Well, we're back, and had an awesome trip. Managed to squeeze in some diving
between wineries which made it all the better...

Rottnest
First up we did a day trip with Perth Diving Academy, two dives out at Rotto
(see I'm learning)... The Lionfish IV is a great boat, plenty of room,
showers on board, hot meals cooked onboard, the lot. Everything was well
organised - most of the crew were young, but really seemed to know what they
were doing. We found them a very professional and businesslike organisation.

First dive was at 'Star Picket', a rocky patch with the usual features, swim
throughs, overhangs etc etc. Plenty of sea life, and heard whalesong for the
first time in my life. There was a 2 ish meter swell running so it was a bit
surgey, although lovely and peaceful a bit deeper. A great dive all in all.
10+ meters vis, water 15-16 degrees.

The second dive was at Phillip Rock. We really just played around a bit
here, with a max depth of 5m and both underweighted. As the alloy tanks
emptied, I found myself having to empty my chest just to take photos. A few
stones in the pockets helped, but I really needed another kg or 2. We were
swamped by a massive school of (samson???) fish at one stage who slowly
circled us for 2-3 minutes, and found a few small crays at the 4 meter mark
A good dive, although the 'locals' seemed to make more of it than we did.
Apparently a quick lap of the rock is the best way to dive it...

Swan day 1
First up I have to thank Cape Dive and cannot recommend them highly enough.
Very friendly and personalised service, a fast well laid out boat and GREAT
staff. A simple lunch is included too, so no need to pack sandwiches. The
owners haven't had the business all that long and while the shop itself is
under renovations I think they will only get better... Some bargains to be
had too, particularly wetsuits, give them a shout if you're after any bits
and pieces.
http://www.capediveexperience.com/en/index.php

As for actually diving the Swan, well... To start with we had the place to
ourselves. Cape Dive were happy to run the boat with only two divers, so the
girl and I jumped at the chance to explore the wreck by ourselves. 20 meter
vis and no current made it all the more unbearable - this was going to be a
great day. We did two dives, just meandering aimlessly in, out and through
the wreck taking pics and having a ball. I'm sure the web's full of better
descriptions of the wreck itself than I could offer, so I won't go into any
detail here, but it was awesome. A very safe and well prepared old destroyer
and well worth diving. Plenty to see all the way up to around 8 meters.
She's been down over ten years now, so attracting a lot of life. Water temp
15 degrees... Conditions like this and not having to share the wreck with
anyone made these two very memorable dives...

Day 2 - Swan / Bussleton
We'd booked a second day on the water with Cape Dive, and while we were
looking for a bit of variety we were more than happy when they said it was a
Swan and Bussleton jetty double. There were a few more divers on the trip,
so we had to share it but 6 divers on a 112 meter wreck really isn't what
you would call crowded. The vis was down to about 10 meters, and the inside
was definitely more silted than two days before but still very tolerable.

Bussleton would have to be one of, if not the best pier dive I've ever done.
Sea life of all shapes and sizes and more nudibranchs than you could count.
Big orange buggers, although I haven't bothered looking up what species as
yet. We surprised a few people who were in the observatory when we passed
and made their day when we waved back, hehehe. Both of us spent most of the
dive masks pushed into cameras and we got quite a few good pics. Getting
cold around the 55 minute mark, so headed back to the boat only to find the
rest of the divers onboard waiting for us and in dry clothes already. Good
thing it wasn't warmer, we'd probably still be down there!

The day's highlight would have had to have been some unexpected whale
watching. En route from the Swan to the jetty, we were sitting at the back
of the boat when they suddenly cut power to the engines and there was some
excited chatter as everyone gathered up front. The skipper had spotted a
small pod of whales and they stayed around for the next 5-10 minutes, approx
20 meters from the boat. There was at least one calf and two adults in the
pod, just basking in the sun at the surface. We managed a pic or two, but
they don't do the whales any justice really, just looking like bit slabs of
leather floating in the ocean. This might be a fairly common occurence for
WA divers, but for the Melbourne contingent it was pretty special to see.

We haven't had a chance to have a good look at our photos yet, but will post
a link to something in the next couple of days...

Note
If anyone is thinking about diving or holidaying in the greater Dunsborough
area, definitely give the guys at Cape Dive a call. I know I might sound
like I''ve got a vested interest, but really, their service was fantastic.
There's probably only one other charter mob I've ever dived with that I'd
give a similar rating, but they were in NZ. Further, the guys at Cape Dive
are more than happy to help organise wine tours, accommodation, anything -
even babysitting. They might even take you diving as well. heheheh

To Hoges and Fraser, thanks again for the info, certainly helped make the
trip as good as it was.

Cheers,
Mick G