UECWA Newsletter
5th February 2025
Upcoming Dives
Dive Report - Friday 30th January
I am so lucky and privileged to have been a member of the UEC since 2006.
Thanks to Mike Buchanan, Donna, Carl, and John, another Friday dive was put together at short notice. And with Malcolm Roberts on board, as well as Marie and Dennis, we had a wealth of experience on the boat. We had enough divers on board. Also, Beth Jones doing her dive research again, and she had 3 volunteers for her project.
We headed out to Stragglers for a series of two dives and as we weren't too far out and the conditions were good, everyone got to do two dives.
We anchored for the first dive near 'Crazy Wobbie', however we weren't quite on the site, but it didn't matter.
While it was a bit swelly, the dive site was superb with lots of terrain to explore, heaps of fish, 1 large ray and two smaller ones, or the same one twice. I am not sure.
I stayed on board with Mike and my dive buddy Renata Wyrwas until the first group were back on board, then we got to do our dive.
We moved not far to Big Cave for the second dive and this was sublime. Just stunning and the cave that we were in, just under the boat was beautiful.
We explored around quite a bit, and then we returned to the boat and as we were doing a safety stop, a large group of wrasse were milling around. On further investigation, we discovered a wobbegong feeding on top of the reef, and the other fish were obviously hoping for scraps. We were able to watch this for our deco stop so it wasn't the usual boring 3 or 5 at 5.
Fortunately, we had no problems with anchor retrieval and had a quick trip back to Port Coogee.
Many thanks to Filip Welna for staying back to help put the boat away and clean her down. Thanks so much Mike for Skippering.
Tom Bassett
Dive Report - Sunday 2nd February
12 divers, (with a big warm welcome to Nom diver Ruth) adventured to Stragglers Reef 'Mini Swirl' for a single dive. Conditions on the day were lovely, but there was a fair bit of surge below. That said, all in all, everyone thought it was a beautiful dive, with exciting swim throughs and caves, big schools of buffies, a heap of crays (that sadly evaded our cray fishermen) and a wee little cuttlefish. A highlight was an absolutely HUGE and magnificent dusky morwong. The single dive had us back to port before 11am, and I saw many of our divers enjoying the usual post-dive trip to the pub!
Many thanks to Skipper Chris C, and Wil Glendon, who did an amazing job on his first day of trainee DO'ing!
Happy diving, and bring on many more beautiful days for the rest of summer!
Laura Thompson
Committee Positions - Your Chance to Get Involved!
The UEC is always looking for members who want to help shape the future of our community, and now is your chance to get involved! We are currently seeking expressions of interest for vacant positions on the committee. Would you be interested in working alongside a proactive committee who are dedicated to running a great club?
The following roles will be available:
- Secretary – A crucial role to keep things organised and ensure communication runs smoothly within the club.
- Treasurer – Manage the club's finances and make sure everything is in order, ensuring our operations run without a hitch.
These positions will be vacant after the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held in July (date to be confirmed). If you're interested in any of these roles or just want to learn more, you are welcome to join any of our monthly meetings to see what it's all about!
Interested? Please contact me via email at president@uecwa.com.au, and I'll be happy to provide more information and answer any questions.
Let’s work together to keep our club thriving!
Jen Pryor
2025 Dive Trips Announced!
We have three exciting trips planned for 2025, with club members receiving priority booking. Details and booking info below and on the website, please contact Donna at divebookings@uecwa.com.au if you have any questions.
22nd - 29th March: Rottnest - $1190 AUD
ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT
2 dives per day, 7 nights accommodation, and tank fills are included. Meals are not included, and only 2 spots are left available. Bookings open now. A $250 deposit is due by 20th Jan, refundable if the trip doesn’t go ahead. Final payment is due on 1st Feb.
9th - 16th July: Halmahera Liveaboard - $4160 AUD (subject to exchange rates)
An 8-day liveaboard to Halmahera, Indonesia, with only 13 spots available. The boat is newly commissioned, and no breakdowns are expected. Bookings open now. Please email Donna.
19th - 25th August: Derawan Island - $2470 AUD (subject to exchange rates)
7 days with 3 dives per day, all meals and accommodation included. There are only 15 spots available. Bookings open now. A $340 deposit is due by 30th April. Priority bookings for club members until 28th Feb. Final payment is due on 30th May.
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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