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16 June 2016

DON’T IGNORE THAT ITCH OR COUGH

MY EXPERIENCE WITH DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS
by Michelle O’Flynn

I am a conservative diver having only taken up scuba in the past 3.5 years, and in my later 50’s. It was something that I always wanted to do but was out of my reach until then. I am however, pretty active and healthy – I swim, walk and do pilates. I have 80 dives to my history and have gone on several dive holidays locally and overseas. My dive profiles are always within no-deco limits. Two years ago I went to Thailand and dived for 4 days when I had my first encounter with DCI, although it wasn’t recognised as such at the time. After two dives, and on the hour long return boat trip to the mainland I noticed that I had a rash. It appeared first on my upper torso around my breasts and lower abdomen but then spread around my hips and towards my back. I then experienced some changing symptoms as one symptom left another emerged. At times I felt a little dizzy, I noticed my throat was very dry causing a dry cough for a few minutes and some wheeziness - not bad like struggling for breath but slightly shallower breathing was preferred. This then changed again and the dizziness returned. Just as we approached port after the hour trip back from the dive site, I noticed that my left arm around the elbow region felt numb, but this went away after about 1 minute. The main after affect was extreme fatigue and weakness. As I had been wearing shortie wetsuit with holes in it, the consensus of the dive instructor and the others from the dive shop was that I had an allergic reaction to stinging plankton that may have been trapped in my wetsuit. This theory was upheld because I had dived this location three days earlier and had experienced a similar rash although not as widespread, and a lesser degree of fatigue. I had dived other locations on the days in between with no ill effects or symptoms, so it appeared that there was some dive location specific marine life as the cause. I did not dive the next day and sought medical advice. My most recent experience was in the vicinity of Bundaberg region at Easter this year.

What did I do wrong?
Well firstly do not dive too soon after surgery of any type! I was keen to dive and was well ahead of my recovery from a knee arthroscopy, but in hindsight 4 weeks after surgery no matter how well you are recovering is far too soon. Only dive after getting clearance from your surgeon! The next factor to my DCI was that the first dive was across a scattered artificial reef and unfortunately there was strong current, which the dive instructor took us against for most of a very long swim. It was very strenuous for me and as I was also trying to take video I was often struggling to catch up with the others. The exertion was compounded by a long surface swim to the boat as well. The dive operator was aware that I was recovering from surgery so they were quite helpful in that I did not attempt to climb on board wearing my full kit, removing it while on the surface and my dive buddy handed it up for me. In all, the first dive was not well planned with poor visibility and unnecessary swimming and against current. The second dive for the day was considerably better but still required a lot of swimming. Later that afternoon I noticed that I was a little itchy around my waist but I had thought that perhaps the band from my BCD was a little too tight. Don’t ignore the itch!

The dive shop announced that they were going out to the wreck the next day and my dive buddy was very keen to dive again. I wasn’t so sure about whether I should dive again because of my surgery (I did not at that time suspect any DCI), but agreed to go. Both dives on the day were terrific – so much marine life and no adverse conditions, and as usual dived a conservative profile. However, on the return journey in the small boat, it was a pretty rough kidney punch trip back to the mainland for about an hour. About halfway back I felt a little out of sorts…at first I thought it was that I was sitting in the corner and a little uncomfortable but began to realise that under my arms were aching. Then the slight cough began and the need to breath somewhat shallower. I did not feel ill at all but discomfort was increasing, and the itch around my middle was more pronounced and my breasts were aching. poI realised I was not doing so well when we got ashore and I was trembling with weakness and fatigue. I could barely walk the distance to the toilets without puffing and feeling faint. After consulting with the dive operator I went to hospital where the staff there had no idea what to do. Intake at the hospital is a slow process and finally when taken to emergency, I was given the usual tests – blood pressure, blood taken (but not tested for several hours), heart monitor, ecg. I didn’t see a doctor for two hours. Finally we told her that I just need to be placed on oxygen. In hindsight we should have just told the nurses straight away. We also told the doctor to contact Divers Alert Network (DAN) Asia Pacific but for some reason she only go the number for the USA. The doctor called the Hyperbaric Medicine Specialist at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and we both spoke with him and I was to be given oxygen and to stay overnight. I felt relief about 30 minutes – the itch, and the pain in my breasts and under my arms were gone and after one hour I discharged myself against the hospital recommendations. They wanted me to stay for at least 6 hours. That was another error – I should have stayed! While I stayed overnight in Bundaberg I was extremely exhausted even after a good night’s sleep. I was still too week and fatigued to drive to Brisbane the next day and had to stay a further day. Even now, two months later,

I have not regained my stamina despite exercising regularly. I find the weakness to be mainly in my arms and my swimming is still not as strong as it was before this latest DCI incident. The following week after my return home I saw Dr. Ken Thistlethwaite at RBH Hyperbaric Medicine Specialist Centre who gave me some very good advice. I had an overseas dive holiday booked and paid for, so I was encouraged by several people to get a dive medical, for which I would need a chest Xray. My GP in writing the referral also ordered me to get the echo bubble cardiogram. This test revealed a sizeable patent foramen ovale (PFO). Consultation with a cardiologist resulted in the prognosis that I was not to dive until I underwent the closure procedure later this year. I tried to see if a dive medical specialist would disagree, but my attempt for a dive medical was not successful with the specialist agreeing with the cardiologist. I am booked in for the procedure in July after I return from my overseas holiday where I shall only be snorkelling. Three months after the procedure, I will be required to undergo a further echo bubble cardiogram to detect that the closure has been successful and if so, after another 3 months I will take the dive medical so I can get wet again!!! (6 months after the procedure).

