Trying to compete with yesterday morning in the relaxation
stakes we had a very easy morning. I got
a wash done to tide us over until Darwin and sat in the shade watching pairs of
cockatoos sitting next to each other in the branches above me, preening each
other lovingly (left).
We were reserving our energy for the afternoon’s outing to
dive the Navy Pier, Exmouth. Well, what
can I say about that? You can see why this ranks in the top ten World Shore
Dives. It was incredible. In fact, the whole process, from being picked
up from our caravan site by Dive Ningaloo to sorting equipment and transporting
us to and from the site was a showcase of organisation and timing. This was never going to be a cheap experience. For a single dive, $140 is quite an
amount. Add to that the $50 cash we each
had to have to hand for the security process and that’s broken 100 quid each for
the dive. However, we are privileged to
have been able to dive this site. The
Navy Pier is still owned by the US Navy and managed by the Australian Federal
Police. To gain access to the pier we
were bussed to the front entrance of the Navy compound where we had to get out
and line up with our passport photos showing, to be ‘checked’ by the Feds. I have never had to do that before in order to go diving!
Our driver then joined us back on the bus and jubilantly said ‘we’re
in!’ whilst thrusting a key in the air.
Timing was everything. The pier
can only be dived at slack tide to avoid being swept out to sea. Slack tide only lasts about half an hour with
a slight current to deal with either side.
Hence the reason we were picked up at the random time of 230pm! Having secured the key it was then a short
drive and through a gate for us to be driven down a wooden planked jetty out to
the main platform of the pier. There
were also strict rules about no photography as we were passing through the
restricted base, but I have a few pics of the diving platform. We were told in no uncertain terms that we
were being watched and should not attempt to pass or climb the yellow barriers
around the main platform. All this
sounds very officious, but the fact of the matter is that the navy only issue a
license to ONE dive company who are allowed this access. Should things change
in the world, I don’t know, say things get taken up another notch between the
US and North Korea, then there is no doubt that letting people jump off their
pier will be terminated. Permanently.
 |
| Prepping our gear on the jetty |
We were shown a series of DVDs on the bus about the history
of the pier and the procedure we were to follow that afternoon, as well as tips
for our dive plan. We were given the
option, as reasonably experienced divers, to go with a dive guide and five other
tourists or just dive it the two of us.
Our thoughts returned to Busselton jetty only ten days previously where
we had gone so slowly we never reached the end! But this seemed even more
straight forward and having tips about where to see the best stuff, we opted to
self-guide.
Dive Ningaloo had a brilliant trailer for divers. Each of us had a tank attached to our BCD
(buoyancy control device or 'vest thing' for you non-divers) and held on to the
trailer via a bungy cord. They were at
the perfect height to be able to back yourself into your equipment having
already donned your wetsuit and weight belt.
Then you could clip yourself in, do a buddy check and you’re good to
go. So much easier than trying to stand
up, fully weighted, on a moving boat! We
got down to the dive platform first, hoping to get going before the main group
so we could maximise our dive time. Part
of the DVD had warned about the height of the entry. It was a good 3 metre high leap into the blue,
so we had been reminded to keep a hand on important pieces of equipment that may
become dislodged on entering the water.
I have to admit to letting out a girlie squeal as I fell through the
air. It was high (the leap AND the squeal)! Even before putting your head under, you
could see huge shoals of fish beneath you.
It was exhilarating. Lowering ourselves
down the guide ropes to the floor of the seabed we were surrounded by so much
life. And some massive grouper and cod.
We stuck to our plan and headed
straight to the north pontoon where some of the larger groupers were hanging
about. Our route was then to zig-zag
under the main platform and head to the south pontoon where we had been
promised reef sharks and other big stuff! Hopefully these photos do it some
justice. It wasn’t just the size and
variety that was on show but the sheer numbers surrounding you. The snorkelling is great here, but you can
only get that feeling of being one of their number by actually being down in
the depths with a massive shoal of fish like this. It’s awe-inspiring. The pier is a marine sanctuary so there’s no
fishing within a certain distance, giving the fish a safe-haven. The fish probably don’t know this but feel
safe under the protection of the pier in any case!
No one was in any rush to leave the pier. I had the added bonus of having a nest-full
of osprey off one end of the pier. The
youngsters had only recently fledged so were being taught the ropes of how to
fish by their parents. The dive company
supplied drinks and snacks and we all compared notes about what we had seen
until we were told it was time to leave the restricted area.
Being a late afternoon dive, by the time we had been
returned to Exmouth showered and changed it was basically time to be turning in
for the night. We have had a lovely stay
I Exmouth that has given us a decent break from driving. So, tomorrow it is time to make a lot of
headway north if we’re going to make Darwin by the end of the month!
Trying to compete with yesterday morning in the relaxation
stakes we had a very easy morning. I got
a wash done to tide us over until Darwin and sat in the shade watching pairs of
cockatoos sitting next to each other in the branches above me, preening each
other lovingly (left).
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