Western Australia Ningaloo Coast Adventure November 2021
The 6am departure from Cairns has us turning left over Trinity Bay, with the sun still low over the hills to the east. Whilst the Esplanade Parkrun folk are lacing up their shoes for their Saturday morning run, I am on my way to Exmouth, Western Australia for 6 Days of Underwater Photography.
Day 1 is just a transit to Perth, via Brisbane. A recent fan of the aisle seat, I decided to grab a window to take some pics along the way. The Captain couldn’t have done better arriving into Brisbane, tracking and turning to allow a nice pic of the Storey Bridge and Brisbane River winding underneath.
There is barely time for a coffee between flights, and soon the Perth bound jet is on it’s way, with me aboard hoping my bag made it from one aircraft to the next during the short transit stop.
Whilst descending into Perth the familiar salt pans to the east of Perth come into view. The air is visibly clearer than that of the wet tropics in Far north Queensland.
Soon Perth CBD can be seen and then after disembarkation, it is the covid clearance, bag pickup and bus into the city for an explore and overnight stay.
Day 2. Bus back to the airport and then a 2 hour flight up to Learmonth.
North of Perth, the formula for coastal towns appears. Scrubby bush, broken up by sand dunes and vehicle tracks, with a tight cluster of buildings, houses and infrastructure right on the coast. Endless sandy beaches lead down to clear waters and reefs close to shore.
The clear skies didn’t last… It was cloudy for the rest of the journey. So much cloud that on first attempt to land, the crew could not see the runway and had to go into a holding pattern and wait for the weather to clear.
Welcome to the North West Cape. It is raining, only 21 degrees celcius and looking dull and dreary ! A rare event for Exmouth. (the following pic taken on a sunnier day ! )
The shuttle bus drops me off at the Ningaloo Lodge in Exmouth. A friendly greeting at check-in, then a short walk to the shops for supplies.
Then it’s back to my room to start the task of unpacking the dive gear and setting up the camera.
Day 3. Navy Pier. The Dive Ningaloo bus picks me up from the Lodge and straight away it is into the usual pre-dive paperwork. The remaining guests are picked up from various hotels around town. Then it’s back to the dive shop where the first of the briefings are delivered via a big screen on the bus. The Navy Pier is on a military base and there are rules to be followed ! Then it’s time to prepare the dive gear and load onto the purpose built trailer.
Timing the tides is everything when diving the Navy pier. The group must arrive at the Pier at the right time to fit in two 50 minute dives with the 30 minute surface interval before the currents become too strong. The team at Dive Ningaloo are well drilled at this and have us giant striding off the lower platform right on time.
Viz at this location can at times be poor, and that was certainly the case on this day. The weather still had not cleared from the previous rainy day and the wind was up making for choppy conditions at the surface. It is not a deep dive site, and is maybe 200 metres from the beach, therefore the sediment was being stirred up. But……the variety and quality of creatures living under the pier made up for it in spades. All manner of fishes, eels, sharks, shrimps, nudibranchs, soft corals etc. A manta-ray made a visit, but sadly I missed the opportunity to see it. I draw parallels to the Yongala wreck which is a huge cleaning station. The shrimps and cleaner wrasses were doing great business.
2 x 50 minute dives completed, back on the bus, then back to the shop. Rinse off the gear and then relax for the rest of the day. The weather was improving and by late afternoon, the blue skies and hot temperatures of the west coast had returned.
Day 4. The Lodge has an airconditioned shared kitchen facility for their guests, which is well equipped with everything one may need to prepare their own meals. The local grocery stores are well stocked and are close by. Dining tables are available in the kitchen if desired, but I chose to enjoy my breakfast outside in the garden area beside the pool.
With the camera all prepared, I wait out the front for the dive bus to come along. Then it is a short drive up to Bundegi pier, for a short tender ride out to the dive vessel Ceto. This boat is just the right size for the 15 guests. Plenty of space on the dive deck and plenty of shade from the sun.
Skipper Dane points the boat north and we are on our way up to the Muiron Islands.
The 2 dive sites are within the South Muiron Conservation Zone on the west side of the southern island.
The corals here are healthy. A good mix of plate, boulder and soft corals. The soft corals are so close together it is hard to see the structure beneath. Colourful fans begged for a more thorough inspection. Many swim through’s and valley’s made for excellent dives.
Day 5. With no diving available for me on this day, it was time to explore. On the western side of the North West Cape is the Cape Range National Park.
This is rugged but beautiful country. There are many beaches and regulated camp sites with basic facilities. Good snorkelling is available. A turtle nesting sanctuary is at the northern end which has public access.
The lookout at the lighthouse showcases Western Australia’s clear blue skies, turquoise blue waters and white sands. Everything is well signposted with guidance for making the best out of your visit.
Day 6. Another Visit to the Navy Pier. Except this time the weather is perfect. Visibility approximately 10 metres. The 50mm portrait lens was brought into service with a +5 diopter available just in case some small critters appeared. These two dives were fantastic. I was busy on the camera swapping between portrait and macro. Three grey nurse sharks were calmly cruising under the pier. I like to be under a subject and shoot up, but these sharks were swimming close to the floor. The Wobbegong’s were tricky as well as they are so well camouflaged, and their eyes are so small it is hard to capture their personality. The schooling fishes in the middle levels looked fantastic with the structure of the pier and sun streaming down as part of the background…..
Day 7. Time for another boat dive, and Dane and the crew on Ceto have a treat in store.
A rarely visited area, maybe 2km from the Navy Pier, provides for a drift dive over a flat sandy sea floor covered in sponges and other soft corals. At 20 metres, the current was moderate, so pics were taken on the move. The corals in this garden are varied, colourful and healthy. A visit from a large sea snake and a crusty old turtle added to the fun.
The next dive was at the Bundegi Sanctuary. There are multiple bommies with excellent fish life and more nudis than a sun-lover's naturist resort ! I could spend hours at this site. So much to explore. A brief visit from a manta ray was a thrill. There are some sea grass beds there which I reckon will have some fantastic super macro critters within.
Day 8. It’s my third visit to the Navy Pier. The weather is still fine and beaut. And so are the creatures underwater. This site just keeps giving…. The sharks are still there.
The large groupers were still lurking at the cleaning stations.
The barracuda still schooling along with the trevally and the snapper. Apart from spotting many nudibranchs, eagle eye dive guide Bonnie finds a leafy scorpion fish. An interesting encounter with a moray eel had my heart rate increase a little on the 2nd dive. Guide Carla alerted me to a rather large green eel that had just arrived and was in an assertive pose only a metre away. I think he took exception to me taking pics of his personal cleaner shrimps inside a rusty pipe.
We quietly backed away... Satisfied the threat to his shrimps no longer existed, the eel swam back to his lair. He must have forgiven me as he allowed me to take pics of him later in the dive. What a day !
Day 9. This was a planned rest day to off gas some nitrogen before the flights home, dry off the dive gear and slowly start packing the bags.
Day 10 & 11. Transit down to Perth and overnight before the flights home to Cairns via Brisbane.
In summary, this trip was rewarding. 2 dives a day was just the right pace as I really did need a break from the 9 to 5.
Exmouth is a relaxed town with just the right amount of facilities.
The good folk of “Exxie” are welcoming. The land and seascapes are incredible. Those clear blue skies……
Thank-you to Ningaloo Lodge for a comfortable and stress free stay. Many thanks to the Team at Dive Ningaloo for their hospitality and great dive experiences. There is much more to explore and I hope to return soon.