Sandbagged

Playing hide and seek

Well I didn’t manage a snorkel every workday this week, and in truth I’m not sure why. The winds were predicted to be up so I was sceptical about my chances. However, from early on each morning before it was light I listened out to get an idea of what the winds were actual up to and most days it was calm. That along with the chance to take advantage of working from home and where we live enabled me get out four days out of five, the first one I have already written up a post for. And as you might imagine with three dips to report on in this post it will be a bit longer than usual. Even more so as I also reflect on past finds and report back on a few identifications I have since obtained:

On Tuesday I had to schedule the snorkel around some meetings, and this resulted in heading down a little later in the morning. The forecast had indicated it would work well, but when we got down there things had picked up and the surface was starting to roll. Today however Lisa was intending to come into the water with me, so we went in anyway. No wetsuits were donned today, nor for any of my swims this week. This was in part intentional so I wouldn’t stay out too long and chew up too much of the working day. Working from home save me an hour of travel each day, but I still need to do my hours and I’m not one for working into the evenings:

While not a new find this image of a Rock Lobster is probably one of the clearest I have taken to date. It hadn’t picked the best place to be and struggled to get much further away from my lens allowing me a bit more time to focus the camera, and also being in more light than when I have attempted to snap them deeper inside their hidey holes. The mosaic patterning is stunning, resembling a glass stained window with precisely placed small segments of colour looking like jewels. The best part is that being out in the open just a bit meant that Lisa got to see it from her vantage point on the surface, she’s not one for duck diving so this was the first one she has seen underwater:

One of the most common fish see is the Orange Spotted Wrasse, a fish that will hide in the weed and stick it’s head out observing where I am and what my intended actions maybe. Acting on my actions as soon as I make a move. Today I spotted what I felt to be a different wrasse and as I attempted to catch it on camera it acted in very much the same way making use of the weed, popping it’s head out and darting away when I got to close only to hide a bit further away and again watch me. Checking my fish book as I type away I have discovered that it is the male Orange Spotted Wrasse, whereas the ones I see more commonly are the female of this fish.

So on the topic of identifying fish, through QuestaGame it seems that the Wobbegong I spotted and reported in my post called Trying to Focus was not the spotted variety but the western variety. These two look very similar but the spotted variation has a distinctive triangle pattern between the eyes on top of the head. Looking back at the images it is now obvious that it doesn’t. Despite my persistent research to attempt to identify the following urchin I finally had to resort to my App. I’ve seen a few of these urchins and thought they were pencil urchins, due to the thickness of the spines. What has thrown me is the textured nature of the spines and what looked like suckers on the ends. I was however close, and it is actually an Impressive Pencil Urchin:

Lisa got cold pretty quickly during our swim and that along with the rolling water, which had made her feel a little sea sick, resulted in her going in before me. I didn’t stay out all that much longer as what with the later start the swell was picking up and work was calling me, with the next meeting booked in precisely one hour after I had walked out of the house. Making my way back in I scoured the ocean floor for one more find worth checking out, and while I see so many Shaw Cowfish this female was in amongst the more soft looking weed and made for a nice image:

The water had certainly roughened up and it usually when I get to the shore I realise how much. This is where I found Lisa soaking, up a few rays. That reminds me that we had seen a ray as soon as we had gone out. The little Stingaree that I had seen in my previous snorkel was again in the shallows, and it was once more hiding in all the weed that had become detached during less calm conditions and was now collecting on the sandy area near the beach. I had called it a Bight Stingaree in my post having relied on my books, but checking it out in more detail before posting it on QuestaGame I changed my mind:

This time I guessed correctly that it was a Striped Stingaree, the marking were just that little bit different. I also discovered the Striped Stingaree is endemic to the shallow waters off the South West of Western Australia, so this one really is at home at our local beach. I can’t recall now why but Wednesday came and went and I didn’t get out for a swim. When Thursday arrived it was a different story and this time I head out before eight to be greeted to beautifully calm conditions and an empty beach. Obeying the rules of the lock down I still however wore my mask walking to and from the spot I go into the water. Almost immediately I thought I had come across that little Striped Stingaree for a third time:

Despite being almost identical in size if you look back at the images of the previous post, No Complaints, you will notice a few differences. I’ll mention the colouration first, this one was far darker and didn’t have the same subtle patterning of the previous stingaree. But more obvious was the shape of the tail, this one was pointed at the end and that was a clear indication to me that this was not a stingaree but a stingray. My guess was a Black Stingray, and a juvenile at that as they can reach up to 4m long. I’ve only ever seen the adults at Peppy Beach once and they are huge. I also took a bit of video footage of this small one so you can see how they propel themselves through the water, it is really graceful and lovely to watch:

Snorkel 01 04-02-2021 Download

Now the way QuestaGame works is that other players get a chance to guess your finds, and after that has been completed the experts come in to undertake the final verifications. I have noticed that often the other players will provide a more detailed guess delving into the species, whereas the experts will often stay at the next level up of the genus or at times family. The reason being that the lower levels at times require far more conclusive evidence, which they at times mention is just not possible to verify from the images provided. For my stingray above I’m waiting for the verification but it looks like it may be the Giant Black Stingray, which can grow up to 4.3m long. What distinguishes the two I have not been able to find out, so I’ll await the experts verdict and see if they give me any advice on the differences to look out for next time:

