Three intrepid Explorers decided to take up the challenge that few (by few I mean the entire diving community) had ventured before.

After the cancellation of the Green Head Gullies dive due to weather conditions, we select few (Kev, Dave & Graham) decided to head to Ellerton and search for the lessor spotted fresh water sea creature.

Being one of the first dives of the season, dive fitness came into play and every piece of kit felt a lot heavier than it did at the end of last season.

Ellerton at the moment is having an unusual clear amount of visibility. Even with the sandy bottom being stirred up, Viz currently is at 5 – 10 meters. This only helped in our hunt for the illusive creatures! And tropical water temperatures of 13 degrees, it was like diving in the Med!

We set off and headed straight for the platform and followed our dive plan to the T (follow the ropes).

Arriving at the sunken car and only 10 minutes into our dive, we did it. We spotted a Pike. Our quest was complete, there was a living creature in lake Ellerton. As explorers have the privilege, we got naming rights for this fresh water creature and forever more this creature will be known as a “Fish”.

Not satisfied with only discovering 1 fish, we followed the ropes on the search for more. Kev lead us to some pipe work. This was fun to swim through, but no “fish”.

Next, explorer Kev forged his way to the sunken boat, as the silhouette appeared in the distance, Kev showed us the RMS Titanic. As we got closer, we realised, this sunken vessel was maybe not at the scale of Titanic and was a just slightly an inch or two smaller (but only just!). And low and behold, inside the boat, there was another fish! A perch, this time, and boy what a big boy he was, a good 2 pounder. Kev was proving his tour guide skills were just as good as any boat fish finder. Today he was on fire (not literally, the water based environment, took care of that).

Before heading back in we headed back to the training platforms and as a final flourish, there was a shoal of small perch. A nice little send off for us to sea before heading in.

Dive time was 47 minutes and depth was an ear busting 6.6 meters.

This just shows, you don’t have to go deep and dark to have fun. You just need good company and a sense of adventure!

Check out our youtube video of the dive via this link – Ellerton 14/05/2017