Saturday 18th November – Scuba Diving at the Muiron Islands

We arrived on time for 730am at Exmouth Dive Centre.  After trying on various equipment for size it was bundled onto a trailer and we were bussed down to the marina to board our dive boat for the day called ‘Prime’.  Heading out to sea I felt back in my ‘happy place’ and excited for the diving ahead.  It was just over an hour’s sail out to the Muiron Islands and we stopped on the west side to dive the Whalebone site (no longer any whalebone there as it’s been stolen!).

Our group was only six in total with Chris our guide leading on.  After some issues with too much buoyancy (is it surprising that an issue with all this kit on is getting under the water?!) we were off.  The visibility was a little disappointing but then I think we have been spoilt in the places we have been lucky enough to dive in!  But there were some very pretty corals, plenty of fish and lots of my favourite nudibranch worms (they’re very colourful and small so you feel rewarded when you find them!) 

Very pretty nudibranch worm

Yes I was supplied with non-matching fins!

This is why you dive with a guide... even Simon wouldn't have spotted something as tiny as that!

On returning to the surface the swell had increased making it quite tricky and a little bit hairy to grab hold of the ladder and make it up without an injury.  Back on board, I was feeling somewhat queasy, which is very rare for me, but I certainly wasn’t the only one!  The skipper promised to move us to some more protected waters to ease everyone’s stomachs. 

Drifting into a bay on the centre of the island there was then the opportunity to go for a drift snorkel during our surface interval between dives.  I knew I’d feel better being in the water than on it so jumped in with the group.  Pretty again and easy just floating along.  We saw some black sailfin catfish which are only found here but the turtles are staying away today which is frustrating.

Massive sea slug

Back on Prime we got kitted up for our second dive of the day.  We got a full fifty minute dive time on this one and the conditions were better than earlier on.  Clearer and calmer with some very pretty fish and coral.  There were corals covered in Christmas Tree worms of assorted colours that ‘zip’ back in when you swim too close (below), a massive crayfish, and lots of different nudibranchs.

Crown of Thorns starfish

Lunch was served before we started heading back but I was still feeling a little delicate so went easy on what was an impressive spread for the middle of the ocean!  People were still eating as we rolled over some hefty waves initially.  The spray onto the stern of the boat was impressive, everything got soaked!  It calmed right down as we passed the cape.  We sat chatting to the other passengers, swapping tales of places to go and things to see.

We returned to the marina about 230pm, all done for the day.  After helping the staff lug the equipment back into the storeroom we asked to borrow some fins for our exploration of Cape Range Park tomorrow.  They were generous enough to lend us a couple of pairs for free as good customers.

Back at our campsite, there was no shade at all on our pitch so, not quite having had enough of water for one day we headed to the pool to cool off and relax in the shade.

During the day, Simon had been quizzing the locals about where to go on a Saturday night.  With no diving tomorrow or reason to be up early we figured we might treat ourselves to a night out.  One of the dive staff had told us about a brewery called ‘Froth’ that was walking distance from our campsite (I think pretty much the whole of Exmouth is walking distance, it’s a very small town!) and was showing a film tonight about extreme diving.  Sounds good.  We had dinner on the van and made our way over there, arriving just before 8pm.  Well, the film had started at 730pm and it was in Finnish with subtitles, so we rapidly lost interest in trying to fathom what was going on there!  Instead, we ordered a flight of six different brews of the house and sat down to sample them all (left).

Apart from those watching the film, there were a couple of other tables of diners and drinkers but it was by no means busy.  We divvied up the beers, luckily we don’t both like the really hoppy ones so Simon got those.  But we both really enjoyed the ginger beer they made. So we ordered ourselves a pint of that each to sip slowly.  We needn’t have worried about eking out our drinks.  The film ended before 9pm and the majority of the punters left straight after.  About 915pm a barperson came round asking if we wanted to order anything else as they were finishing up.  Closing time?  At 930pm?! This really must be low season.  So, our big night out was done by 10pm as we were already back at the campground and tucked in by then, silence all around us.