Dive report - West Side Sunday 9 August 2009

A perfect winter's day here in Exmouth!  Ningaloo Reef diving is always pretty danged good, but today was one of those days you remember, even after 100s of dives.  We started at Three Fins and again were serenaded by humpback whale song through the whole dive.  It's a very cool sensation to feel it vibrating in your chest as you float along!

A big school of drummers made us dizzy as they endlessly circled in a great funnel that reached almost to the surface. As we hung motionless, they'd slowly engulf us in their school - you couldn't stay long as the shimmering silver bodies looping round and round made you lose your balance! The overhangs were packed with baitfish and lots of rankin cod were using them as a shield to hide out deep in the ledges. A big turtle watched us warily, not giving up his comfy resting spot for anything. Our best sightings today were the sharks - a 2m+ grey reef shark made return visits to check us out and a 3m grey nurse shark teased us by hanging out, letting us get a bit closer and then swimming a few more meters away.
WATER TEMP: 23C
VISIBILITY: 18-20m
CURRENT: none
SURGE: mild
DEPTH: 18m

Nick's Lumps also had great visibility, tremendous reef life and loud whale song. Octopus, sweet lips, giant moray eels, masses of bullseyes, parrotfish in every colour, barracuda & trevally - this dive was a feast for the eyes no matter where you looked. Simply a great dive!
WATER TEMP: 23C
VISIBILITY: 18-20m
CURRENT: none
SURGE: mild
DEPTH: 16m

This was our full day tour that we offer twice a week and so we also got to do a great snorkel on the reef. Turtles, rays, damsels, anemonefish, small reef sharks, pufferfish, flutemouths, angelfish, butterflyfish - too many different kinds to remember. It was a perfect snorkel.

Humpback whales were everywhere and we relaxed on the deck as we watched them swim up the coastline, slap their pec fins on the surface and blow great sprays of expelled breath high into the air. Not a bad way to spend a day!