted by our head surf instructor and the onsite staff. After receiving an overview of the camp, you'll be fitted with a wetsuit and head straight to the beach! Lessons: In the first lesson you'll receive a talk on tides and conditions, and how to identify the safest part of the beach to surf, followed by paddling technique. After that, it's straight into the water to practice your paddling. Once you feel comfortable with this, your instructor will then go on to teach you how to stand up on your board and take you into the water to experience catching your first wave! Most people will stand up within the first lesson. Each lesson is two hours long and will progress from the previous one. You'll be provided with lunch and a rest period in between. After your last lesson, you'll be given time to pack and get ready for the journey back to Sydney. Arrive in Sydney: at approximately 7pm. You'll be dropped off at the Scubar where it's ?Party Time!? Enjoy free beer and pizza with your new surf mates! This package also includes wetsuit and surfboard hire. Plus, you'll receive a Rip Curl T-shirt! Surfing is a lifelong pursuit. By starting off with the right advice and guidance from our instructors, you'll easily become addicted!

2 Day Beginner Surf course - Seven Mile Beach

The 2 Day Beginner Surf Course includes: - 2 x 2-hour surfing lessons daily - Use of our Malibu Surfboards &quality Rip Curl Wetsuits. - 1 Night Accommodation at our Modern Beachside Surf Camp. (4-6 berth cabins. Upgrade to a double room). - All Meals. Great food and plenty of it. Vegetarians are catered for. 1 breakfast, 2 lunches & 1 dinner. Let us know if you have special dietary requirements. At the end of the camp, you'll be dropped off at Sydney's popular surf bar, Scubar where it's ?Party Time!? Enjoy free beer and pizza with your new surf mates!

4 Day Beginner Surf Course - Seven Mile Beach

4 Day Beginner Surf Course includes: - 2 x 2-hour surfing lessons daily. - Use of our custom made Malibu Surfboards & quality Rip Curl Wetsuits. - 3 Nights Accommodation at our Modern Beachside Surf Camp. (4-6 berth cabins or upgrade to a double room). All linen provided. No need to bring sleeping bags. - All Meals. Great food and plenty of it. Vegetarians are catered for. 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 3 dinners. Let us know if you have special dietary requirements. - Rip Curl T-Shirt with every 4 day camp! You've learnt to surf, you've made new friends, and you're adrenalin is rushing from the last wave you caught..... it's time to party! Top off the end of your trip with a Surf Camp Party at Sydney's popular surf bar, Scubar! Free beer and pizza will be served.

5 Day Surf Trip Sydney to Byron Bay

4 Day Surf Camp - learn to surf from Monday to Thursday at our south coast camp. Then, express Coach - to Byron bay on Thursday Night. Byron Bay Surf Discovery - our local guides will meet you at the bus stop in Byron, check you in, then take you surfing at one of Byron Bay's well known breaks. Byron Bay Accommodation - we provide your first night in Byron Bay (Friday night). The Search includes a Rip Curl T-Shirt. Free beer and pizza on return to Sydney at Scubar (Thurs night) DEPARTS MONDAYS 8:00AM, ENDS IN BYRON FRIDAY AFTERNOON

Blue Pearl Bay Snorkelling Adventure

A two-hour sail from the mainland, Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island boasts some spectacular fringing reef. Snorkel or Scuba Dive amongst the beautiful coral and colourful tropical fish of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. See beautiful fringing reef corals and thousands of tropical fish in waist deep water just metres from the beach. For the more adventurous, a short paddle brings you to spectacular coral bommies and the largest Blue Pearl Bay residents like Maori Wrasse and Coral Trout. After about two hours exploring the bay guests are invited back aboard Maxi Ragamuffin for a delicious buffet lunch, including cold roast meats, gourmet salads and crusty bread rolls. After lunch, there is usually time for a swim or a bit of sunbathing before the crew set sail again for the return leg via the Whitsunday Passage to Shute Harbour. A fresh Queensland tropical fruit platter is served during the return sail to the mainland.

