Mark Clifton Dive Master in Nelson Bay, New South Wales | Sport & recreation

Mark Clifton Dive Master

Locality: Nelson Bay, New South Wales

Phone: +61 423 168 527

Address: P.O Box 475 2315 Nelson Bay, NSW, Australia

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• Scuba diving centre

24.01.2022 Coming back from offshore in last weeks storm

23.01.2022 HERITAGE PROTECTION ORDER FOR BUTTERFLY CAVE After years of lobbying to save a sacred Aboriginal site at Lake Macquarie from development, the Federal Environment Minister has issued a declaration to protect the area. The Awabakal Butterfly Cave at West Wallsend has long been a special meeting place for the region's Aboriginal women, but has been under threat due to encroaching development of a nearby housing estate by the Roche Group. ... The Environment Minister Melissa Price has now moved to issue a declaration to protect the cave site under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. The heritage protection prevents any act that could desecrate or disturb the area, including disturbing vegetation on surrounding land that could increase visibility of the cave. The Awabakal Aboriginal Land Council said it welcomed the Minister's intervention, but was reluctant to comment further until the implications of the protection were made clear. It says it's still uncertain what impact the declaration will have on the final stage of the Roche Group housing development, Appletree Grove Estate, or whether it'll mean any changes to the way the cave site is accessed. The Minister's decision has been welcomed by Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser who says it's been a sensitive issue for the local Indigenous community and it's wonderful to finally see action on the matter.

22.01.2022 Proud to talk against seismic testing in the PEP11 zone for Protect Our Coast Alliance last Thursday

22.01.2022 I love my job!!! Where else can you witness the greatness of a new dawn than on the rolling oceans offshore of NSW, Australia. We live in a blessed country and should value every day. As Paul Kelly wrote " all the kings and queens in the Bible, they could not turn back time" so, don't waste time, before time wastes you.

20.01.2022 Last day of whale watching season but unfortunately no sightings. Much enjoyable entertainment from the smaller cousins was provided though. Thanks to all who experienced the season. For great video coverage, see

20.01.2022 Eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis)-Male. Is a genus of wrasses. Carnivorous species, endemic to Australia. Adults found in rocky coastal reefs. Spawn during winter ( July- Oct). Young recruit primarily into estuarine seagrass beds through winter. Other fish present :- girdle fish, comb fish, mado & crimson banded wrasse. Photos: Lisa Skelton Photography

20.01.2022 Early morning on Christmas Eve off the coast of Nelson Bay NSW. Wishing all a very happy and safe Christmas.

19.01.2022 Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) 160-190 cm. Enormous, unmistakable. Voice: gruff growls, and honks in colonies. Coastal bird but no one knows how this bird knows when the salt lake, Lake Eyre, has been flooded, how they know the way there or to the other usually temporary inland lakes and waterways including Cooper Creek and Coongie Lakes. There may be a scent they can sense. There may be some meme, older birds leading the young. The theories are much-debated. Lake Eyre floods only once every few years - after big rains in Queensland. About 60 species of birds respond to its call - and six to eight million waterbirds make the pilgrimage. Some travel a thousand kilometers or more to get there.

19.01.2022 Video taken by Priscilla on this mornings cruise. Two young with their mothers traveling south.

18.01.2022 Start of a very warm day in the bay. At least there was a cool northerly keeping it cool out on the water. Just love the dawn at the start of a warm day.

18.01.2022 Early morning start today, sunrise offshore is always spectacular.

17.01.2022 There exists in Australia the Australian Biodiversity Conservation Strategy: a framework to conserve our national biodiversity until 2030. Before 2017 Australia was one of only two countries in the world clear of white spot disease in indigenous prawn stocks, no longer. In order to appease our trading neighbors, and to cater for the demands of our major food retailers, our prawn stocks and our prawning industry have been decimated, particularly in Queensland. What is comforting, not, is the Governments of Queensland and Federally do not know how to contain it, how to control it, or how to reverse it. What they will do is lend farmers short term loans, to be repaid, to try and fix it. Bloody wonderful !!!

17.01.2022 Cunjevoi (Pyura stolonifera), of the kingdom Animalia is a type of sea squirt, seen on my last dive at Cabbage Tree Island. Squat and globular with a thick outer leathery coating - tunic - of encrusted algae often supporting a variety of epiphytic organisms, giving it its green/brown appearance. Congregating on rocky areas at or below low tide levels, they have two openings (siphons) that project upward or outward, feed on plankton and exchange gasses by sweeping water through their siphons during high tide periods. Their soft orange inner body is often cut out by anglers, to be used as bait.

15.01.2022 Government want to ban political donations from the gun lobby. I have no problem with that as long as they also ban such donations from those with interests in coal and gas.

