wickedglass
Sun Jun 11, 2006, 01:54 AM
when you think of Whyalla, known for its steel manufacturing plant, beautiful sights don't really come to mind. The two largest structures are the steel plant and the gas manufacturing plant. however, just a short drive out of Whyalla id Fitzgerald Bay, and if you're lucky enough to have hired a campervan, there's a free camping spot there. You look out in the morning across a mirror smooth bay, watch the sun come up with the love of your life in your arms, watch the birds darting into the water to catch fish (and if you watch them long enough you understand there's actually a pod of dolphins herding the fish). Suddenly you realise life is wonderful.
But that's not the end of it ...
If you're there at the right time ...
If you try not to think of the 18 ft great white female which was following a 15 ft fishing boat just a couple of days earlier (described as "fat" on the local shark report) ...
If you brave the cold waters armed with a wetsuit that makes you feel like the michelin man (an insane amount of weights strapped to you to keep you down ... and rocks in your pockets, cos the insane weights aren't enought!) ...
Then you feel true amazement, true wonder, at life ... and you feel humbled and joyful and a whole range of different things ...
You feel alive !!!!
Every year between May and August the cuttlefish come into the bay outside Whyalla, close to shore to breed and lay their eggs and then subsequently die ... in the late 90s they were almost fished out to extinction and in a breeding ground which once held hundreds of thousands in a very small area, they counted a mere 100! Some of the locals banded together and demanded a sanctuary, and finally since 3 years ago the cuttlefish have a permanent protection zone. My girl and I went there last week, and just returned yesterday, awed by these wonderful creatures and their complexities, their abilities, their incredible modes of communication. We both feel like we've been on another planet, a feeling also re-inforced because we were the only two divers out there during our stay! AMAZING!!!!
here's a couple of pics of my girlfriend and I took while diving out there, enjoy!
But that's not the end of it ...
If you're there at the right time ...
If you try not to think of the 18 ft great white female which was following a 15 ft fishing boat just a couple of days earlier (described as "fat" on the local shark report) ...
If you brave the cold waters armed with a wetsuit that makes you feel like the michelin man (an insane amount of weights strapped to you to keep you down ... and rocks in your pockets, cos the insane weights aren't enought!) ...
Then you feel true amazement, true wonder, at life ... and you feel humbled and joyful and a whole range of different things ...
You feel alive !!!!
Every year between May and August the cuttlefish come into the bay outside Whyalla, close to shore to breed and lay their eggs and then subsequently die ... in the late 90s they were almost fished out to extinction and in a breeding ground which once held hundreds of thousands in a very small area, they counted a mere 100! Some of the locals banded together and demanded a sanctuary, and finally since 3 years ago the cuttlefish have a permanent protection zone. My girl and I went there last week, and just returned yesterday, awed by these wonderful creatures and their complexities, their abilities, their incredible modes of communication. We both feel like we've been on another planet, a feeling also re-inforced because we were the only two divers out there during our stay! AMAZING!!!!
here's a couple of pics of my girlfriend and I took while diving out there, enjoy!