7th December 2015

Cheeky Weather

This Week on DiveQuest

After Friday and Saturdays dives being cancelled with safety and comfort in mind, the winds dropped fast on Saturday afternoon, allowing fantastic dives and great visibility on Sunday. Sundays Dive Quest Photos Here

Courses

Open Water - A busy Open Water course staring with 13 students in the pool with our instructors Tim Simkin and Ben Kriss, assisted by Divemasters Stefan & Aaron. Looking forward to getting them out to sea next weekend to complete their training.

Search & Recovery - starting later this week we have some excited students completing their Search & Recovery Course this weekend coming. Break out the Lift bags and the ropes!

Instructor - Peran, Emma and Troy have been working hard and achieving goals throughout the last 2 weeks of their Assistant Instructor, Instructor Develompent and Emergency First Response Instructor Courses. Their Instructor Evaluation with PADI begins tomorrow and runs for 2 days. Best of Success crew!

9th November 2015

Unexpectedly Brilliant Weekend

This Week

Lots of Open Water courses and plenty happening in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Dive Update
The weather was looking fairly ordinary at best but proved to be magnificent on both mornings, so Dive Quest headed out over the weekend for some fantastic experiences at Flat Rock, Shag Rock and Manta Bommie. Amazing to still see a Grey Nurse shark, and then loads of Mantas were on the cards. So with calm and clear conditions we now have 3 new Advanced Open Water Certified Divers and 3 new Nitrox Certified Divers!

25th May 2015

Friday Fables

Video provide by Liam Gallagher taken on Flinders reef on the 10th May 2015.

This Week
Our 2 IDC Candidates are making great headway on their journey towards becoming PADI Instructors! 3 weekends down and 2 more to go then off to the Instructor Exams mid June!

Super Course Specials
LAST WEEK TO NAB THESE AWESOME SPECIALS!!!!!!! For Open Water Course and Advanced Open Water Course for the Month of May Only, massive sales on these course. Tell your Friends about it cause spots are selling fast and won't last long. Visit our website for more information! http://1.godive.com.au/

Nigel Marsh PADI Photography Course!
Join us for a very special PADI Digital Underwater Photograhy Course in July! Run in conjunction with on of our Digital Underwater Photography Instructors and good friend Nigel Marsh, this is the perfect opportunity for any budding photographers to not only learn the ropes from one of the best in the business, but also earn the PADI Specialty! With theory on Thursday 9th July starting at 6pm and 2 Boat dives on the 12th July! Prices start at only $285! Spots are limited!

Dive Update
We managed to sneak out early Friday morning for two awesome dives at shag rock! Bait fish galore met us as we descended for our dives! So many bait fish that it was hard to see more then 2m infront of you! Pods of dolphins could be seen close on the surface, big pelagic fish making the most of the easy feeding, and even a flash of a big shark looking shape was seen on the first dive! It was a rough trip back in as the winds started to pick up, seeing Saturday and Sunday's trips being cancelled.

20th April 2015

Fantastic Manta Ray Action

This week at Go Dive we have an Advanced Course, with theory starting Thursday night and Diving Saturday and Sunday, and Open Water Course starting on the weekend ! Courses still have a few spots left on them if you want to book yourself on!

DiveQuest is running Friday, Saturday (3 Dive Trip) and Sunday! With limited spaces available all 3 days so book yourself on so you don't miss out! Dive Update

Manta Ray Bommie on Friday goes off!!!! DiveQuest ventured out to Manta Ray Bommie on Friday and we had some of the best diving we've had in MONTHS! With up to 5 Manta Rays in a very inquisitive mood, 15 - 20m viz, as well as Guitar Sharks, Leopard Sharks and a Leopard Whipray. All around fantastic day of diving!

Saturday we had a look at Manta Bommie again, but unfortunately a big current meant we had to dive Shag Rock. Sunday we managed one dive at Coral Gardens off Flat Rock, with 20m viz, before a current whipped up, ruining our chances of a 2nd dive there. So we ducked back to Shag Rock to finish up our day. 7m viz and a bit bumpy on the surface but still a nice dive.

Congratulations -
We would like to congratulate the following people who completed their courses with us over the weekend!
Natalie and Jeff who completed their PADI Open Water Course and Rowan, Peter and Jayden who completed their PADI Rescue Diver Course. Huge effort everyone and massive congrats! We're looking forward to diving with you all again very soon!

