Diving WA

Scoop Traveller #18, Juiy - December 2010
Scoop | 30 Jun 2010

BUSSELTON | BUSSELTON JETTY
The Busselton Jetty site offers a shallow dive, up to 8m deep. Dive expert Greg Lowry says light filtering between the pylons creates a magical swim with schools of temperate fish moving in and out of the beams. Greg, a diver for 38 years and a PADI dive instructor for more than 20, says orange and yellow octocorals adorn the pylons to give a vivid backdrop. It’s worth diving day and night. Simon Jones, director of the Perth Diving Academy, who’s been diving in WA for 40 years, says divers will see similar marine life to that seen off Esperance Jetty. “I’d put it on a par with that,” he says. Another dive recommended in this area by Greg is Naturaliste Reef, which he says has good visibility and rises from the depths in the middle of a deep surround, creating conditions for a concentration of marine life. It’s best dived with a local operator, who can brief you about the sometimes deceptive currents. It’s been said to be one of the most unique dives in WA, and some of the marine life travels from as far away as the Kimberley, brought down by the Leeuwin current, to survive the winter in the shallow warmer waters of Geographe Bay.

DUNSBOROUGH | HMAS SWAN
This is the first Royal Australian Navy vessel purposely sunk in Australian waters to create a dive destination – the HMAS Swan. And it has been hailed WA’s best wreck dive. According to dive expert Greg Lowry, the Swan is an interesting dive as it gives you a perspective on what attracts marine life. “The wreck has been down for some time now and has well-established marine growth and its own ecosystem. Schools of bat fish and puffers are common at the ship’s crow’s nest and bow, while big temperate water species frequent the wreck or have taken residence in it. The wreck also has cut-outs to allow divers to swim deep inside,” he says. This site can be dived with local operators, or a permit can be purchased to take a private vessel and anchor near the wreck.

PERTH | ROTTNEST ISLAND
“For caves, holes, ledges or overhangs – Rottnest is the place to go. People take Rottnest for granted, but when divers return from overseas trips or even east-coast ones, they understand how lucky we are.” So says dive expert Simon Jones. ‘It’s great country – not many places in the world have the caves, holes and ledges in which you can go up and down and around and through.” Head to Porpoise Bay Caves (also called Crystal Palace) to find huge caves (20-30 people can fit in them) that are full of soft coral; Roe Reef also has big caves and stunning coral, and is a good choice for novices; Cathedral Rocks has great caves; West Patch has caves of 4m-long grey nurse sharks (you can get up to one to two metres from them, so it is great for photos); Jackson Rock is great for the experienced and novices because there are a lot of ‘up and down’ caves, big ledges and holes, and you can find Port Jackson sharks.

EXMOUTH | NAVY PIER + NINGALOO
The Navy Pier is a standout (and some say it’s one of the best in the world) because fishing is prohibited, so the ecosystem has thrived. There is massive biodiversity and it’s close to shore. Dive expert Greg Lowry says it’s a good demonstration of the ‘If you build it, they will find it’ philosophy as the pier has become home to an abundant number of fish, including many large ones. The pier is restricted by the Navy, so access has to be gained through the dive store licence holder. At another site, the Cod Hole, off South Muiron Island, huge potato cod interact with divers.

ROWLEY SHOALS | ANYWHERE
“If I had my own boat, I would head there all the time,” says expert Simon Jones, about Rowley Shoals. “There are three coral atolls with unique life. Plus, there are safe anchorages, good drift dives and every day you will see something amazing,” he adds. Simon first dived at Rowley Shoals in 1979, and says you will see marine animals there that you don’t see anywhere else. Located 260km (140 nautical miles) west-north-west offshore from Broome, the shoals are a chain of three spectacular, pristine coral atolls that cover 80sqkm and rise up to 400 metres from the ocean floor, on the edge of the continental shelf. Most dive/cruise operators visit Rowley Shoals from September to November/December and divers can see giant clams, shellfish, giant potato cod and Maori wrasse. They can discover more than 200 species of coral and 650-plus species of fish, in water with visibility greater than 60 metres. “The shallower sites are good dives for small, colourful fish and healthy coral… it’s just like diving in an aquarium,” says diver Greg Lowry.

ABROLHOS ISLANDS | ANEMONE LUMP
There’s always a place to dive at this island chain, 40-130km from Geraldton, even if it’s windy or the swell is up, says Greg. The marine reserves are best because in unprotected areas coral damage has been caused by fishers. Anemone Lump is a great dive, he says, an example of how creating a sanctuary zone can revive a marine ecosystem. Half the size of a football oval, the top is a mass of sea anemones and clown fish. The tropical coral formations are the southernmost on the planet.

