Monday 6 March 2017

Adventure 26 - The one with zero viz

The start of the trail - the wreck of The Omo

Where: Coogee Maritime Trail
When: February 2017
My Adventure Companions: None

What shall I do today?
Having been on two sets of maternity leave in the past couple of years I keep missing updates to procedures at work. Of all the updates to miss, it was the one where we get a day off after spending time offshore. I turned up at work fresh from an offshore inspection to a quizzical look from my colleague and a ‘why are you here?’ and promptly hightailed it back home.  
In the afternoon I headed down to North Coogee to go for little snorkel around the Cockburn Maritime Trail, which officially opened yesterday. As I waded into the water I had this sinking feeling that I wouldn’t be seeing much as there was a lot of sand in the water. The visibility was not the worst I have ever experienced* but it was pretty bad. I’m guessing it was around the 2-3 meter mark.
The start of the trail is easy to spot as it begins at the Omo wreck, which sticks out of the water. The wreck has some growth on it, attracting fish and making it an interesting object for the trail. I managed to locate two more of the signs for the other installations along the trail but, due to the lack of visibility, didn’t actually manage to see either of them as they were in deeper water. I swam back to shore a little frustrated and somewhat deflated. After some thought, I decided that I needed to put a positive spin on this experience so here’s what I learnt:
·        Don’t go after a week of south westerlies. You aren’t going to see anything.
·        My snorkelling gear, camera included, is still in good working order.
·        I know where to come for next time and what facilities are around.

Image Source: City of Cockburn
* Worst visibility on a dive/snorkel: not being able to see the end of my arm, which resulted in having a dive slate shoved in front of my face with the word ‘Pub?’ written on it.

Website: http://www.cockburn.wa.gov.au/documents/CouncilServices/Environment/Sustainability/FAQs_Coogee_Maritime_Trail_May_2016.pdf  
Opening Hours: Never Closed
Cost: Free

No comments:

Post a Comment