Trip Report - Jurien Bay WA

We were going to the Abrolhos but couldn't tee-up the liveaboard for the
time we wanted.

18 of us - 6 adults, 12 kids from the school dive club. Some of the kids
got their OW last year, some just a month ago and this was their first trip.

Accommodation was at the Apex Park - we had catering from the park managers
for extra cost as we didn't want to be diving twice then coming home to
cook. Simple, wholesome and tasty eg Lasagne, fish-and-chips, steak and
sausages BBQ.

Rooms were in accommodation blocks with about 8 cabins, two showers and
toilets etc. Demountables or "dongas". Backpacker's rooms as low as $12 or
$19.50 for own room. Amenities block with Table Tennis and TVs etc.

One street from the beach.

Diving was on the JB Dive shop's "Hot Tuna" dive boat. A bit squeezy with
18 but serviceable enough. Operator is Ian Styles - very knowledgeable
ex-military. Very pleasant and very helpful.

Dives both inside and outside the reef depending on swell. Very fishy area
and one of WA's most productive crayfishing localities, along with Lancelin.
Kept the depths to >18m due to the new divers.

Had two dives a day. Also snorkelled near the Sea Lion island - you are not
allowed to go on this island but they will get curious and come out to the
boat and play.

I missed the first day's diving because I left my contacts on the Perth
Diving Academy boat when we went on a sidetrip to Rottnest on the way up.
Got them couriered up overnight and continued on the Wednesday.

Just for fun, we went into the water in the Jurien marina, under the
walkways and boats, looking for stuff that had been dropped. Two of the
kids found pushbikes, a couple of hammers, a fishing rod and reel, a few
knives (including an expensive Jarvis Walker one) etc. It was just for
interest, though and not all that serious.

If we hadn't been thwarted in our attempts to get the Abrolhos dive
underway, we wouldn't have consider JB in a fit but having now been there,
we were glad we did. The town has had a lot of government money thrown at
it in development and it is quite a pleasant place to be. Summer might be a
bit different with a howling south wester perhaps but the beaches were nice,
the people friendly enough etc to make it a good holiday destination.

I'd post pictures if I knew how to do it but I don't. Someone else might
put them up later and I'll post a link if they do.

Hoges in WA
BTW - my Oceanic Courier dive bag ripped all the way around the zip - now
unuseable and only about 8 months old.
Not at all impressed with the quality of that bit of garbage. Cost around
$155, too.