UECWA Newsletter
30th April 2025
Upcoming Dives
Dive Report - Saturday 26th April
Photo credit - Phil Clark
Despite the wave of cancelations, we bravely departed Coogee marina on this mild April morning. The sun was shining and a mild easterly was blowing but a hint of chill in the air announced that the summer had come to an end. With Jeff behind the wheel, we departed for our first destination: “The yellow buoy shark cave”.
The conditions at the site looked promising - no strong current and promising clarity of water. After receiving dive site briefings, 4 solo divers and 2 buddy pairs jumped into the water and promptly disappeared under their bubbles. At the surface, DO Marcus and the trainee DO Filip amused themselves practising with the tender, while underwater the divers were entertained by a large Port Jackson shark, schools of roughies, various nudis and shrimps, as well as colourful starfish. Unfortunately, no nurse sharks have been spotted on this occasion. The deepest point recorded on this dive was 22m.
Encouraged by this success, we headed for the second site, “The Parker Point drop off”. Conditions again looked great, with the bottom clearly visible from the surface. This time around 6 divers went on to explore this shallower site (max depth 16m). According to a confidential source, this wasn’t quite the PP drop off, as the drop-off itself wasn’t there, but nevertheless a highly enjoyable dive with a large ray being reported as a highlight.
Towards the end of the dive, a diver overburdened by a massive catch of crays surfaced away from the boat. The diver signalled for assistance, struggling to stay afloat at the surface. A dingy rescue was initiated by the trainee DO. Both the diver and the bag of crays were recovered and brought to the Cape Cruiser with no harm to anyone involved. The cray bounty was indeed abundant with the excess of catch returned to the ocean. Each of the three hunters returned with 8 crays. Overall, it looked like everyone had an enjoyable day.
Filip Welna
Dive Report - Sunday 27th April
We headed out with 11 divers, a nice comfortable journey. The first dive was not an exploration dive as advertised, but at Mini Swirl. Not much to report here, but there were many crays caught by Malcolm (no surprises there), vis was not as good as we had expected. There was a very big ray hanging around the boat, probably waiting for small cray to be thrown back in, but NO they were all keepers. As is usual on our boat, our divers usually measure them underwater.
The second dive was at a site that Steve (the skipper) had dived before on Stragglers. Everyone loved the site, great country and lots of life. Sebastian and Belinda found a cray pot (with no float but lots of rope) and allowed four apparently HUGE crays to escape, much to the horror of the cray divers onboard. To be fair though, neither of them had a cray licence so couldn’t have caught them anyway J. Apparently, this site had heaps of fish of a great variety, dhu fish, leather jackets and heaps of others. I’m sure Steve will keep it on his radar for fishing from his own boat in the future.
A good day for all. Thanks to Steve for skippering and all those onboard who helped out.
Few photographers were onboard, so no photos.
Donna Gratton
Deep Submarine Wreck Day
This Weekend!
Double Deep Dive: Newly Discovered Dutch KXI Submarine!
We’re heading to the recently discovered Dutch KXI Submarine for a thrilling 36-40m dive! Whether you're a recreational or tech diver, this is your chance to explore a historic wreck.
Date: Saturday, 3rd May
Cost: $100
Important:
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Min Certification: Deep Diver Cert required (NOT included in all PADI Instructor certifications).
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How to Book: Send your Deep Diver Cert to divebookings@uecwa.com.au to secure your spot. Only certified divers will be booked!
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Confirmation: No certs = no booking. You’ll receive booking confirmation after cert verification.
For any questions, email us at divebookings@uecwa.com.au
2025 Dive Trips - Spots Available
9th - 16th July: Halmahera Liveaboard - $4160 AUD (subject to exchange rates)
An 8-day liveaboard to Halmahera, Indonesia, with only 13 spots available.
19th - 25th August: Derawan Island - $2470 AUD (subject to exchange rates)
A $340 deposit is due by 30th April, and final payment is due on 30th May.
JUST TWO SPOTS REMAINING
Important Information for Dive Bookings
All members should have access to the dive calendar on the website and mobile app. If you're experiencing any issues, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us for assistance.
Please do not book dives for other divers. If we receive double bookings from one diver, the second booking will be automatically cancelled.
If you would like to receive notifications about dive cancellations during peak periods, please email Donna at divebookings@uecwa.com.au with your name and phone number to be added to the WhatsApp group.
Guests on the Boat
A reminder: For all boat trips (including Christmas lights), UEC members must be on the boat with any guests booked under their membership.
Cancelling a Dive Ahead of Time
Important to note that you cannot cancel dives using the dive calendar. Cancellation needs to be by email directly to Donna at divebookings@uecwa.com.au
Please note our cancellation policy below as per the club bylaws:
Cancellations between 07:45 and 16:00 the day before: 50% cancellation fee.
Cancellations after 16:00 the day before: 100% cancellation fee.
No-shows: Full event fee.
Appeals for waivers due to medical reasons or family emergencies can be submitted in writing to the committee.
If you have any questions please check out our FAQ's, Contact Us or chat to your Committee members when you see us on the boat!
Newsletter Editor
Mel Daws - Public Relations
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