Diving
The Limestone Coast is a world-renowned destination for divers and adventurers keen to escape to an ecosystem quite unlike anything else.
Almost 30 caves which are suitable for diving have been documented across the Limestone Coast, from Engelbrecht Cave in Mount Gambier, where divers are literally exploring waters beneath the city streets, to Piccaninnie Ponds which is one of Australia's premier cave diving sites. You can snorkel across the top of The Chasm and peer down into the dark depths below. The crystal clear waters have been slowly filtering through the limestone and forming the Pond's features over thousands of years. The freshwater rising to the surface under pressure has eroded a weakness in the limestone to form The Chasm, with its white walls covered in delicate green algal growth contrasting with the dark depths below.
This same process has formed the large underwater cavern known as The Cathedral because of its majestic white walls of sculptured and scalloped limestone. With visibility that can exceed 40 metres, this is one of the prettiest and most spectacular underwater sites in the Mount Gambier area.
Ewens Ponds is also a unique spring fed system only it does not have the deep chasm or cave, as does Piccaninnie Ponds. It is a series of 3 shallow basin shaped ponds that are approximately 10 metres deep and are all connected by shallow channels. The clarity of the water enables plants to grow underwater to a depth of about 6 metres, some of these plants are not found growing fully submerged underwater anywhere else.
While it cannot be felt in the ponds when snorkelling through the channels, the current will carry you along. You will glide along on top of the 1 to 1.5 metre deep channel and float past dense stands of plants while coming face to face with a variety of fish. The tiny, rare Ewens Pygmy Perch is found hiding in the cover of the reeds in these channels. When in the ponds, look for the tell-tale bubbling limestone sand that indicates where the ground water is rising from the bottom. At night or on a cloudy day freshwater cray fish are seen scuttling along the pond's floor scavenging for food, while the small native fish, the Pygmy Perch and galaxids, prefer to hover just below the surface. All plants and animals are protected and must not be disturbed.
Permits may be required to cave dive at some sites. Further information on cave diving and permits, please visit the Cave Divers Association of Australia .
More information on Diving in South Australia.