I was however correct first hit with the above urchin. Like the Impressive Pencil Urchin I do not get to see these Western Slate Pencil Urchins all that often. This one also has distinctive chunky spines, but these are smooth with blunt rounded ends. Also the body is deep red colour, as oppose to brown and the finer patterning on the body is less prominent. I tend to find these stuck deep in rocky hollows and relatively clean. Whereas the other variety is more out in the open and often covered in weed, almost obscuring it from view. This one however was much easier to identify using google and all the local websites I make use of to identify my finds, making me think it may be more widely spread or the other variety is so well camouflaged when it coats itself in weed that people just don’t see it:

I have passed over the above image but it is included for a very good reason. Not only does it show how amazing the visibility was today but if you look closely you will hopefully see why I took it. A Giant Cuttlefish was cruising along underneath me. It was clear that it had spotted me, as it made a slow but determined path towards the clump of weed in front of it. Once there it nestled underneath the weed, away from my prying eyes. The swell wasn’t huge today but the 15-20 second cycle would gently push the water shoreward and then back out to sea, and on the shoreward path it drew the weed the same way revealing the cuttlefish:

It was in 3-4m of water and I duck dived down to check out the cuttlefish, and I’m pleased to report it didn’t seem too perturbed by me saying hello. I can count on one hand the number of times I have come across these gentle creatures and it always feel like a great privilege. Despite getting cold I hung about for ages and eventually it came out and carried on with its journey, which took it up and over a shallower part of the reef. While I didn’t take any video footage this time, I got a heap of stunning images including this one in which you can clearly see its funnel underneath the head. It draws water in through this funnel, which then passes over its gill allowing it to extract oxygen:

I headed back to shore starting to chill on the inside. This wasn’t helped by cloud creeping over the sky and blocking out the warming rays of the sun. With reduce light the water looked more murky and I couldn’t see as far away from me. As I looked sideways I could just make out a dark shape heading my way. As it approached it diverted round me at a very healthy distance, too far to get a clear image but close enough for me to be able to see that it was another ray, and this one was missing its tail. Maybe the chances are too small but I do wonder if it the same tail-less ray I have seen before. Sadly having trawled through thousands of past images I can’t find any evidence of that previous encounter:

I left it to head on its way and as I got closer to shore another and then third similar ray came my way size both with their tails intact. These two were clearly different and there was a larger and smaller one, the image below being of the latter. Long whip like tails made it easier to have a go at identifying them. I also took a short clip of their very different swimming technique, compared to the previous stingray, this time using their more pointed wings just like a bird. I have always called these Eagle Rays, but it seems that Eagle Rays usually have a variable pattern of spots and stripes. These did not so I guess it may be the Australian Cownose Ray, but another player on QuestaGame suggests it is an Southern Eagle Ray. Another one I’ll have to await the experts verification on:

Snorkel 02 04-02-2021 Download

With so many finds I was out a bit longer on Thursday. Back in my office at home I was shivering a little and my fingers were not function fully as I tried to tap away at the keyboard. It took a good hour before the tea I was constantly sipping warmed me up from inside, while the fleece jacket I was wearing was keeping me insulated on the outside. Friday came and again the wind was low and water calm, as I went in the visibility was the best yet. I’ve continued to see lots of Blue Swimmer Crab, and while they are amazing to see they just seem too common to pop onto QuestaGame. I did however pop down for a closer look at this one and it didn’t seem to want to swim far away or bury itself. So I took a video of it both crawling and swimming away from me:

Snorkel 1 05-02-2021 Download

As I went over the reef proper the life below me seemed quiet, so I bobbed about keenly looked out to both sides hoping to spot more creatures heading my way. So now seems to good time to mention that the very small thing I found floating near the surface, and included in a recent previous post called Trying to Focus, has been identified as a Melibe Nudibranch. Growing up seven inches long this was obviously a juvenile. The image was in focus enough to be able to have the plate like features identified as cerata, which are structures that can be used for breathing, digestion and also defence. They are usually found on the surface but at times become detached and will then float about, and I was lucky to be in the right time at the right place to see this one. I’ve not come across a mature one of these, but checking them out online they look very cool:

Nothing headed my way. Some may think that is a good thing but while coming out is a great way to just relax and free the mind of quite literally everything, I also head out to see things big or small. With little to grab my attention I started to randomly duck dive down, and that allowed me to get a rare full body image of a small female Orange Spotted Wrasse. As soon I as pressed the button it darted into the weed and repeated the pattern I had seen so often before, poking its head out and as I get closer darting off to the next place to observe me from. More often than not they stay within eyeshot and do not seem to swim off so I can’t find them. It almost feels like playing a game of hide and seek, and the way they stay reasonably close it feel like they want to game to continue:

