It has been way too long since I have been diving. What with work, the weather, too cold, too wet, reluctant dive buddies and any other number of reasons it just simply has not happened since July!

Last Thursday night I needed to travel south for non diving reasons and decided that since I was more than half way to one of South Australia’s best jetty dives, Rapid Bay, I’d pack my gear and invite my usual dive buddies for a mid week night dive.

It rained all day along with an unseasonable cold wind blowing from the South. Things were looking grim, … again.

To cut a very long story short I finally got wet again (fresh water first from the rain) and once again found myself amid the familiar pylons of the old Rapid Bay Jetty.

Despite the strong southerly winds this was one of the most gentle dives I’ve experienced here. The visibility was amazing, at least 10 meters, there was no current and the rain created beautiful reflections from the surface above in the torchlight.

Even with the gentle conditions there was not a lot to photograph. My highlight of the evening was a chance encounter with an old friend Doriopsilla carneola who I’ve not seen in more than six years. We exchanged hellos, posed for photographs and then went on our ways.

The moral of this story is there is never really an excuse not to go diving! Even if it means a very, very late night!