UECWA Newsletter

11th March 2026

Upcoming Dives

Rottnest Pilgrimage 14th - 21st March 2026

Carpet Emporium & Flat Top - Sun 22nd March

Night Dive (Dinner Fishing Boat Harbour) - Fri 27th March

Sandy Cave & Yellow Buoy Shark Cave  - Sat 28th March

The Maze & Goon Bag Double (Rotto Drop Off) - Sun 29th March

Dive Report - Saturday 7th March

Photo credit - Martin Crossley

Skipper Chris Cunnold and DO Will Glendon took a full boat of 14 divers out, including two nomination divers — welcome to Lesley and David!

The wind wasn’t quite what was forecast, but we enjoyed the trip out to the west end of Rottnest Island and were treated to a pod of dolphins along the way.

Our first dive at Grey Nurse Gully was spectacular! Visibility wasn’t the best, but the caves and gullies were stunning. My buddy Jeff quickly regretted his decision not to bring his crayfishing gear and managed to grab two big crays by hand within minutes of descending. He promptly swam them back up to the boat before half the divers were even in the water!

We followed some narrow passages that opened into spectacular large caves — I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many crayfish on one dive. Surprisingly, Shane returned without a single one… what happened there, mate? We also spotted some lovely big dhufish, blue groper and harlequin fish, along with an array of cleaner shrimp and cowries. Everyone had an enjoyable dive and loved the terrain.

During our surface interval we headed into Eagle Bay to escape the building winds, along with what seemed like half of Perth! It was busy! Once everyone had refuelled with lunch and shared a few lollies, we headed back out for dive two.

Unfortunately, another boat was already anchored on our intended spot, so we made our way to Marjorie’s Dark Hole instead.

Once again we jumped in and found beautiful holes and caves — also filled with crayfish! Jeff and I spent some time poking around and had already caught a couple by the time Shane popped his head in. He’d brought a catch bag and we gratefully filled it up!

I caught my very first crayfish by hand and was very proud — I’m hopeless with a cray loop! Once I started getting the hang of it I was keen to continue, so the three of us moved from hole to hole grabbing what we could, eventually returning to the boat with thirteen between us. It was great fun — thanks guys!

There were plenty of schools of skippy and sweep, along with a couple of small rays hiding in the weeds. Again the visibility wasn’t great, but the terrain more than made up for it.

Back at Coogee we divided the crayfish between anyone who wanted some, then had the mandatory drink at the pub before heading home. I stopped by my grandparents’ place on the way and dropped off a bag of fresh crayfish, which brought a tear to my old grandad’s eye. Might have to bring him crays more often, he's sung my praises to the whole family! 

Thanks as always to the volunteers who make these fantastic days happen — we couldn’t do it without you!

Mel Daws

Dive Report - Sunday 8th March

Photo credit - Carl Anders

11 divers headed out to Stragglers Reef on Sunday thanks to Steve (Skipper), Taryn (DO) and Hannah (Trainee DO). A very special thank you to John and Mike who booked on the day before to allow Taryn a SI dive today … it's very much appreciated as it’s been a struggle to get any dives in lately!

With a bit of unexpected surface chop about the place, we weren’t quite sure what to expect underwater today. Crazy Wobby was our first site with divers reporting surgy conditions below with up to 10m viz. A few crays were caught as well, with other divers spotting an Eagle Ray, Octopus, Coral banded shrimp and a large Samsonfish.

The crew were struggling a little on deck in the bumpy conditions so we decided to move over towards The Lagoon for the second dive. It was here John and Taryn jumped in for a SI dive and explored the reef below. They ended up a bit further away than expected but on a perfect bearing back to the boat. But it was all for a great cause, with John catching two decent sized crays which Taryn enjoyed for dinner that night. We also spotted a massive school of Buff Bream and Bullseye.

Back on the boat, the divers were enjoying a delicious Black Forrest cake from Marie to celebrate Carl’s 70th Birthday! On his next dive, he spotted what he called a T-Rex cray but wasn’t quite able to catch it. Nonetheless, he still came up with two jumbo crays which he also planned to eat for dinner that night.

Despite the unexpected bumpy conditions, it was a decent day out and not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Taryn Schuster

Coogee Marina Cleanup - This Weekend!

Our Environmental Officer, Taryn Schuster, is calling for expressions of interest for a Coogee Marina Underwater Clean Up on Saturday 14th March.

Sam from the Marina has kindly confirmed we can proceed on this date and will provide her boat to transfer divers to the selected clean-up area.

Proposed plan:

• Meet at 8:30am

• In the water by 9:00am

• Divers and land crew needed

• Site will be determined based on numbers

Taryn is currently finalising details, and numbers will help with planning (including sourcing our trusty hessian bags!).

If you’re keen to dive or assist as ground crew, please email environment@uecwa.com.au to express your interest.

Let’s make a positive impact on our local marine environment — and perhaps celebrate afterwards with a drink at the pub. More details to come once numbers are confirmed.

Palau Micronesia - November 2026

Still dreaming about Palau?
Our November dive trip is coming together nicely and spots are starting to fill. If Palau has been on your bucket list, now is a great time to check out the details and secure your place with the 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