Bronze Voucher

Are you finding it too difficult to choose from all of our amazing experiences? Not sure if they would prefer scuba diving to creating their own canvas? Don't agonise, be wise and get them a Bronze Voucher. Bronze Vouchers are great because: * You don't have to stress over buying 'the wrong thing'. * They get to choose the experience they want from the Bronze range. * They have 12 months to use it. * They won't know how much you?ve spent * You can totally personalise them with your own message and they look great!

Cairns In A Day - Gone Wild - Full Day Package

The Cairns Tropical Zoo is the only Zoo in Tropical North Queensland. Enjoy a full morning zoo program, with an opportunity to cuddle a Koala (small extra cost), learn all about snakes, crocodiles, dragons, koalas and red pandas. See the fabulous Free Flight bird show and take time to feed kangaroos, see dingos, cassowaries, and more. The choices are endless. You will then be transferred to our Heliport for an awesome 30 minute scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef to our exclusive pontoon at North Hastings Reef. We spend 2 hours on the Great Barrier Reef, where we enjoy a Tropical Aussie lunch. Afterwards you have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of underwater activities including snorkelling, semi-submersible (?Sub?) and glass bottom boat coral viewing, which is included in the tour. We can also organise Scuba diving (additional cost applies) whether you are a beginner or experienced diver.

Caving Adventure Plughole Cave - Jenolan caves Sydney

The underground world of Jenolan Caves, with its rivers and maze-like caverns is one of the final frontiers for the explorer in us all. But when you're caving don't expect ladders, handrails and guide lights, the caves you'll be exploring are wild and have no adornments – well, none under 100,000 years old, anyway! Caving is a technically diverse sport utilising skills and equipment from rock-climbing, abseiling and sometimes SCUBA diving. The entrances are generally small holes in the ground – sometimes you'll crawl into them, often you'll have to abseil in. Once inside, the caves are like a subterranean playground. During a typical caving expedition there are pitches to climb, tunnels to crawl through and pools of water so clear you can see formations, fathoms beneath the surface. Decked out in overalls, helmets and headlights, caving adventures begin with a safety and equipment briefing. You'll enter Plughole Cave by abseiling (weather permitting) into the 'Sinkhole' then caving into Elder Cave to negotiate a series of climbs, crawls and tight squeezes, before worming your way through the 'S-bend' tunnels. This is an unforgettable two-hour introductory caving adventure that you'll always remember.

Cruise & Scuba Diving For Certified Divers

Let our experienced dive instructors show you the underwater beauty of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef in the beautiful Whitsundays. As an accredited PADI facility, we offer Certified diving at Reefworld, a permanently moored adventure platform on the Great Barrier Reef. Reefworld is positioned on the outer edge of Hardy Reef, which is a 'patch reef' on the Great Barrier Reef and all dives are conducted along the 70 metre reef wall. As a diver, you can expect to see a large variety of soft and hard corals and many species of ?people friendly? fish ? sergeant majors, tusk fish, surgeon fish and fusiliers to name a few. The more observant diver can find angel fish, pincushion starfish, feather stars and an incredible range of nudibranches and flatworms. The resident Maori Wrasse will demand your undivided attention and George the giant Queensland Groper may even make an appearance! We begin with an in depth briefing, which will cover any questions or concerns. Then you?ll enter the water via the dive area and dive for approximately 45 minutes to a maximum depth of 16m. The top 16m of Hardy Reef hosts the most marine life and the more recent coral formations, so it?s where the best coral and fish life is to be found. If the tide and conditions are suitable, a drift dive may also be an option. All equipment and a guiding instructor is included in the cost of your dive. Masks, fins, weight belts and wetsuits are all available for use. Enjoy the rest of the day?s activities at Reefworld such as snorkelling, semi-submersible tours, use of the underwater viewing chamber, sunbathing and lunch at your convenience around your organised dive time. PLEASE NOTE: You MUST be a certified diver to participate in this experience.

