UECWA Newsletter

14th January 2026

Upcoming Dives

Skippers Choice Double - Sat 17th Jan

Victoria's Station & Exploration (Rotto Drop Off) - Sun 18th Jan

Carpet Emporium & Anders Meanders - Sat 24th Jan

Skippers Choice Double - Sun 25th Jan

Stragglers Single Dive - Mon 26th Jan

Dive Report - Saturday 10th January

Jono (Skipper) and Taryn (DO) set off from Coogee Marina on Saturday with a full boat of divers enroute to Stragglers Reef for a single dive

There was a strong Easterly blowing which provided a bit of surface chop on the way out. But we were able to find a sheltered spot behind the rocks at Stragglers Lagoon.

A fair bit was happening during the dive including a stuck BCD inflator which ended their dive early as well as a lost buddy situation with another pair. As divers made their way back feedback included 5-10m viz, lots of caves and swim throughs and a few crays - but the boat came back fairly empty despite several cray loops being onboard.

Please take this as a good reminder that if you do lose or become separated from your buddy look around for a minute and if you don’t find them please regroup at the surface.

As a result one buddy returned to the boat and the other had kept on diving. Everyone had returned to the boat but there was still no sign of the lost diver. Finally they surfaced about 200m away from boat, no SMB deployed and did not acknowledge they were ok or safe.

I made the decision to grab the tender and bring them back. As I got closer to the diver they were still floating at the surface but not letting me know if they were ok. Finally they acknowledged they were battling cramp so at least they were ok. The diver had to be reminded of the procedure to get into the tender - take off your weight belt and use your fins to kick up as I pull you into the boat. I got him back in and was able to take off his fins and BCD/tank and returned us both safely back to the dive boat.

Situation absolutely could have been avoided if the correct lost buddy procedure had been adhered too. Also please remember we are all volunteers, sticking to safe diving procedures makes it a much more enjoyable day for everyone.

Taryn Schuster

Dive Report - Sunday 10th January

Photo credit - Troy Thompson

With 10 divers on board, we headed off to Rottnest, the first stop at presidents palace. The current looked good on the surface and the divers reported very nice ground to dive on with a few blue devils in the caves and green gropers. 

The second dive changed from crayfish canyon to sandy labyrinth as there was another club on that spot already. Another good spot and well done to Graeme on catching his first crayfish and good size. A total of 11 crayfish made it back to land and all divers had two good dives. 

Will Glendon

2026 Club Trips

Banda Aceh is calling!
We’re heading to this laid-back Indonesian island for crystal-clear waters, vibrant reefs, and the chance to spot big pelagics alongside healthy coral gardens. With uncrowded dive sites, warm water, and a relaxed island vibe, Pulau Weh dive resort is shaping up to be a 2025 favourite. Bonus: we’ve secured 2025 pricing until 24 January — after that, 2026 rates apply, with the base Twin Diver package increasing by $153 per person. Lock it in early to save! Please note this price does not include flights. However, we are planning on doing a group booking to save money, so no need to book your own flights.

Christmas Island 2026 is now sold out!

Thanks to everyone who has booked on, we can't wait to share this adventure with you!

Click on Upcoming Club Trips for more information on the website about our 2026 club trips

Crayfish Regulations Reminder

The committee would like to remind all members that WA recreational fishing rules apply when diving for rock lobster (crayfish) from Cape Cruiser.

Key requirements include:

• A current recreational rock lobster licence must be held and produced if requested

• Minimum size: 76 mm

• Daily bag limit: 8 per person (boat limit 24)

• Cray gauge must be carried and make all attempts to measure your catch in the water before it comes onto the boat

• All retained lobsters must be tail-clipped within five minutes of landing

• No undersize, tar spotted, protected, or excess lobsters may be retained

To ensure compliance and protect both members and the club, spot checks will be conducted over the coming weeks for valid licences, gauges, and correctly processed catch.

Thanks for your cooperation in keeping our diving legal, sustainable, and hassle-free for everyone.

Important Information for Dive Bookings

• 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, please email divebookings@uecwa.com.au with your name and phone number to be added to the WhatsApp group.
• Important to note that you cannot cancel dives using the dive calendar. Cancellation needs to be made by email directly to 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.

If you have any questions, please check out our FAQ's, Contact Us or chat with your Committee members when you see us on the boat! All current club members are welcome to attend monthly committee meetings. 

Newsletter Editor

Mel Daws - Public Relations