UECWA Newsletter

18th February 2026

Upcoming Dives

Night Dive (with dinner first) - Fri 20th Feb

Skipper's Choice Double - Sat 21st Feb

Stragglers Reef Double - Sun 22nd Feb

Skipper's Choice Double Midweeker - Wed 25th Feb

Yellow Buoy Shark Cave & Parker Point - Sat 28th Feb

Orizaba & Christmas Caves - Sun 1st March

Dive Report - Saturday 14th February

Photo credit - Phil Clark

Carl (Skipper) and Taryn (DO) set off with 9 divers out towards Stragglers Reef keeping the cray hunters happy today. The lone photographer wasn’t bothered though, they were happy to dive anywhere!

Conditions were decent at the first site (Crazy Wobby) with reports of 10m viz and minimal surge below. The crew were kept on their toes with the easterly wind keeping it bumpy on deck. Our divers were treated to the sight of a Bronzey hanging for a feed, a school of bait fish and silver drummers, 2 occies, a cuttlefish, loads of nudis, harlequin fish and 19 crays! So everyone came back with a smile on their face.

Carl decided to check out a potential site as an exploration for the second dive, lining up landmarks between Rotto and the mainland from an old photo. We dropped anchor in what appeared to be decent country to explore with reef, rocks and bombies that were able to be seen from the surface.

The boat decided on the name “Shane’s Supermarket” due to the plethora of crays available, due to their decent sizes and the amount we had to throw back in as we easily reached our cray boat limit. One buddy pair easily spent at least 20 mins in the same spot as we watched their bubbles above.

Besides the crays, divers reported another Bronzy sighting (this time a Mum and its bub), jumbo crays and even a potential Marlin … if only this cray hunter had a GoPro! Next time I might lend him mine. 

Easy day out on the boat with lots of help onboard from everyone, which was much appreciated, especially Phil who stayed back to help wash down the boat. Also, many thanks to Damo and John for the crew crays. They were delicious!

Taryn Schuster

Dive Report - Sunday 15th February

Photo credit - Marina Makarkina

10 divers braved this windy day, which to be honest, looked a bit like the summer decided to take a break. The bouncy conditions on the deck made us feel like maybe the first dive on the Swirl Reef would not be enjoyable, but to our surprise the divers returned enthusiastic. Seems like most of the wave action was wind driven and the surge wasn’t too bad. The visibility was also good, and the divers were very pleased with the cave and passages, most reaching a depth of 18m and staying underwater for close to an hour.

The wind continued to strengthen and the skipper Steve wisely took us for the surface interval on a mooring in Geordie bay. Subsequently, we abandoned the plans for the second scheduled site and proceeded to a more sheltered spot near the Basin.  The divers thought this site was “alright too” and enjoyed another 40–60 minutes underwater, reaching about 13 meters. A sizeable cray specimen was brought back by an expert hunter, while others have caught “Houdini lobsters", which did a splendid escaping act from their captors loops. A pair of divers surfacing a bit further from the boat commendably deployed their SMB, which was wise since just a little earlier a boat passed us by within the required 50m zone despite the best yelling efforts by Steve. 

The way home was bouncy but uneventful, with a little detour to the Fremantle fishing harbour for refuelling. A warm welcome to the nomination diver, Greg - we hope you have enjoyed your first dives with the club!

Filip Welna

Photo credits - Martin Crossley

2026 Rottnest Pilgrimage Spot Available

Due to a last-minute cancellation, we have a bed available for the upcoming Rottnest Pilgrimage trip in a male shared room. If you would like to join the trip, please contact Liz at socialbookings@uecwa.com.au for more information. This won't last long, so jump in quick!

Palau Micronesia - November 2026

Have you seen the news? Our Palau Dive Trip is shaping up to be something truly special! Think crystal-clear water, dramatic walls, thrilling drift dives and some of the most iconic sites in the world. If Palau has been on your bucket list, this is your chance to experience it with a great crew. 

Click on Upcoming Club Trips for more information on the website about all of our club trips.

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