29th December 2014

Happy New Year

We trust that everyone had an amazing Christmas and Boxing Day and are all well and truly on the way to having a safe and enjoyable New Year! We would like to thank you all for your continued support during 2014 and we look forward to seeing everyone out on the boat diving with us again in 2015!

Over the weekend we got in some awesome dives! After weeks of waiting we finally had some luck with the weather and snuck out to Manta Ray Bommie on Boxing Day! And what a treat! MANTA GALORE! Our favourite Summer Rays are back in strength!!! Saturday and Sunday the weather picked up meaning Shag Rock was our destination of choice. 10m viz and an abundance of fish life, we truly had an awesome weekend of diving despite the rainy conditions.

We would like to congratulate Lucie, Darren, Chris and Leyton for completing their Open Water Courses and Ian and Ted who we welcome back to diving after completing their Scuba Tune Up!

Our next run to Flinders Reef is set for Saturday 31st January!!!! 9 Spots Left on this 3 Dive Day!

Our next Bubble Maker program is on Sunday 11th January so if you have some kids aged 8 to 12 then this will make a perfect Chrissie present for them!

21th October 2014

Flinders Amazes Once Again

The weather was perfect for Friday's trip out to Turtle Caves off North Stradbroke Island. Little swell and next to no wind meant 2 great dives off Flat Rock, with 15m viz and loads to see everyone had a great time.

Saturday DiveQuest headed out to North Moreton Island for our scheduled Advanced Only dive day. Unfortunately the great weather from Friday gave away to larger then forecast swell and strong winds, which meant our planned sites of Cementco and Smith's Rock had to be swapped to 2 dives at Flinders. Viz a little on the low side compared to our other recent dives at Flinders, however it didn't fail to disappoint our eager divers.

Saturday we also took a group down to dive Cook Island with Tweed Sea Sports. Calm sea conditions but sadly the viz was down a little.

Sunday we cancelled due to the rather ordinary day we had on the water Saturday.

Over the last 2 weekends, 6 students have been taking part in the theory and pool session training as part of their Divemaster Course. We would like to congratulate David, Rick, Aaron, Liam, Matthew and Nick for completing the first part of their courses and welcome you to your internship phase of your training. Look out for these guy helping out on the boat and in the pool in the next couple of months!

Saturday Mark also had a PADI Side mount theory and pool session and Dan ran a Rescue Pool session. With the students finishing their courses this weekend coming.

We are launching our 2015 International Dive Holiday destinations in conjunction with our friends at Dive Adventures. Jerry and Mark from Dive Adventures will be in store for our launch with loads of information on the destinations planned. Free BBQ and Drinks Available. Not to mention some awesome prizes! For more info visit our Facebook Page. here!

27th September 2014

Flinders Puts on a Great Show Yet Again!

Another great weather weekend treated us to more fabulous diving! Friday we headed out to Flat Rock and had two awesome dives at Turtle Caves. With viz at 20m on the first dive and dropping to 15m on the second, divers were mesmerised by huge schools of large and friendly Batfish, big wobbys, eels and all the usual critters that keep us entertained on our dives at Flat.

Saturday DiveQuest headed back out to the tip of Moreton to have another crack at diving the Cementco. Unfortunately there was a huge current which meant we had to resort back to Flinders Reef. But what a show it put on! Amazing viz, no current and flat conditions, our divers just loved the day diving! Our next crack at Cementco will be Saturday 18th October for an Advanced Only Dive Day! Third time lucky right?

Sunday DiveQuest was back at Shag Rock for 2 more enjoyable dives with a boat load of eager students either starting or completing their courses. We would like to congratulate Kelsey and Jason who completed their Open Water Course over the weekend and Liz, Mellissa and Daniel who completed their Advanced Courses with us! Congrats guys and we can't wait to have you diving with us again soon!

We are off on another Advanced Only Dive Day on Saturday 18th October, this time our destinations will be aimed at Cementco and Smiths Rock with 6 spots still left on this trip! For those who aren't up for some tricky diving, we will also be heading to Cook Island on Saturday 18th October with 9 Spots Left.

We have scheduled a special 3 dive afternoon trip on Saturday 15th November, heading to Flinders Reef with the last dive being a NIGHT Dive! 5 Spots left on this trip!

Secure your spot on any of these trips by visiting our online dive shop at here!
See our Calendar of events here!

22th September 2014

What a weekend

What a fantastic weekend of diving we were treated to! Even though the swell picked up a little more then expected on Saturday we had our first successful Advanced Only Dive Day! We headed out to China Wall, where we explored extensive kelp forests and the Rebreather Guys even ran into a 2.5m Tiger Shark! Lucky guys! You can check out the video on our Facebook page. Our second dive of the day was at Henderson's Reef, unfortunately the visibility wasn't in our favour but this site has lots of awesome swim throughs and gutters! We can't wait to get back there and dive it with better viz next time! Our next Advanced Only Day is Saturday October 18, where we will be aiming for Cementco and Smith's Rock!!!!

