More sharks than I bargained for

Trip Start Jan 01, 2010

Trip End Mar 04, 2011

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Blue Reef Backpackers

Flag of Australia Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia
Saturday, June 12, 2010

It was great to know I was going to be in one place for more than 1 night after almost a week of early starts and packing and moving every day. . It was cloudy and cold when we set off to Torquise Bay so instead of two snorkle spots we headed to Yardie Creek. Climbing over the rocks were much better than it had been in Kalbarri although the rocks were like razors and cut you if you feel but there was less of a slope so easier to traverse. It was just so easy and relaxed being in the group and everyone could chat to everyone. Louise was being pretty seperate saying she was ill but I wonder how it would have been if I had been ill as well with the tour...must be terrible to feel crap and have to be socialable and do loads of activities. Next stop was Turqouise Bay where we got lunch of yet more sandwiches ..I swear after this trip I never want to eat sandwiches again...or bread or toast. Then we got a super treat of a tub of icecream which was finished off by Roos and Eva who sat like naughty school girls and licked it clean.

Finishing off the icecream

Snorkling was supposed to be amazing compared to Coral Bay as the coral was less damaged. It was ok but didn't compare to some of the dive sites I have been. It was also freezing but we did manage to have fun throwing bread at Eva and Roos which caused them to scream like girls as the fish came close to eat the bread.

It had been building up for ages that we were going to be leaving the tour ... I really didn't think I had made the right decision to come off such a good group. I was also pretty worried about Karijini and how I was going to cope with the gorges after Kalbarri. I said goodbye to all the girls the night before but Roos and Elise got up to say goodbye. I was gutted I was going to miss a couple of days and not likely to see them again as most of them were heading home after the trip. However I had whale sharks to distract me!

I snorkled with whale sharks and it was AMAZING. The day started with a gentle snorkle but the water was pretty cold but I decided not to get a wetsuit as we were going to be in and out of the water all day. It was great to do an activity where the majority of people were Australians - it seems a lot of people who live out East visit the West in winter. We got to see an Octopus which I managed to spot all on my own

On the whale shark boat

! Plus there were big schools of Snapper etc as it was a protected area - definately saw more on the snorkle than I did in Ko Tao on a dive including Humbugs, Nemo fish, Banner fish etc etc. Then we had the most delicious breakfast of cakes, tea and bread. It was the only thing between me and shivering for the rest of the day. Then we motored out of the bay towards the sharks. We got to spend about an hour in total with the whale shark but it was in and out of the water as we had two groups. It would just appear out of the blue in front of you so graceful and calm. It was going pretty slowly so it was easy enough to keep up until the last swim although I suspect that had more to do with me being tired than the shark speeding up!
After the sharks we had another delicious lunch on the move back into the bay to do more snorkling. I jumped in and it was so cold after having being out the water for an hour and finally warmed up. I only did about ten minutes as I couldn't warm up. I was sitting on the boat chatting to someone when the skipper says Tiger shark! It was about 100m from the boat the other side from where there were still snorklers and where I had just been! When everyone was back on the boat we followed it and I have to say it has put me off snorkling on a reef for a long time! It just looked so meanacing! It was about 4m long and had the classic shark shape under the surface although no fins showing. We also saw Humpback whales both blowing their blow holes and their backs as they dived deep

Kangaroo for Alex

. It was such a highlight as they had a baby with them as well. We also saw a turtle on the surface taking a breath and dugongs (sea cows). All in all an amazing day!

After whale sharks I spent the day sorting out insurance claim. I met Rhian randomly in the hostel as I was on the net and went for lunch and sent stuff home at a ridiculous price...glad I sent some stuff home with the parents in KL. In the evening it was cards with Nicole the strange Swiss girl in the room next door. It was amazing having a room to myself and some chill out time. All the other girls had a room to themselves also. Very strange I would have expected them to fill the rooms as much as possible to reduce the cleaning but they seemed to have our comfort in mind...amazing! The last day was cloudy so no planed sunbathing and just spent the day sorting out insurance still. They are querying my claim and I worry that they will reject it outright soon. We met the new group and they seemed welcoming enough and even let us steal some food although I wasn't sure about the new tour guide...I think he was joking but he was pretty in your face. I couldn't face going out in town as it was miles away and I was shattered from the insurance stuff and needed to pack and get up at 6am. This always seems to happen to me in the way of big nights out.

The next morning I started getting really nervous about Karijini as there was no escape now and we were on our way. We queued up early to get some seats in the bus. It was strange being on the bus without everyone else and no-one made too much effort with us. It was cool that I had the Dutchies so it wasn't too upsetting but this is part of the reason I hate meeting established groups as they make little effort with others. It was a whole day in the car going past very remote roadhouses which were the only thing for miles and consequently stupidly expensive.

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