Intersection - Diving |
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Busselton Jetty Dive Weekend |
On Saturday 1st April and Sunday 2nd April the FSC Dive Section ventured to Busselton for two days of diving at the end of the famous jetty. Being the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere this is a unique structure and over the years many forms of marine life have made a home around and under it. On the Saturday there were six divers who ventured out on new members’ Peter and Margaret McMahon’s 6 m boat. A little crowded but sometimes rubbing shoulders can be relaxing. Dive Captain John Sajtinac and his wife Paula had colds and were relegated to snorkelling only. Peter and Margaret McMahon, with Suzanne Charlesworth and Daniel Barker, entered the water from the boat moored at the end of the jetty. The last 50 m of the jetty is totally wrecked and there are large anchors specially made trying to hold what is left together during winter storms. This creates an interesting maze with support pylons in positions from vertical to horizontal, ensuring divers have to take care around this area. The abundant sea life is what makes diving so thrilling. To be floating along in amongst schools of fish that are within centimetres of you makes for a surreal atmosphere. You then arrive at the underwater observation unit and signs that request divers stay 10 m away. We could see the flashes of cameras and I would believe that watching divers interact with the creatures of the sea would be an added bonus for visitors to the observation centre. No fish treated us as a threat and stayed around us at all times. Unfortunately safety dictates we must surface before we run out of air (funny that). That evening, the rest of the divers arrived being, Rob and Les Knott, Margaret Walton and Eric, Lud and Ivana Farka. We all got together for a very enjoyable BBQ tea at the Kookaburra Caravan Park where Paula and John were staying. Sunday opened with a clear blue sky and calm waters. Everyone gathered at the shore beside the jetty and loaded all the equipment onto Peter and Margaret’s and John and Paula’s boats. This dive was a repeat of Saturday’s with a chance for those who dived on Saturday to explore a little further. Conditions remained lovely all day. At the end of the dive some members went to the very pleasant Esplanade Hotel for an enjoyable lunch before the trip home. |