Sunday DiveQuest was privately chartered and we wandered off to Flinders Reef. Dive 1 of the day was a wonderful surprise on a beautiful reef just north of Flinders. With incredible viz and plenty of healthy coral and fish life we enjoyed a spectacular dive. Due to the current picking up towards the end of the first dive we moved back to Flinders' itself for a nice 2nd dive. With amazing viz still and whales singing to us underwater everyone had a wonderful time playing with friendly turtles, cuttlefish and the beautiful fish life and coral the Flinders is so well known for!

We are off on another Advanced Only Dive Day on Saturday 18th October, this time our destinations will be aimed at Cementco and Smiths Rock with 7 spots still left on this trip! For those who aren't up for some tricky diving, we will also be heading to Cook Island on Saturday 18th October with 9 Spots Left.

We have scheduled a special 3 dive afternoon trip on Saturday 15th November, heading to Flinders Reef with the last dive being a NIGHT Dive! 8 Spots left on this trip!

DiveQuest has some busy weekends coming up, so if you're wanting to dive in the next few weeks make sure you get in early to avoid disappointment.

15th September 2014

Awesome Diving Conditions !

Finally a break in the weather allowed 3 amazing days of diving over the weekend! Friday we completed one dive at Turtle Caves before heading around to the other side of the rock for a dive at Shark Alley. 3 Grey Nurse, one over 3m in length! Saturday we had to utilize Shag Rock for the 1st 2 dives as we were depth restricted to 12m with Day 1 of an Open Water Course and the Coral Gardens (shallow site) mooring buoy at Flat Rock has disappeared. Third Dive of the day was an awesome drift dive from Turtle Caves to Coral Gardens, Flat Rock. We were lucky and saw a huge school of BIG Barracuda, a 2m Grouper, Guitar Shark, Bull Ray, and 1 very friendly turtle and came in for a nice close look. Sunday we were back at Turtle Caves for 2 more enjoyable dives! Viz averaged 15-20m over the weekend and whales sang their beautiful songs while we were on our dive!

We would like to congratulate Jeremy, Carly, Liz, Mark, Graeme, Jerry and Roger who completed their Open Water Courses, Jodi and Tori who completed their Advanced Open Water Courses and Rowan who completed his Deep Diver Specialty with us over the weekend.

DiveQuest is heading out to North Straddie Friday with limited space available, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather on Saturday as we again try for an Advanced Only dive site, this time to China Wall and Henderson's Reef! Saturday is fully booked. Sunday is also fully booked with a private charter scheduled.

We are off on another Advanced Only Dive Day on Saturday 18th October, this time our destinations will be aimed at Cementco and Smiths Rock with 7 spots still left on this trip! For those who aren't up for some tricky diving, we will also be heading to Cook Island on Saturday 18th October with 9 Spots Left. We have scheduled a special 3 dive afternoon trip on Saturday 15th November, heading to Flinders Reef with the last dive being a NIGHT Dive! 8 Spots left on this trip!

DiveQuest has some busy weekends coming up, so if you're wanting to dive in the next few weeks make sure you get in early to avoid disappointment. Go to www.godive.com.au to see what trips we have coming up.

8th September 2014

Spring is Here !

Another poor weather weekend set in over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We still managed to get out to Shag Rock on Friday and Sunday, however our first Advanced Only Dive Day on Saturday to Gotham City had to be postponed :( Friday and Sunday we dived Shag Rock, with 5-8m viz we were able to get out of big seas and tuck in close to the rock for 2 dives each day.

We would like to congratulate Joe, Ross, Clint and Erin who completed their Open Water Course on Sunday. We would also like to congratulate Chris who finished his Advanced Open Water Course with us on Sunday. Sunday we also dived the exHMAS Brisbane, with rough conditions on the surface, however 15m viz underneath, our divers enjoyed 2 enjoyable dives on our favourite local wreck. We would like to congratulate Rick, who completed his Wreck Specialty and Paul who completed his Advanced Open Water Course with us on Sunday.

We are off on another Advanced Only Dive Day on Saturday 18th October, this time our destinations will be aimed at Cementco and Smiths Rock with 7 spots still left on this trip! For those who aren't up for some tricky diving, we will also be heading to Cook Island on Saturday 18th October with 9 Spots Left.

We have scheduled a special 3 dive afternoon trip on Saturday 15th November, heading to Flinders Reef with the last dive being a NIGHT Dive!8 Spots left on this trip!

DiveQuest has some busy weekends coming up, so if you're wanting to dive in the next few weeks make sure you get in early to avoid disappointment. Go to www.godive.com.au to see our calendar of upcoming events and dives.

1st September 2014

Nigel Marsh Photography Clinic !

Saturday kicked off the much anticipated photography clinic hosted by Nigel Marsh. see his website here www.nigelmarshphotography.com/ where eager divers bought in their cameras and were able to fine tune the settings to get that perfect shot!

