Sunday, the first thing I noticed was that it wasn't windy. Ahhhh to lay in bed and just listen to the birds and the waves. It didn't last long though. The wind gradually picked up and blew for most the day. We wanted to snorkel at the Oyster Stacks today but had to wait till high tide. We hung out at camp till about 11am then set out. We were concerned with the wind that entering and exiting the rock ledge would be difficult but when we arrived we found it wasn't too rough. We found a way down the edge and sat on the rocks to put on our gear. We had a snorkel around the stacks but with a strong currant and choppy top it was hard work. James opted to hop out earlier. He also went and grabbed the go pro for me to do some filming. I ventured back out twice more and found that the area just to the north of the stacks had the best snorkelling. The fish under the Oyster stacks were the biggest fish I've snorkelled with. They had to be atleast a meter long or more, just hanging out watching us. I saw two huge bright blue star fish, some red jelly fish and more types of fish then you could ever imagine. We had a late lunch back at camp then maybe had a sleep again. We went down for another snorkel just off the beach north of camp. James piked out this time as it was windy and cold but I dove in. I saw a tiny eel, and 5 manta rays, lots of fish again but these ones were much more afraid and would take off when they spotted me. We wondered up to see the sunset then had a quiet night at camp.
Monday morning and unfortunately we had to move camp. When we booked our spot was only free for 1 night then we had another night in a different spot. We took our time packing up and moved to the other end of camp. The wind was not to bad today either. We set back up and chatted with Marie and Trevor and they were keen to join us at Turquoise bay for some drifting. They deal with Turquoise bay is you walk up 200meters or more then snorkel out to the current then let it take you north till you reach your gear then you swim like hell to get back to shore so you don't end up on the reef or as shark bait. Well when we did it there was virtually no drift :( we could feel a slight current but not much and it was an enjoyable spot to snorkel. Turquoise bay was by far the prettiest beach to see and swim at but Oyster stacks had the best fish. We drifted then drove to the stacks to do another snorkel. This time we just hung out north of the stacks exploring and we got to show Marie the blue star fish. Oh Marie if you read this the fish we couldn't identify was a type of parrot fish and a spotted something I've forgotten already. We went back and had a bush shower before a late lunch and a nice afternoon reading and watching the sun go down.
I dont know how I managed to get NO photos of Cape Range :( When I get time I will put up a video of the snorkeling.
Tuesday came around so fast and we were again packing up to head out this time. We farewelled Marie and Trevor and Kerry and Steve the camp hosts. Into Exmouth and set up camp at the big 4. We had a nice grassy spot out the back. After we did a big shop and put in the order at the butchers to pick up tomorrow so it can all be cryovaced we ran into Marie and Trevor and joined them at a cafe for lunch. Back at camp James got some work done and fixed a email problem I'd been having. We managed to FaceTime with Effie and Rhys then had a quiet night.
Wednesday we were up early as the trailer needed to be at the engineers by 8am. We dropped it off then went back to the caravan park for breakfast. We got to watch a game of football then left the park at 10am. We picked up a few fishing supplies from in town, had a look through the shops, ran some errands then went to a cafe to have a coffee and wait. It wasn't long when we got the call the trailer was ready. We picked up our meat from the butcher and then the trailer. We turned south and hit the road for Coral bay. We easily cruised into town and made camp. Another late lunch then James spent the afternoon working while I pottered about camp altering things and finishing set up. We skyped mum and dad tonight, it's always so nice to see people not just talk with them. Coral bay is in full holiday mode the park has a very happy fun vibe to it. I can't wait till tomorrow to get to the beach for some swimming and more snorkelling.
Giant Prawn in Exmouth.
Thursday came and went in a blur. James worked all day, I did loads of washing and read my book. Hung out around camp and in the afternoon we went walking.
Friday we had to move camp spots. We had a slow pack up then moved across the road from where we were. The park is full Saturday night and we couldn't stay on the powered spot. After pack up and set up I went for a long snorkel. I was in the water for over an hour enjoying the variety of fish. After James finished work for the week we went down to the beach and hired a stand up paddle board. I got on and within minutes was standing and away I went. James then had a go. He managed to stand for a short while but didn't balance as well so he preferred to kneel. We had a funny afternoon in the warm water.
Saturday the day had arrived. We were up an hour before the sun to get ready to go swimming with the Whale Sharks. We arrived at 7.30, got fitted for flippers and wetsuits then before long were on the bus then the boat. First stop was a snorkel. We snorkelled for 30 minutes and got to see a reef shark cruising around. Just as we got back to the boat I saw a turtle swimming off under the boat. On board we warmed up and had morning tea while the boat tracked north. We watched some hump back whales playing around then a big pod of dolphins came to the boat. They dove and swam in wash at the bow of the boat. There was a mother and her calf which was super cool to watch. More whales and excitement on the way north. We then got the call the spotter plan had a whale shark in sight, so we suited up again and before we knew it we were in the water with a whale shark. It was a adolescent male about 5-6 meters long. The first swim we had to swim hard to keep up as he was doing circles and were on the outside of his circle. After 6 minutes we were called in so the second group could get in. There were only 12 people on the boat so we got to swim in 2 groups of 6. James and I were in group 1. After 5 minutes were were put back in the water. The whale shark was in no hurry to go anywhere and was just circling around the area. Part the way through a swim our guide spotted 4 Mobula rays. We were grouped up and swam along with the 4 rays for 5 minutes. I did 6 swims in total all from 6-10 minutes long, with a 3-5 minute break in between. James did 4 swims he sat out the second swim and the last swim. On the last swim out of the 12 people only 4 of us went back in. Each swim less and less got back in the water. After swimming for nearly an hour chasing the whale shark I was shattered but so incredibly exhilarated. We farewelled Mr whale shark and headed south. We then spotted an amazing group of whales having well a whale of a time. There were 4 of them doing whale back stroke slapping their fins on the water and breaching and showing off their bellies. We cruised with them for ages and at one stage they swam right up near the boat. After lunch we kept cruising north to find our last snorkel spot on the way we saw a Dugong. It popped it's head up twice and swam right under the back of the boat. We let him pass and kept on to our last snorkel site. We dropped in and within minutes I spotted a turtle right under me. He looked at us and just kept swimming along. I free dove down and swam right up to it 4 times. We saw loads of coral and fish then 2 reef sharks who were again right under us just cruising around looking cool. It was the perfect end to an absolutely exhilarating day. So to recap we saw, A Whale Shark, Reef Sharks, Dolphins, A Dugong, Mobula Rays, Hump back Whales, Turtles and heaps of fish. AMAZING.
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