14.01.2022 The spotted wobbegon (Orectolobus maculatus) is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, listed as "near threatened" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Known to feed at night on crab, octopus, lobster, sea bass and luderick, they are harmless to humans, but will bite if provoked, causing severe lacerations.

14.01.2022 Menindee fish losses.A study has found this caused by severe drought (not unprecedented), but more so by excess upstream diversion of water for irrigation, and further, prior releases of water from the Menindee Lakes.(Panel Chairman Professor Craig Moritz). Time for our Governments to stop meddling in these systems for mates and leave it to the science and all the communities of this river and catchment system to manage.

12.01.2022 This is snorkelling, Fingal Island, Port Stephens, come & try

12.01.2022 Visibility not that good but a beautiful coral bed to visit & storm rolling in

12.01.2022 Large schools of juvenile fish and good water clarity at Cabbage Tree Island earlier this week.

11.01.2022 First day back working at Cabbage Tree Island. Visited by a juvenile Grey Nurse shark (Carcharias taurus), which is an Australian threatened species and wreck of cabin cruiser was good to explore. This wreck is developing into a habitat for more fish species than last year and is a refuge for various juvenile fishes.

10.01.2022 Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), a medium sized bird of the honeyeater family, endemic to eastern and south eastern Australia. Although small, typically 24 - 27 cm, it is known to aggressively attack other birds such as hawks and kookaburras. A research paper to be released soon suggests the noisy miner is taking over the declining woodlands from smaller birds, causing steep declines in their populations. The birds have become such a big problem they have been nominated as a threat under the National Environment Protection Act. Love watching this guy around the birdbath though.

10.01.2022 No whales today but still awesome out on the water.

09.01.2022 The beautiful Cabbage Tree Island off the coast of Nelson Bay, Port Stephens. This is where we snorkel in summer from the platform of "Imagine" (see Imagine Cruises) This island boast the littoral rainforest of Cabbage Tree palms (Livistona australis) and is the nesting place for the Gould's petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) seabird.

09.01.2022 Another early morning dolphin swim. Some pictures of sunrise leaving the bay & passing Cabbage Tree Island.

09.01.2022 One of the whales in action this morning.

07.01.2022 A recent visitor to the bay, pelagic ocean sunfish (Mola mola). Heaviest bony fish in the world, weighing up to 1,000kg. Female can produce up to 300,000,000 eggs at a time. Main body flattened laterally, can be as tall as long. Live on a diet of mainly jellyfish and here seen eating the blue blubber jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus), abundant to the bay this summer. Photos: Lisa Skelton Photography.

07.01.2022 Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), one of the most spectacular of the baleen whales, of the rorqual species.This one breaching off Cabbage Tree Island last Monday. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating. Once hunted by whalers, they are experiencing a resurgence in population , with a current conservation status of "Least Concern".

07.01.2022 The air above Antarctica is suddenly getting warmer. What does this mean 1) above average spring temps 2) below average rainfall for large parts of NSW & southern Qld.

07.01.2022 A sad indictment. On top of this worst rainforest fires in history savaging the Amazon. Do we really expect to continue to populate, or survive, without water or air.

06.01.2022 Reason why you should not remove sand dune vegetation to improve the view. Cars safe in garage but no road left!!! Sad to see a yacht beached, hope recovered without too much damage. photos courtesy Lisa Skelton Photography

05.01.2022 Winter has come on with a vengeance. Low fronts pulsing across the lower half of the continent, bringing strong winds and rising seas. Whales are on their migration north, seals arriving at the islands and snow on the Barrington Tops.

05.01.2022 Can you find the common stingaree in this picture (courtesy: Lisa Skelton Photography). Hint, look for the eyes in the sand. Recently sighted in Fingal Cove on our marine discovery tour.The common stingaree (Trygonoptera testacea) is a species of stingray in the family Urolophidae. A small opening behind the eyes, "spiracle", allows the animal to take in water whilst sleeping.

05.01.2022 MD Mark Clifton Dive Master introduces guests to a Banjo Ray

03.01.2022 Strength of body and mind. "Nothing can't ever be a worry" with Mark. He will make you feel at ease while swimming with wild dolphins, snorkelling in the lea of... an offshore island or riding a big ocean swell in company of whales. Congrats Mark for your recent academic achievement in marine biology! See more

02.01.2022 Priscilla, skipper in training. Going well and studying hard. Good effort!!

01.01.2022 Have seen this spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) shark on our last few snorkel expeditions to Cabbage Tree Island. Can grow to an imposing 3.2m; a live bearer, it may produce up to 37 young. Harmless until provoked.(Photos Lisa Skelton Photography)

01.01.2022 Hot day in the Bay.Just chilling out.