Sunday the weather calmed down and 2 enjoyable dives were had at Shark Alley off Flat Rock, with viz between 10-15m. Sadly only 2 sharks cruised by but our photographers were kept busy snapping beautiful shots of Nudis, Turtles, Sea Urchins, Anemone Fish, Clams and more all while listening to whales sing their beautiful harmonies. It was a great day on the water and we are looking forward to seeing stunning pictures taken from the dives!

Saturday under low viz we also had students out at Shag Rock completing courses. Big Congrats to newly Advanced Open Water Certified Divers, Kris, Karmen, James and Rodney! This week is an exciting week for DiveQuest! She will be heading out Thurs - Sunday with Saturday heading out for our first Advanced Only dives to Gotham City and Flinders Reef! Yippee! DiveQuest is currently fully booked each day except Thursday. On Sunday we are also off to dive the exHMAS Brisbane with limited spaces still available. DiveQuest has some busy weekends coming up, so if you're wanting to dive in the next few weeks make sure you get in early to avoid disappointment.

NO JOKE! Tec Diving will soon be coming to Go Dive! We are in the throws of discussing possible dates with our Tec Diving Instructor Extraordinaire, Pierre De Villiers! Watch this space (and our Facebook page) for more details in the coming weeks!

Photos taken by Chris Fry and Matt Wilson

4th August 2014

Gotham City is in Our 'Sites'

While the weather saw the weekend get cancelled again, all was not wasted. Instead we have had a chat to our experienced skipper Steve, and we are excited to announce that on Saturday 6th September we are having an Advanced Certified Only dive day out to Gotham City and Flinders Reef! 7 Spots have already been claimed after our post of Facebook earlier Monday morning, but 5 spots are still up for grabs. Conditions, you must be an Advanced Certified diver to come along on this trip. Gotham City would be the perfect opportunity for those of you who are keen to get some deep dives done. Enquire today!

Over the weekend we kick started an Open Water Course, with the theory session taking place on Saturday and the pool Session on Sunday. The excited Open Water Students are looking forward to completing their dives this coming weekend! This week we have a full time Open Water Course running Tuesday - Friday, and Advanced Course kicking off Thursday Night along with a Rescue Diver Course! DiveQuest will be heading out Thursday - Sunday with 2 dives each day. LIMITED numbers available on each day at this time, but the weekend is filling up quick so be fast to make sure your spot is secured!

Go Dive's next social night will be held on Thursday 21st August, so make sure your name is in the draw to win! See below on how to enter! Hans from PADI will be making a special appearance at this Social Night to give away the prize!

Go Dive and Win! Once a month we will be giving away a PADI course of your choice, excluding Professional and Technical Courses. All you need to do is complete a course with us to receive your entry, which gets drawn at our monthly social. Terms and Conditions do apply. Enquire today!

Over the October Long Weekend we have a special 3 Night trip to South West Rocks to Dive Fish Rock Cave! Spots are getting snaffled up left, right and centre so make sure you book yourself on this trip ASAP!

Spots are closing fast for our Palau trip lead by Mark, so if you ever had the desire to see what Palau has to offer such as the shark dive or Jelly Fish Lake, now is a great time and the cheapest time to secure your next dive holiday. Book Here!

We have a trip going back to Osprey Reef in November, rated the number one dive location in Australia. This was an amazing trip with average visibility of over 40m and 100's of sharks turning up for the shark feed, up to 15 dives including a night dive. Then why not book on. November 20th to 24th. Book Here!

5th May 2014

More Spectacular Diving!

DiveQuest snuck out on Friday before the weather picked up over the weekend. 2 enjoyable dives were had by all on board. We would like to congratulate Nick for completing his Rescue Diver Course, Lynton for completing his Advanced Diver Course and Drew who completed his Scuba Tune Up Course. Saturday kicked off a new Divemaster Course, with the theory session taking place on Saturday and Pool Session taking place on Sunday. Keep you eyes peeled for our newest Divemaster Trainee Leon on the boat in the next few weeks! Welcome aboard Leon! This week is already shaping up to be a busy one! Thursday kicks off a busy Advanced Course and Navigation Course, along with an Open Water Course ready to start on the weekend! The boat is fully booked Saturday and Sunday, but there is still availability on Thursday and Friday's trips!! With the cold Winter snap, we expect the arrival of the Grey Nurse Sharks to be just around the corner (if they haven't already arrived!) Shark Alley off Flat Rock will once again be our 'go to' dive site in the next couple of weeks! NIGHT DIVING is just around the corner!! Keep your eyes peeled to our Facebook page over the next few days for what could be an exciting update!

We are excited to announce that you can book on to DiveQuest and secure your spot through our online store, which is also accusable through our Iphone and Android app. This weekend was the release of our Go Dive app rewards program and it seems to be very popular with most taking up the challenge. Our Go Dive App can be found at

Go Dive android app

Android

Go Dive apple app

Apple

Specialty Courses

Navigation Specialty Course in May! 8th 10th and 11th May 2014.
Side Mount Course at the very special price of $500 16th and 17th May 2014.

exHMAS Brisbane Trip

Our Next HMAS Brisbane trip is planned for the 18th May . Spots are limited so book today so you don't miss out! :) Only 7 Spots left on this trip!!!!