ALBANY | THE BRIDGE + THE PHANTOM + HMAS PERTH
Garry Wellstead has had 6000 dives over his 32-year dive history, but spots off the coast at his home town of Albany still hit the right note. “There aren’t too many places in WA with the topography we have – large underwater formations, swim-throughs, gutters, canyons, rock pinnacles,” says Garry. “And there’s a diverse range of marine life.” He lists soft corals and sea dragons (the common and leafy, which is mostly only found in WA on the south coast), as attractions. One of the best dives is just out of Two Peoples Bay, known as The Bridge. “You’re awe-inspired when you do a deep dive (about 35m), then see a huge granite arch that runs 30-40m. You don’t see too many of those,” he says. Visibility is great, he adds. Another Albany coup is deep diving close to shore, such as The Phantom, about 2.4km offshore and 40m-deep in places. “You find sponges, Gorgonian fans, soft corals, black coral (down here it’s everywhere) and lots of fish. Swim a couple of metres at the bottom and you’re faced with a sheer wall that rises back up towards the surface.” PLUS HMAS Perth is a wreck that’s diveable 80 per cent of the year. It’s multiple-depth, from five to 35m, so you don’t have to go all the way to the bottom. “It’s a very easy dive,” he says. Garry runs South Coast Dive Supplies.

ZUYTDORP CLIFFS | UNDIVED SPOTS
“Unbelievable dives – it’s undived,” says Simon Jones. He’s talking about the Zuytdorp Cliffs, which line the coastline between Kalbarri and Steep Point. The best dive spot he’s found is 70km south of Steep Point. He dived on it in April, May and June, but says September should be good, too. “I camp at Steep Point (you’ll need a 4WD) and take a big boat to the location. You can dive on it at any time of the day and see big fish – gropers, snapper, red emperor, coral trout, western rock lobsters (big versions), sharks, turtles and tropical stuff, as well,” says Simon. It’s one of WA’s top spots, he says.

ESPERANCE | RECHERCHE ARCHIPELAGO
Even for the non-diver, Esperance is beautiful, with beaches said to be the prettiest in WA, and therefore the world. Lucky Bay near Esperance was recently proven by the National Committee on Soil and Terrain to have the whitest sand of any beach in Australia. It has more than 120 granite islands lying between 20 metres and a few miles off the beach. The visibility is second to none and while a relatively unknown dive site, there’s enough going on to keep Peter Hudson, director of Esperance Diving and Fishing, excited after more than 4000 dives here. “The islands formed as magma forced through fractures in the earth’s crust leaving granite intrusions that cover the area. These large and small granite islands are mirrored many times below the water leaving a lifetime of exploration,” he says. Peter has dived the area for almost 30 years, but recently found a new dive site where the shapes of the big overhangs, caves and swim-throughs “were phenomenal and the sponge life pristine”. While he’s guarding that location, he points to the Remark Group of four islands – Remark, Sandy Hook, Frederick and Long – as places not to miss. “The sponge life is undamaged and the soft corals are of a larger scale because the islands form the perfect protection,” he says.

MACKEREL ISLANDS | FIVE DIVE LOCATIONS
Located roughly 20km from Onslow, the Mackerel Islands is a unique and relatively untouched dive site abundant in large-scale marine life, a variety of healthy coral and more nudibranch (sea slug) species than you can shake a stick at (pun intended). Many of the sites have rarely been dived, which makes the diver something of a curiosity to the marine life. Turtles turn back for a second look, schools of trevally circle and large potato cod tend to follow you around. Most dives are six to 18m and the water is a warm 24-30C. Greg is the man charged with uncovering this underwater wilderness and here he reveals the top five spots.
1 Black Flag is the premier site, teeming with leopard sharks, big cod, coral trout, mackerel and barracuda. Spanish flag are usually present in their thousands and huge balls of bait fish hug the walls and ledges. It’s easily navigated, with a six-metre top covered in colourful soft and hard corals for an easy and interesting safety stop.
2 Rankin Road is a ledge 500m long and 14m deep in the middle of nowhere that attracts Rankin cod, turtles, queen fish and sharks. This is one place where the marine life comes to see you rather than the other way around.
3 Brewis Reef is an extensive ledge that has three dive sites. It’s a shallow dive that ranges between six and nine metres with plenty of archways, swim-throughs and beautiful corals.
4 Trap Reef is a large reef with four key dive sites. A honeycomb of limestone ledges, the top of the reef sits at four metres and drops down to just 13 metres. There are colourful soft corals on the top and edges and bigger species on the face and cobalt-blue finger sponges in deeper areas.
5 Bessieres Island also has a variety of sites featuring big coral bombie clusters, ledges and a limestone bottom with small sink holes, fish, turtles and small sharks.

ESPERANCE | JETTY + SANKO HARVEST
Esperance Town Jetty is easily accessible and offers some rare sights thanks to its marine reserve status. At the end of the jetty is an artificial reef, which attracts a “plethora” of marine life including rare species, such as frog fish. Peter and his wife were instrumental in sorting a government grant to set up the reef with unemployed people who were taught how to dive in return. The Esperance Dive Club and the young people worked hard and today many modules of 60 tyres each (concrete-based and held together with stainless steel straps) are covered in Gorgonian fans and telestos, Peter says. PLUS Sanko Harvest is a local wreck dive: a 174m-long vessel, which ran aground in 1991. The wreck is 18 nautical miles out and is recommended for more advanced divers because of the depths – from 16m-42m. “You need to be cautious,” says Peter. “With such great visibility, it’s easy to go deeper than you think without realising it.”