We arrived at the dive
shop and instantly received apologies and suggestions to sort out our mess. We were offered a full refund and then free dive on the Navy Pier at 2.30pm that day. In fact, that plan suited us perfectly as it meant we could get our diving gear dry overnight and packed so we could leave first thing in the morning.
We had some business to attend to in town for the morning such as email and
post office before diving and got ourselves sorted out and relaxed. This time we took ourselves to the dive
shop. We went out to the Pier with a group of Open Water Course students but were allowed to do our own thing. We were able to get in the water first and left alone to explore the wonders under the Pier. It really is a great dive, but again, shame about the low visibility around 10m. The Pier is enormous and at a maximum of 14m and the majority between 8 - 3m we were able to spend an hour in the water. Access to the Pier is restricted and permits must be obtained or entry permitted only through two of the local dive operators who must collect an entrance key from the APS (Australian Protective
Services) before every visit. Only a few years ago, when the Americans ran the naval communications operation, access had to be approved 2 weeks in advance. The Pier is now used to supply the Harold Holt Naval Communications base at
Exmouth that operates an impressive VLF (Very Low Frequency) series of transmitters, which are taller than the Eifel Tower.
Tonight we cooked our second fillet of Queenfish which was prepared in a thai red curry sauce with fresh corriander and rice. Tomorrow we plan to move on around the Cape into the National Park area where there are about 90 great
beach camp spots for only $5 per night on an honour system. We intend to stock up so we can spend at least 5 days out there before continuing down the coastline to
Coral Bay. The area is too shallow for diving but some excellent snorkelling is expected and great fishing too. David was really impressed by catching the Queenfish and is looking forward to catching all we need for the next week.