Fish Rock Cave/South West Rocks Trips Scheduled 2014

We have 2 Fish Rock Cave trips remaining for the year! Our first trip is running like normal, 2 nights accommodation and 4 dives prices starts at $350 (gear hire extra)! Our last trip for the year happens to fall on the Labour Day Public Holiday so we thought why not extend it? 3 nights accommodation and 6 dives for just $480 (gear hire extra). Dates below: Trip 2: 30th, 31st May 1st June 2014 Trip 3: 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th October 2014 Spots are limited so book early so you don't miss out! :)

Dive Travel

Go Dive and Spirit of Freedom have teamed up to make booking easier in the future, you can now book directly from our webpage.
http://godivebrisbane.spiritoffreedom.com.au/
This year we are running 3 overseas trips! To the President Coolidge in Vanuatu, Truk Lagoon in Micronesia and Palau! For more info please see the link!! Truk Lagoon is selling quick!!!
http://www.godive.com.au/des_overseas holidays.htm
Places are limited and filling up fast for all trips so if you wanted to secure your spot, book now.

3rd February 2014

Afternoon Trips Open for Bookings AND Tec Try Day Rescheduled!!!!!!!!

It's that time of year, where strong winds bring with them big seas and trips get cancelled. On Saturday we took a group of Open Water Students down to NSW and finished off their courses with them in the Tweed River. 2 enjoyable and rather easy dives were had and we would like to congratulate James, Gary, Guang, Jane and Christie for completing their courses with us. We look forward to seeing you out on DiveQuest with us in the near future!

Afternoon trips are opening up due to high demand, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of February will see DiveQuest heading out on two trips each day, with limited spaces still available on these trips. If you want to enjoy a sleep in and then finish off your day with a dive these are for you! Just a reminder that the deadline for the Santo Trip in March is fast approaching. Awesome dives on the President Coolidge with trip leader Mick Browne!!! If you want on this trip make sure you sign up sooner rather then later so you don't miss out!!!!!! Our latest social went off with much success! Our next Social will be held on the 13th February. On March 6th we will also be holding a Social, with a special guest presenter Bill Silvester, author of Down Under Magic. Bill will also be joining us for a dive on Friday 7th March. Make sure you keep those dates free!

Last but not least! Our newly appointed Tec Diving Instructor, Beau, will be running a Tec Try Day on Sunday 16th February. If you think Tec Diving is your calling then register yourself for this free trial day today!!!!!!!!

February's Specialty Courses

In February we will be running a Deep Diver Specialty over the 13th, 15th and 16th February with Wreck and Nitrox scheduled for 20th, 22nd and 23rd February. March Specialty Courses include, Self - Reliant Diver (13th, 15th and 16th March) and Wreck and Nitrox 20th, 22nd and 23rd March. If you dream of diving on your own with no buddy then our Self-Reliant Diver Course is for you!

9nd December 2013

Great Diving over the Weekend

Great Diving was had over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Every trip was fully booked with a combination of recreational divers and students. The Leopard Sharks are back in force with 5 seen Saturday and another 3 on Sunday. Maybe this coming weekend we can get back out to Manta Ray Bommie (our fingers are crossed!)

We would like to offer a big congratulations to all the students who completed courses with us over the weekend. To Matthew, Eva, Julien, Ethan, Mitch and Gabrielle who completed their Open Water Courses. Guy for completing your Enriched Air Nitrox Diver Course. Josh for completing your Deep Diver Specialty Course and to Xenia for completing your Rescue Diver Course. We hope to see you all back on DiveQuest in the near future!

The Reef Check Trip has had to be rescheduled due to weather. It will now be held on Thursday 19th December going to Myora and Green Islands. 5 spots still available on this trip!

January's Specialty Courses

In January we will be running 3 Specialty Courses. Firstly, the PADI Sidemount Diver Course will be running from the 2nd, 4th and 5th of January 2014. Any diver from Open Water beyond can take part in this course!

The Wreck and Nitrox Combo (or individual) will be running over the 16th, 18th and 19th of January. Combine both specialties in one and save $$$, or do one or the other.

Christmas Specials!

Our Christmas Specials are up can can be viewed here http://1.godive.com.au/brochure/xmassale.pdf If your looking for a Christmas present for your dive crazy buddy then look no further then here! We can also do up gift vouchers for any dollar value or course, which will make the perfect Chrissie present!

Tec Try Day

On Sunday 22nd December, we are holding a 'Try Tec' Day at the pool. No charge just bring yourself! Register yourself for our Try Tec Day by the 15th December! As of next year will we be running Tec diving courses. Shoot us an email or drop us a line for more info on this!

2nd December 2013

New Exciting Changes are coming!!!

The lousy weather may have resulted in the diving getting cancelled over the weekend, however we used the time to put together some awesome news instead.

The Reef Check Trip has had to be rescheduled due to weather. It will now be held on Thursday 19th December going to Myora and Green Islands. 5 spots still available on this trip!

