Cave diver and former The Border Watch editor Jason Wallace has been popping up on social media over summer sharing images of items found at the bottom of Little Blue Lake to return them to owners.
With the posts attracting the interest of the Mount Gambier community, we asked Jason to share some reflections on the experience of slowly cruising through the depths of the sinkhole, seeing sights only cave divers are exposed to, up to 40 metres below the swimmers on the surface.
WE are privileged in Mount Gambier to be surrounded by caves and sinkholes that provide a unique wonderland for cave divers trained to safely explore these remarkable sites.
Recently I’ve been answering questions from curious onlookers about what it is like to dive in Little Blue Lake after recovering smartwatches and other items from the bottom of the sinkhole dropped by cliff jumpers and swimmers unable to retrieve them from the depths up to 40 metres below.
As my family and friends would know, I’m always happy to talk about diving and anyone who has experienced the wonders I have below the surface is usually just as passionate about the pursuit of cave diving.
It’s a journey that starts with being certified as an open water diver and building confidence scuba diving in the ocean and places like Ewens Ponds, that also provide wonderful early diving experiences.
The next step is to undertake cave diving training through the Cave Divers Association of Australia.
Once certified, divers have access to caves and sinkholes in accordance with their level of certification and can undertake further training to progressively open more challenging sites across the region to explore.
One wonderful example is Little Blue Lake and while at the surface it is a hotspot for people seeking the thrill of jumping into the water from the surrounding cliffs or escaping the heat in the cool water, divers can step off the pontoon and descend into significant depths of still water.
The ocean offers many delights with stunning scenery and remarkable creatures, but the ocean off the rugged Limestone Coast is unpredictable and often unsuitable for diving with strong swells, poor visibility and challenging conditions.
What caves lack in wildlife they make up for with gin-clear water, land access and conditions not at the whim of the weather.
While little changes in caves most of the time, Little Blue offers something different with the frequent use by swimmers leading to dropped items littering the silty bottom, providing a unique scavenger hunt experience.
It is not unusual to collect a smartwatch, sunglasses, jewellery or coins as you cruise past them on the silty bottom, which is also littered with the remains of two cars, a fuel bowser, motorbike and extensive junk, resembling a dump that can be fascinating to explore underwater, but also a reminder many of the region’s sinkholes were once used for discarding waste.
In the dark, still depths, a well-practiced diver with good buoyancy control can enjoy the experience of floating in the void – a sensation like flying as a gentle movement of a fin propels you through the water.
Sometimes the floating sensation while in a drysuit and insulating garments to keep you dry and warm leave you almost forgetting the water is even there and it can seem as if you are floating suspended in air.
Seeing the torchlight of your buddy hovering in the water and hearing nothing but the sound of your breath passing through the regulator, expelling bubbles, it is not hard to imagine being an astronaut freed from gravity.
While some see it as an adventurous pursuit, which it sometimes is in narrower caves or while using ropes to access the water in more challenging sites, diving also offers a deep sense of peace and mindfulness, away from any troubles at the surface.
While the environment is somewhat extreme, with confidence comes relaxation and an almost meditative state.
But with risks of nitrogen narcosis clouding your mind in the deep, sometimes in a pleasant and somewhat euphoric way, limited air supply and the need for decompression stops at shallower depths on your ascent that can quickly add up due to time at depth, it is important to remain focused.
However, it is also important to have done the training and preparation, along with having well-maintained redundant equipment in case of failure, to ensure you can safely enjoy and complete the dive.
Those ingredients, together with access to sites that are the envy of divers across the nation who travel here regularly, with visitors from Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and beyond often spotted at little-known caves and sinkholes hidden in our pine forests, there are incredible experiences available in our shared backyard of the Limestone Coast.