On one of my random dives down I spotted a Feather Duster Worm, and I’m pretty sure it is exactly the same one I included in most post almost a year ago to the day on 27 January 2020 (https://sandbagged.blog/2020/01/27/the-old-stomping-ground/). Today however the water really was calm and I was able to get very close. Both of these factors making it easy to get some great focused close up images of the intricate feathery branchiae, which is the technical name for gills. Eventually after three or four dives down to check this beauty out it retracted into its protective tube. But to see an image of the tube you will have to head to my previous post:

Today it was a shorter stint in the water, but as I came back in my luck with rays for the week continued. I caught sight of a Striped Stingaree the tail giving it away. Maybe the same one from the previous days, but this time it wasn’t so content to be observed and quickly darted off. I then spotted a Southern Fiddler Ray and was hoping to get some footage of this fella swimming to add to the collection. Sadly each time I went down it settled down and stayed motionless. A bit like a kid playing hide and seek, thinking that if you don’t move and close your eyes it magical becomes hidden from sight:

No complaints

Not that I’m complaining, as what we are going through really is a drop in the ocean compared to so many other people round the world, but we have after all our months of freedom gone into a five day lockdown. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets extended and if that happen the timing would be a shame, as next week Elseya is supposed to be heading off to university. Moving out and finding her own two feet without the immediate security of home, with us there to help her out. I am however getting distracted:

Seeing we are working from home and only allowed out for an hour a day for some exercise, what better an idea than to head to the beach. So after shutting down the computer after work that is what Lisa and I did. I of course checked the wind, swell and tide conditions before heading down and decided to take a chance. Before I had even got to the reef I came across a Bight Stingaree trying to hide in the mass of weed collecting on the sand, settling out after last week’s less favourable conditions. I went down to check it out one time to often and it was off:

The water clarity was pretty good. And as I came over the reef I saw a nice trigger fish, which disappeared with what looked to be a sudden flick of a tail. Something looked wrong, the tail looked too big so I went down and sure enough there was another fish that hadn’t run for cover. The long feelers near the mouth are a pretty good indicator of what I had come across, and I have been hoping to see one of these for a long time. The large googly eyes looked like the one you can buy from a craft shop, and appeared to be stuck on and disproportionately large:

Estuary Catfish are benthic fish, like the Spotted Wobbegong I found on the last dive. Meaning they dwell on the lowest part of the water body, the feelers search out the food and a large mouth sucks it up. The broad head like the eyes looked too large for the rest of the body, which ends in a skinny almost flat vertical tail. Like the little Stingaree this fish also has venomous spines, and I’ve just read they can be very painful and repeat stabs can be fatal. So it’s lucky I didn’t get too close:

Fuelled with curiosity and a urge to find more things I ducked dived down to just about every ledge I could find. Lots more juvenile fish were out, and while I followed them about it was more just to observe than take images. Checking out under each ledge I was hoping that something might be lurking but that was not to be. I did however really like this little collection of bivalves with a bryozoan nested next to them. The bivalves detected my presence and rapidly shut, I seem to have a knack for disturbing things today:

In one of the sandy patches a strange shape caught my eye, and on closer inspection I was greeted with this sight. Part of me was hoping it was another fascinating burrowing creature and I was just lucky to have spied it. But now looking at it and after consulting with Rongy we wonder if it may be the underside of a Cushion Sea Star. The white bits being decaying flesh. There is a sea urchin spine next to it and maybe that is the culprit? While I could have dug round it to check it out, and gruesome as this may seem, it is usually best to leave such natural situations to play out as nature intended:

My search continued and there were fish here and there, no big shoals like in my last dive but a few pretty ones. While I have capture images of Smooth Western Boxfish numerous times before, I really like this picture. The fish stands out really well against the lush green background. While it wasn’t overly keen on me prying into its life, it kept popping in and out of the weed as if to allow me to capture a few great images. For once here is a fish that I feel the female is prettier than the male, and I left her alone while I carried on with my own journey:

The direction of that journey was now to the shoreline. Only being in my boardies today the water was sucking the heat out of my body that bit quicker. But as is so often the case I got distracted, this time by what I believed to be a Coral Shell. As I got closer I noticed that there was an inhabitant, and for a change it seemed not to mind me being about. Due to the direction the light was coming I wasn’t able to get a clear image of its legs and claws but the two piercing orange eyes and its long skinny antenna can be clearly seen:

So it is fair to say that I really am not complaining about being in lock down. With our beach a short three minute walk away, being snorkelling season, and the water seeming to come to life after a bit of a sketchy start what better place to be stuck. Despite the beach not having many people on it, the odd dog walker and swimmer, we still donned our masks as directed. I get the feeling that there may be a few more beach trips this week, but whether I’ll score such great afternoon conditions in the water is yet to be seen:

Trying to focus

Seeing I had bouldered on my indoor wall on Wednesday and then climbed at Welly Dam before work on Friday, I had already decided that I needed to rest up from climbing this weekend leaving me two whole days to get some snorkelling in. Geoff and I were hoping to go in for a dip and kept an eye on the conditions, Friday night and Saturday morning the wind was lousy so we opted for a Sunday dip. However, after a busy morning of domestic chores on Saturday I checked the forecast and it looked like the wind would drop soon after midday:

Drop it did and the water went pancake, with only ripples hitting the beach. With optimism I went in only to be greeted by a pea soup visibility. Not a huge surprise, as it needs time for the sediment and weed to settle out. Seeing I was in the water I went for a look anyway. My only find of note being two spawn masses from the Giant Troubridge Head-shield Slug, a slug that feeds on other burrowing slugs and eats them whole. How do I know this you may ask, well I came across the same sack like discovery off Higgins Cut a few weeks back and managed to get it identified on QuestaGame:

I lasted 20min in the water as it just wasn’t worth staying out any longer. Sunday however was another day, and with light winds all night a nice low tide I felt like my optimism might be better placed today. Even more so as we had decided to head past The Point, where the reef is full of weed with less sand about to be stirred up. It was the first time I have driven on the beach this season, heading down past the Capel River mouth. We went quite a way passing a few vehicles, the masses have all left due to school going back tomorrow (in theory):

I say in theory, as just this afternoon it was announced that the school holidays would be extended by a week, due to a lockdown coming into effect. Regardless of that all the tourists were gone, the caravan park looks almost empty and the beaches are thankfully once again quiet. Geoff, Nana, Gav, Moni and Lisa and I headed out today, and we were not disappointed. The water was flat, wind was gentle and water was clear. Just 30m off the shore and we were greeted by beautifully coloured weed:

The low tide meant that much of the reef was close to the surface, there are crevices that you can follow into the main reef. They open up with caves below, and I went in and out of these in the hope of finding something interesting, stuck and unable to easily escape my lens. Nothing was about, just like I have said in previous posts it seems life had not truly started to come out on the reefs, at least not in the numbers that we experienced last year. After a while the ever faithful Banded Sweeps appeared, and one by one I spotted other fish both young and mature:

Some in large numbers such as the Herring others isolated such as the Herring Cale. There were also lots of Bell Clapper shells littering the small sandy areas in-between the reef. At night time these shells, or more correctly the creatures that live inside them move about the floor leaving a trail in the sand, as the large home is dragged along. Keen to see if I could find one of the inhabitants, I went down checking them out and was in luck. The claw and a couple of legs from a Hermit Crab poking out from this one, and quickly retracting when it realised I was watching:

With no new fish to report below is an image of a striking bright orange Velvet Sea Star. Most sea stars I’ve found are red or orange in colour, not just the velvet but also mosaic and biscuit sea stars, and this makes them easy to spot. The small sacks protruding from their bobbly skin, I’m told are like gills and assist with oxygen exchange. Like fish they extract the oxygen from the water, a reason why taking these creatures out of the water is fatal for them:

The fish that I spied in good sized shoals were Herring and Buff Bream, these would spot me and go round me. Then came along a large shoal of more sleek slivery looking fish, probably a thousand of them or more, and they were heading right for me. The school of White Trevally hung about unafraid of me and when I ducked dived down they circled me, only to continue on a more linear path as I went back up to the surface. Never seeming to be in a rush to get away allowing me lots of time to interact with them:

Past the Point 01 31-01-2021 Download

The six of us had seemed to go in different directions, Gav and Geoff were ready to nab a feed if they could. Catch bags and spear guns at the ready they scooted about duck diving up and down checking all the hidey holes. Rock lobsters were about, the long white antenna sticking far enough out to be seen from above gave them away, but they were hiding just deep enough in these rocky shelters to escape Gav and Geoff’s clutches. Even when Gav went back to the beach to grab his scuba gear allowing him to stay down longer and try that bit harder:

Lisa stayed close to shore, not usually one to go out to deeper water. Moni and Nana followed the boys for a while before going solo. While it may seem a little rude of me not to stick with Lisa, she wouldn’t have ventured out as far as me and in truth once you head is under water you really don’t communicate all that much. I did pop my head up occasionally to see where the others were and they were scatter about and usually far away, I was alternating between checking out the deeper water then heading to the reef:

Above I spied a very well camouflaged fish, with just its head poking above the weed carefully watching me. Hoping to sneak up on it and get a better image I was disappointed as it darted off, only allowing me a very quick look at the body shape and colouration. My guess is a Rainbow Cale, the same type of fish that got away from me near Canal Rocks. I’m was little surprised with the length of time I seemed to be spending in the water and the amount of ground that I was covering that I hadn’t managed to find too many other new fish or creatures:

With the water clarity I got some great images of Buff Bream, which seemed to follow me round almost as much as the Banded Sweeps, despite them keeping a healthier distance than the White Trevally. I also came across this very beautiful and curious Juvenile Moonlighter, this one being quite young. You can tell by the very distinct black dot with a yellow band round them, at the bottom and top of the anal and rear dorsal fins. As they get older the bottom one fades first and then eventually the top one also disappears:

With all the sheltered areas round this reef I found quite a few juvenile fish, but these ones were the most prolific. I came across them several times in large numbers, and haven’t seen them off my local beach. The deep abdomen with a body that tapers off to towards the tail, a relatively large eye and prominent dorsal fin makes me think they maybe young Bullseye. Quite different the juvenile Gobbleguts in my last fishy post, including having an orange spine. It is hard to get good image of small and transparent fish; the camera focuses on the background:

I had the same issue with this small creature, which was transparent for most of its body. I almost passed it by, but it looked a little different. As I watched it, this 1cm long animal looked to have five stegosaurus like plates sticking up and seemed to compress and then extend itself in a manner to allow it to propel its way through the water. I watched it for a while, even taking a video in which it was even more of blurred. Definitely one for me to have checked out by others, and I’m not even going to try and guess what it was.