Our Christmas Specials are up can can be viewed Here
If your looking for a Christmas present for your dive crazy buddy then look no further then here! We can also do up gift vouchers for any dollar value or course, which will make the perfect Chrissie present!

Available now, we have a banked compressor located at our retail centre. On the spot air fills. $12 per fill, capable of filling a 300bar tank!!!! Not enough for you? Well then we will also throw in a special 'Hump Day' offer. All fills $5 on Wednesdays! Want enriched air fills? Well it is coming too and should be available next week (stay tuned for updates). In the spirit of the Christmas Season, when the Nitrox arrives, we will fill your enriched air tank for $12 as well!

And for the big one announcement: Our Instructor Beau has been working away at his Tec Deep Instructors, and we are ready to introduce it to you! On Sunday 22nd December, we are holding a 'Try Tec' Day at the pool. No charge just bring yourself! Register yourself for our Try Tec Day by the 15th December! As of next year will we be running Tec diving courses. Shoot us an email or drop us a line for more info on this!

exHMAS Brisbane Trip

Our monthly run up to the exHMAS Brisbane is scheduled for Sunday 29th December, and will be our last trip for the year. Perfect opportunity to knock over your Wreck and Nitrox Combo course on that weekend! Or just come along for a recreational dive on an awesome site!

Fish Rock Cave/South West Rocks Trips Scheduled 2014

Everyone's favourite trip is back in 2014. We will be running 3 trips to the famous Fish Rock Cave throughout the year. Our first two trips are running like normal, 2 nights accommodation and 4 dives prices starts at $350 (gear hire extra)! Our last trip for the year happens to fall on the Labour Day Public Holiday so we thought why not extend it? 3 nights accommodation and 6 dives for just $480 (gear hire extra). Dates below: Trip 1: 7th, 8th 9th March 2014 Trip 2: 30th, 31st May 1st June 2014 Trip 3: 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th October 2014 Spots are limited so book early so you don't miss out! :)
We care about your opinions so is you had a great experience why not share it on Trip Advisor or even on Facebook.

25 th November 2013

Busy Weekend With Awesome Diving over 4 Days!

An awesome 4 days of diving was had over Thursday - Sunday, with DiveQuest diving Flat Rock, Shag Rock and Manta Ray Bommie. Yes the Manta Rays are coming back, with 3 different ones spotted on Sunday! Leopard Sharks, Shovel Nose Rays, Bull Rays, Eagle Rays, Octopus and Turtles also put on a show of our divers.

On Sunday we also took a group of divers up to Mooloolabah for two dives on the exHMAS Brisbane. 12 mts viz and it never disapoints. Our last dive on the exHMAS Brisbane for the year will be on Sunday 29th December, its a perfect opportunity to knock over your Wreck/Nitrox Specialty Course!!

We would like to offer a big congratulations too all Students that completed their course with us over the weekend. Louise and Stuart for completing your Discover Scuba Diving Program. Tom, Chin, James, Danielle, Zoe, Stewart, Paul and Jason for completing your Open Water Course. Neil and Chris for completing your Scuba Tune Up Course and to Christian and Rachel for completing your Nitrox Courses.

The weather has forced us to change our Reef Check trip plans. We will now be taking Reef Check to Goat and Macleay Islands on the 2nd Dec and to Myora and Green on the 19th Dec. Limited spots available on these trips so book early so you don't miss out!!!

Spots on the boat are limited this weekend. Saturday's Flinders run only has 1 spot left, Sunday is fully booked. Plenty of spots left on Friday's trip however!

18th November 2013

Busy Week

A busy week is planned at Go Dive this week! The boat will be running 4 days (Thursday - Sunday with spaces over the weekend limited, but plenty left on Thursday and Friday.

This Thursday we have a GoPRO Instructor Seminar running at our retail centre in Windsor from 6pm. If you are a Divemaster, Divemaster Trainee, Rescue Diver or really just thinking that one day a PADI Instructor is your calling come along and listen in. Our Course Director Angela DeVilliers will be our guest presenter for this seminar. Please RSVP by Thursday morning. Drinks and BBQ/Pizza will be available on the night.

Our next Assistant Instructor/Instructor Development Course is kicking off from the 7th December - 15th December 2013. If you are a Divemaster and looking to progress up through to PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor this is the course for you!

On Sunday 24th November we are off on our monthly venture to dive the exHMAS Brisbane. Awesome diving and only 4 spots left on this trip!!!

Go Dive and Reef Check Australia are teaming up again, for 4 dives over 2 days. The first trip is running on Monday 25th November to Goat and Macleay Islands with only 2 spots left! The second trip is running to Myora and Green Islands on Monday 2nd December with only 5 spots left. Book today for your chance to explore a new site and see the fantastic work that Reef Check perform. On both days volunteers from Reef Check will treat us to a presentation of their findings.

With the weather warming up, spots on courses and the boat are becoming extremely limited, so if you need to go diving it is best to book early to secure your place!