Cruise & Scuba Diving Introductory Experience

As an accredited PADI facility, we offer comfortable first-time / introductory diving at Reefworld, a permanently moored adventure platform on the Great Barrier Reef. Reefworld is positioned on the outer edge of Hardy Reef, which is a 'patch reef' on the Great Barrier Reef and all dives are conducted along the 70 metre reef wall. First time divers will see how enjoyable and easy scuba diving really is! After a 20 minute briefing en route to Reefworld, you?ll be fitted with your equipment in the dive area and then taken to the ?Moon Pool? (our underwater entry point) for a practice session. Once you?ve mastered the skills, the dive instructor will gently guide you down the rope trail to a depth of 8-10 metres. A series of rope trails along the reef are used for reference points and security for the less confident and inexperienced divers. For 30 minutes, you?ll have time to enjoy the beauty of the reef and be amazed by the bountiful and spectacular fish life. We operate with small groups of 4 divers per instructor which means we can offer a high level of supervision. If you?re lucky, Wally the Hump Headed Maori Wrasse will come say hello or you might even spot a turtle or eagle ray gliding by. Divers can also expect to see a large variety of soft and hard corals and many species of ?people friendly? fish ? sergeant majors, tusk fish, surgeon fish and fusiliers to name a few. Enjoy the rest of the day?s activities at Reefworld such as snorkelling, semi-submersible tours, use of the underwater viewing chamber, sunbathing and lunch at your convenience around your organised dive time.

The History of Scuba Diving

Scuba diving has had a relatively short history but its origins can be traced back thousands of years.

Scuba diving commonly refers to the act of a person using a weighted belt, oxygen tank, breathing apparatus, mask and flippers to navigate under water for extended periods. It differs from the breathing techniques used in snorkeling and free-diving and that is what makes scuba diving unique.

Throughout the ages man has used techniques to assist in underwater adventures and combat.

Ancient Greek and Romans used hollowed stems or reeds as snorkels to stay hidden under water.

Aristotle mentions the use of a diving bell in the 4th Century and it appears a pipe was used to feed air to people under water.

Persians in the 1300s used tortoise shells as a form of goggles to assist endeavors under water.

It is probably not surprising to learn that the great Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to mention air tanks to aid a diver. In the 1500s, da Vinci designed different concepts that included air tanks. However, these designs were never materialised due to the fear of humans using the tanks for negative reasons, such as sinking ships.

Over the next three hundred years different designs appeared and the ability for humans to stay under water for extended periods developed.

The first real diving apparatus that resembles modern day scuba equipment was produced in 1865 by Benoit Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze. Their design included a backpack with a spherical air tank. Their design also had the first regulaor, an essential addition for the future of scuba diving.

As the industrial revolution blossomed, the design and ability to produce compressed air tanks increased and this also helped scuba diving become safer and more attractive to willing participants.

Militaries and particularly Navies around the world used diving for many purposes. The addition of frogman suits (wet suits) was a bonus and the use of fins surfaced to further aid the diver.

By the 1950s, scuba diving was quite popular around the world and from that point until today, advances is science and technology have made modern day scuba diving possible.   © MAS 2007

Types of Scuba Diving

Modern day scuba diving has many disciplines. Divers can specialise in :

• Commercial diving
• Military diving
• Naval diving
• Police diving
• Professional diving
• Recreational diving
• Rescue & recovery diving
• Scientific diving
• Technical diving
• Cave diving
• Cavern diving
• Deep diving
• Ice diving
• Wreck diving

Recreational diving is very popular in modern countries that share their borders with the ocean.

The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea are renowned for some of the best diving spots in the world. This is due to the high underwater visibility and the opportunity to dive on wrecks from WWII.

The Great Barrier Reef is also a world renowned site for scuba diving.

Recreational diving has a huge following in Australia. The relatively cheap cost to become accredited and for the purchase or hiring of equipment has led many Aussies in to the deep blue sea to get a closer look at the marvells Australian waters have to offer.   © MAS 2007