Photo Competition Winners Announced

And the winners are! In third place and receiving an EezyCut Cutting Tool is Ashton East, for his great shot of the Gun Turret on the exHMAS Brisbane, Second Place and receiving a ScubaPro Goodies Pack is Tris Smith for his very creative Go Dive Themed Turtle Photo and in First Place and winning an Intova HD Sport Camera, David Camus for his glorious Lionfish photo.

1st Place: David Camus 2nd Place: Tris Smith 3rd Place: Ashton East

Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to everyone who entered out competition!

Flinders Reef Trip

Our next run up to Flinders Reef has been scheduled for Saturday 30th November! 3 dives on the amazing Flinders Reef and you won't be disappointed by your dives there! On par, or better then most of the dives our instructors have done on the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns, and this site right in the midst of Brisbane Diving. 2 spots left only on this trip!

Social Nights

The storms may have deterred some of our latest Social Night Guests, however our next Social Night will be held on Thursday 28th November, starting at 6pm. BBQ and Drinks are available for purchase. Come on down for a fun night and meet some new dive buddies while your hear!

11th November 2013

Osprey Reef Trip Returns

Summer trading at Go Dive Brisbane started Sunday our new trading hours can be found on the website. www.godive.com.au We are now open 7 days.

We have our first social/presentation night this Thursday from 6pm to 9pm. BBQ, drinks and new dive buddies can be found at our retail store.

DiveQuest ran charters on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with some amazing diving had over the three days. Manta Ray, Flat Rock and Shag were dived over the three days. Unfortunately Sunday there was a huge current at Flat and Shag but we managed to tuck into a small spot where we managed to hide from the current at Shag Rock and managed two dives there. We Managed to sneak across to Manta for a dive a swum with Viz ranging from 20m to 10m over the 3 days.

The Manta Rays are back and we got to swim with a solitary Manta on the weekend. The excitement on the boat could hardly be restrained. Thankfully it was and managed to safely get everyone back to the marina without to much fuss.

We would like to offer a huge congratulations to the following students for completing their courses with us over the weekend. To Alex for completing your Deep Course, Christina, Leon, Lorieza, Bradley for completing your Open Water Course, and to Mark who we welcome back to diving after a time away by completing A Scuba Tune Up course. We hope to see you all out on DiveQuest with us again soon!

Osprey Reef with Spirit Of Freedom
by Mark Robertson

Wow is all I can say, it was some of the best diving I have had in Far North Queensland and in Australia as a whole. 15 dives were had over the five days 4 nights that we were aboard Spirit Of Freedom. I was pretty lucky to get to spend my Birthday on the first night when we all arrived in Cairns with a couple of stories and drinks shared by all at The Salt House on the water front. We did all make it back to our Hotels for our early wake up call to jump aboard the light aircraft that was taking us on a scenic flight up to Lizard Island where we were to meet Spirit Of Freedom. Some concerns were had by some of us as we went a little over our 20kg baggage restriction. Opps!!

Once on the boat and a boat safety briefing and cabins allocated we steamed off to the first two at Pixie Gardens and Ribbon Reef 9 . These are called orientation dives or feel out dives so the crew on board can work out who is more capable and who needs a little help. Overnight we headed across the Coral Sea to arrive as the sun rose at Osprey Reef. The early morning dive at Halfway Wall was spectacular with crystal clear water and amazing coral formations on the 1,000m deep wall to weave in and around. (more)

4th November 2013

Osprey Reef Trip Kicks Off and A Busy, Fun Filled Weekend on DiveQuest

Osprey Reef Trip Kicks Off and A Busy, Fun Filled Weekend on DiveQuest DiveQuest ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with some amazing diving had over the three days. Flat Rock was the go to site Friday and Saturday, unfortunately Sunday there was a huge current at Flat so Shag was the pick of the sites. Viz ranging from 20m to 10m over the 3 days. We would like to offer a huge congratulations to the following students for completing their courses with us over the weekend. To Josh for completing your Nitrox Course, Robert, Peter, Jacqui, Christian and Damian for completing you Advanced Open Water Course, and to Jim and Nishreen for completing your Open Water Course! And to Scott who has successfully completed his Divemaster Traineeship and is now a certified Divemaster! We hope to see you all out on DiveQuest with us again soon! We are eagerly awaiting the dive report from Mark, who ran the Osprey Reef Trip, which kicked off on Thursday 31st October and is finishing today (Monday 4th Nov). Keep you eyes peeled on our Facebook page for stories and photos taken from that trip over the next couple of days! Our next run up to Flinders Reef has been scheduled for Saturday 30th November! 3 dives on the amazing Flinders Reef and you won't be disappointed by your dives there! On par, or better then most of the dives our instructors have done on the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns, and this site right in the midst of Brisbane Diving. Book early as spots on this trip fill up fast! Photo Competition Our photo competition has now closed and the winners will be announced on Thursday 7th November. Thanks to everyone who participated, we received some terrific entries and it will be a close one! Keep your eyes peeled for the winners on the 7th!