My fingertips were finally starting to tingle and looking up everyone else was back on the beach, some had been there for a while now. Heading in I saw a flick of a tail and after searching the area I spotted the familiar head of a Wobbegong, or a carpet shark. I’ve seen them before but this is the first one this season, he came out of the weed and swam to a more secure place allowing me a great look at the markings making me sure it is a Spotted Wobbegong. It was then time to get out after my longest snorkel ever, having spent 2 hours in the water:

Precognition

Being woken by the alarm at 3:45 made me wonder what I was thinking when I said I would meet Howsie and Rongy up at Welly Dam for a before work climb. My mind nor body was ready for such a rude awakening and if it wasn’t for the full moon, most of the journey would have been in total darkness. That said the view back towards the lights of Bunbury, as I drove up the scarp was pretty specky. And as I got closer to the crag I could see light starting to creep into the sky from the east:

It felt like it was dark enough to use head torches as we pulled our harnesses on, but as Rongy made his way up the first few meters up the crag it either got lighter or our eyes were adjusting to the available light. By the time Rongy was coming back down Raging Torrent the morning had truly broken. Now climbing with three, while trying to squeeze the routes in before heading to work, means we have to be efficient in the way we climb. It was my lead next and I had already set the crate below my chosen route before Rongy had finished his route:

It started off as if all three of us were aging men. I was wondering how I would pull up after pulling plastic on Wednesday night, and with no one else turning up I bouldered by myself and in situation like that I am a little guilty of probably going too hard for too long with not enough rests. Rongy had been out on a big mountain bike ride just yesterday and Howsie had been rehearsing with his band to get ready for a gig this weekend. Despite each of us confessing to reasons we may be tired today, we still pulled the rope after every lead forcing each of us to lead every route:

I had picked BBQ. My thinking being that the first route would limber Howsie’s body up being a traditional style route with lots of three dimensional moves. Then BBQ would warm up the fingers with more technical moves on small holds. All of this was to prepare Howsie for his lead, which of course being 2021 was a grade 21. As he led up my route, he was looking pretty lethargic and I managed to not only run round to get some top down images but also run between the crag and the view over the reservoir as the sun finally popped over the horizon:

When I came back down there was no putting off the inevitable, Just Do It was next. As Rongy cleaned BBQ, Howsie did a quick mental check of the moves that lay ahead. Like an elite athlete he was not only going through the moves in his mind but also physically going through them with his arms. Despite Rongy and my initial, but admittedly short lived, gripes of being tired it would seem that drumming take more out of you than bouldering or mountain biking. We both fared better than Howsie on his chosen route:

Rongy was on fire, what’s new, as he then taunted Howsie by picking a second 21 for his next route… Silverback. A feisty start leading into a delicate and balancy second half, one that threatens to spit you off if you lack conviction or stall for just a moment too long. Rongy walked up it, so fast in fact that he was practically finished before I had cleaned the last route and had a chance to come over an snap an image. I stalled for a little too long on the slab and was spat off, and Howsie did the same claiming it was his chin that pushed him off:

We both got it on the next shot, which is good as Howsie at least managed to complete and tick of one grade 21 today. I really had no idea what to do next, so Rongy pointed me to Shock Therapy which I gobbled up in just a few minutes. If this is the result of bouldering by myself maybe I should do it more often? It was only at this point that I got to hear the Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos. It was only very faint and they didn’t fly over us, but it still counts and I’m yet to climb here without hearing them:

Rongy managed another clean lead, claiming to have almost fallen off near the top, yeah right. Howsie meanwhile foresaw he would take a fall and resorted to seconding the route, as such with a rope above him when he took the fall that he had foreseen he didn’t go too far. By the end of it he was pretty knackered and so chose the short but fun Block and Tackle to polish off whatever strength was left in his arms. By now the sky was a glorious blue and the 3:45 alarm was forgotten and forgiven:

Weighing up the risk

With a cyclone bearing down on the northern parts of Western Australia a weather change was on the cards for us too. Clouds were forming in the sky, the temperature was dropping by double digits, the winds however were not changing and if anything seemed to be less intense that previous weeks. I chanced a dip in at Wave Walk yesterday but due to the cloud and a bit of a swell visibility was horrendous. I stayed in hoping to chance across something worth reporting about but came out without having snapped a single image, which is a first:

Today it was a much clearer sky and there was but a whisper of wind, so I went down to our local beach. The beach sported two new and very visible signs warning people where they could and couldn’t take their vehicles. I’m guessing, as I type this, that the beach will be overrun with 4WDs and big family setups. No doubt everyone will be doing the traditional trip to the water on Australia Day. While it would have been good to wait probably an hour for the sun to get a bit higher in the sky, the high probability of crowds was a good reason to head down early:

The beach was already starting to fill up with cars coming down, and it looked like at least one party had spent the previous night camped here. Underwater the visibility was way better than the previous day, but with a relatively low sun the light was struggling to penetrate the water. As I crossed the initial sandy patch I spotted the shape of a Western Shovel Nose Ray, blending is beautifully with the sand. I dove down a couple of times to have a closer look but tried not to disturb him too much:

When the visibility isn’t so great the water feels so much deeper. Admittedly it was three hours past high tide, and the encroachment of a full moon was making the tidal variation more pronounced. But even with the greater tidal range is only a matter of a metre. The low sun was sending its rays down and they were reflecting of the sediment that was floating about in the water. A swell was still about but it had eased off from yesterday. So with little chance of seeing much from above it was time to start going down for a closer inspection:

There wasn’t too much to see, the nooks and crannies all looked quiet and while I saw a few fish there was nothing particular exciting. Also when the light is low trying to get any decent images under the ledges is pretty well impossible. It is about time however that I included a picture of the one fish that without doubt I am guaranteed to see on every dive. The Banded Sweep is quite a large heavy set fish. They will follow me round no doubt hoping that I will dislodge some food, as I unintentionally but at times unavoidably disturb the sediment:

Yesterday due to the water not looking great and thinking I might not be in for long I didn’t bother with a wetsuit. Entering the water it normally best to just dive in rather than slowly creep out as the water inches up your body. But the water had felt so much warmer, almost bath like. So today I didn’t bother with a wetsuit and again it felt warm. I have mentioned that I am starting to see more shoals of baby fish, which I should technically call juvenile fish. And I wonder if the water warming up might be partially responsible:

I find the above variety bobbing about near the top of the weed. Allowing me to dive down and come up from underneath to get much clearer images. With a small round silvery abdomen and transparent tail, they seem so different from the juvenile Western Gobbleguts that I find hiding under rock shelves (below). The body of the fish below being silvery with black dots starting to form along their sides, making them easy to identify. That said in the image above the distinct black spot at the tail and similar eyes makes me think they too are Western Gobbleguts just younger:

Maybe I haven’t been l noticing it in previous years, but the weed this year has got lots of nodule like growths on it. The 3-5cm, light brown, knobbly growths almost looks like an infection. A bit like when a fungus is growing out of a tree trunk. As yet I have not got a clue as to what it may be and whether it is or is not a sign of poor health. I’m hoping not as if the weed starts to suffer most of the life I get to see would likely move to other areas. Something for me to check on QuestaGame and report back on:

As I scoured the weed I came across two collections of eggs. Initially passing them off as Southern Calamari Squid eggs, the same as those I recently found off Higgins Cut. Those were confirmed as Southern Calamari Squid eggs using QuestaGame. These however where not straight cylindrical shaped, but instead looking like one of those oddly shaped long balloons that narrow and then widen out multiple times. I think these may be Bigfin Reef Squid Eggs, and will test my theory using QuestaGame to see if I am right:

Despite only being in my boardies I wasn’t feeling cold, but I was approaching the 45min mark and we were due to head to the neighbours for breakfast. Time to head in, and as I usually do I took a leisurely pace scouring the sand. I was again rewarded finding a Sparsely Spotted Stingaree, and this time I did duck dive down several times and get close. The thing that fascinates me most about rays being their eyes, and I wonder how well they can see and what I look like to them:

I was obviously not completely terrifying as I headed down several times and got really close. I persisted and kept going down I must have become sufficiently annoying, as it finally decided to swim off. Based on its rate of departure, which was not fast, I would say I was more of a nuisance than a threat. I was however warry as I headed back to shore, yesterday a stinger got me across my chest and I didn’t fancy a repeat performance. While not around in great numbers they are starting to become more abundant:

Join the queue

The group of climbers on our South West WhatsApp group has had a bit of a growth spurt recently, and this includes a few new to climbing and a number of non-trad climbers. A few of these people have expressed an interest in trying trad climbing, and I’ve put it out there that I’m happy to show them the ropes so to speak. Ash is one of those people. Previously a sport climber, currently a boulderer and with his sights on adding trad climbing to round off his climbing skills. And this morning we found ourselves at Wilyabrup to get the ball rolling:

When I picked him up I wasn’t so sure how we would go, a stomach bug had plagued him over the last three days resulting in him lacking energy. During the walk in he trailed behind Jaime and I and was not looking the best. Still when we got to the base of the crag and I pointed him to the first lead I had in mind, he willingly pulled on the harness and racked up. Now I mentioned he was a previous sport climber and now a boulderer, so I picked Setting Sun as the first route. Because it starts as a bit of a boulder problem, and Mario please note I am actually spotting him:

There is then a line of three bolts that leads up the steep wall, and only after then there is a need to use some trad gear in a horizontal break before ascending the top slabby wall. This allowed him to feel comfortable with leading and only need to use trad for a small section. Before he set off there was a quick lesson in placing cams, and he placed two in the break for me to inspect. The key things I had mention was not to over-cam them so they would be hard to get out, consider direction of fall and make sure they don’t walk in by extending them:

I’m happy to report both of his cams were well placed and I was confident they would hold a fall, so much so that I fell on them myself to prove to him they were good. While they would always hold my fall there are two faults in both placements and I wonder who will spot them. Once on top it was time to show Ash what to consider in setting up a belay. First and foremost in case the second falls have bomber gear, keep the system tensioned and make sure it is directional. Secondly but for me equally important are to make sure it is a comfortable belay stance and that whenever possible you can see the person following you up:

As part of all these instructions and tips, there was the rope work to talk about. I love the double figure of eight or bunny ears and that was the first knot I showed him, next being a clove hitch. With these two knots you can set up a system that is easy to adjust from your harness without needing to walk back and forth to your anchors. All this takes time and it is hard not to overload and confuse people, but Ash seemed to have a good grasp of the concepts and was taking it all in. But we were here to learn trad, so next up was a full trad lead:

Not only was Ash being a great sponge, soaking up all my advice, but he was starting to perk up. Energy levels may still be lacking from the last three days but he was relaxed and mentally happy to be leading, which in some ways is more important than having the energy. Twenty Questions was a good next route, easier than the first bolted line and plenty of opportunity for gear placements, whether wires, hexes or cams. Being Ash’s first full trad lead it was time to talk about the carcass catcher, the first piece needing to be directional not only for a fall but also the position of the belayer, so both downwards and outwards:

This is so important to avoid the zipper effect should the leader take a fall. The rope tensions all the way down and if the belayer is stood back a bit, as they most often do, this can result in the first piece popping out. I’ve seen this happen when every piece bar the very top one has popped, which is very scary and highly undesirable. Ash of course had no trouble with the climbing and also managed to mostly place appropriately spaced gear, he also set up his own belay system perfectly. My only criticism when I topped out was that he had run out the top a little, due in part to it being so easy:

I was presently surprised by his carcass catcher, a solid cam in a horizontal (above). This time the errors of the first cams he placed had been rectified, the outer lobs pointing downwards making it a more stable placement and the extender connected to the sling and not the plastic loop. Indeed all of his cams were great, none were over-camed and all bar one was directional. He hadn’t however used any passive gear, so the next choice of climb needed to be carefully thought about to make sure he had lots of opportunities to use wires:

My initial thought was Hope, a steady grade with heaps of wires opportunities. However, this would be the third lead on the trot and taking into account Ash was not 100% I felt a shorter line was required. The obvious one being Left Hand Crack, no end of gear opportunities but also bumping up the grade a bit. Before he set off there were more instructions on wire placements. Looking to make sure there is good contact on both sides, the rock is solid, the wires are preferably deep, the chance that the wires popping out is reduced by making sure they are well seated, and of course making sure they are directional:

One more instruction was given before he set off, and that was to make he used wires or hexes first and only resorted to the use of cams when he was really stumped. The first five pieces were wires, and then he reached the meat of the climb. The crack steepens as the footholds become smaller and the moves become trickier and more sustained. It was time for a bit of yo-yoing, a common sight for leaders getting nervous. He went up and down numerous times, eventually deciding to place a cam to give him the confidence to move up:

He also placed a wire above that. Then with a good three meters of climbing ahead of him he didn’t look to be checking for anymore gear opportunities. By his movements I could tell he was considering to continue to the top. I knew that there was an awkward top out, so started to become nervous as he surged upwards. I moved closer to the wall to reduce how much rope was paid out and preparing myself to catch a fall. It thankfully never came, even when near the top his foot slipped, but fortunately he held on and composed himself before topping out:

If he had slipped off it would have been 5-6m fall, and I had a bit of a word with him about it afterwards. Ash replied saying that as he was going up, he could hear a voice in his head and it was me telling him to look for a gear placements. I had to laugh as I was actually thinking it, but didn’t want to shout up to him, and distract him while he was so focused on the moves. That aside every wire placement was bomber being well seated and directional and having good contact. A top lead and I do hope he is pleased with it:

The only reason I considered putting him up it is that I know he is capable of far harder moves. That said when you climb trad even the strongest of boulderers or sport climbers can crumble under the mental strain of having to place and more importantly trust own gear. Even when the moves are ten grades lower than what they can climb. Ash was now, and not really surprisingly, looking exhausted. So I offered to lead one last route to allow him to check my gear. Jaime was also done. She handed the camera back to me before heading out and leaving us to the obvious choice of Hope:

I was a little surprised when Ash had suggested climbing out with packs, I’m of course well accustomed to this so was more than happy to. So off I set saying that in view of this being a chance for him to inspect my gear I would lace the route with 15 bits of gear, all wires. As it was I only managed 12 bits on route, any more would have been plain ridiculous. He was slow following me up. Maybe because he was tiring, the sun was on us, or due to all the gear he had to get out. As he topped out he said never again, and my heart dropped as I thought I had put him off trad climbing:

Thankfully not and he is keen for more, but he hated climbing with a pack on and swore never to suggest it again. Now while due to clever photography the images do not show many other people around it was certainly busy here. We started with an empty crag but by the time we were ready to leave all the usual classic lines were being attempted. It was the first time ever that I have had to wait for a couple to finish top roping Hope before we could climb it and then, as Ash prepared to second up, for another party to start setting up below us to lead it. It was definitely time to depart:

The brass band

The easterlies looked to be easing after another bout of strong winds so Lisa, Geoff, Esky and myself decided on a local snorkel off Wave Walk. Yesterday, as I returned home from climbing, I had taken a quick detour to check what was happening with the water and from my vantage point while it was a little choppy it looked crystal clear. This morning it didn’t look the same but we put that down to the morning sun not being high in the sky. When it is higher is penetrates the water and rebounds of the white sand to provide an amazing aqua-blue:

The forecast suggested today would start with a southerly, so off shore wind, which made us think it may have been nice and flat. The wind wasn’t due to turn till mid-morning, but the signs were already there for a change to occur and the ripples were beginning to form. However, we were there and it looked invite, so with a positive attitude we suited up to go in. This was to be Lisa’s first snorkel of the season, and as such it took a little more work to wash the toothpaste out of her mask. It was put on last season and since then had hardened up, being now a bit on the stubborn side to rinse off:

The water was clear and I set off on my usual tour of the reef, which is just a short distance off the shoreline. Scouring the weed as the gentle, but ever present, swell was pushing it back and forth. It was just enough to stir up a bit of the sediment. As I looked around small shoals of baby fish started to appear, Elongated hardyheads, Bullseye and Western Pomfrey. These are signs of what I would normally expect to see in December, as the snorkelling season kicks off. Banded Sweeps, Goatfish, Green Wrasse, Herring Cale and other usual suspect popped up here and there, but not in great numbers:

There was also a small school of Herring and then Western Striped Trumpeter fish swam past, they were heading towards the others and I hoped Lisa would see them. The reef felt more asleep compared to my previous trips here, so I ventured further out. Across another deeper patch of sand and towards the next bank of weed. The water was deeper and it was harder to see the tell-tale signs of something unusual. The reef came up a bit in places and I duck dived down to check under shelves and in caves but nothing unusual showed up:

I did however notice that there seemed to be a lot more excrement floating about in the water. I do occasionally see this, but today it looked to be abundant so I kept a keen eye out for what may be about. A larger school of Herring drifted past, but not in the numbers required to generate all the waste floating around me. Then I noticed what looked like a storm cloud (above). This was a massive school of Western Striped Trumpeters, thousands and thousands of them:

They were all tightly knit together with those in the middle heading down to the bottom to scour the weed for a feed, making it look like a mushroom cloud. Unafraid of my presence I got closer and they were happy for me to swim through them and if I stopped they would circle round me blocking out the light. As I did so they lost the cloud formation and spread out and it wasn’t until then that I realised just how many there were. It’s a shame they were not making the sound from which they get their name isn’t louder, as it would have sounded amazing:

It felt like I spent ages diving in, under, over and round these fish and took a few videos, two are linked below. Eventually popped my head up and I could see the other three were either heading in or back at the beach. I started to make my way in but before I got to far I looked back, the big shoal looked to be regrouping into a cloud formation. Leaving them behind the wind had well and truly turned and the water was getting choppy. I kept a watchful eye out but nothing else was to be seen, again the reef seemed to be asleep. No matter, it was lovely to get my head under water and the conditions over the next few days are looking promising:

Wave Walk Snorkel 1 23-01-2021 Download

Wave Walk Snorkel 2 23-01-2021 Download

“C’mon arms, do your stuff”

It’s the last Friday that I will be taking off during my work a four day week January, and Rongy and Jaime joined me for a climb and hopefully snorkel down at Cosy Corner. As we were driving down, at what Jaime suggested was something akin to “stupid o’clock”, I was trying to tally up how many times I had climbed here. This would be my ninth trip, and it is probably fair to say it is the place I have climbed least in the South West. No real reason other than it is a bit further to drive and there aren’t stacks of routes, but every time I come here I love it:

My initial intention for today had been to head to Moses Rocks, but Rongy piped up that he was in Karridale so couldn’t join us but might be able to sneak an early morning climb at Cosy Corner. We picked Rongy up as we passed through Karridale and pulled up at our destination at 5:30. It was evident from climbing in the Zawn at Moses Rocks and then Smiths Beach that Jaime really enjoyed being close the ocean, so I naively thought this place would be right up her alley. However, without really thinking about it we rapped down to climb the Escape Hatch:

The rap down was fine, but maybe a bit more warning that we would be belaying off a narrow ledge with nothing but a 15m drop straight into the ocean below would have been nice. But as with most of the situations we have thrown at her, she took it in her stride. It was evident as we rapped down that despite all the hot 30 plus degree days we have been having the rock was damp. I thought at the time it may have been the rain that came through a few days back, but the observation history indicates this area only got a few millimetres:

What with the wet rock Rongy led back out up the Escape Hatch at a very cautious pace, and looked to be shaking out a bit more than I would expect on a grade 16 route. Without mentioning it I was getting a bit nervous as to how Jaime would go. The whole situation of the exposed belay ledge, wet rock and having watched Rongy not struggle but having to be so careful must have been a bit an unsettling. While the crux move proved a challenge she did really well and worked her way higher and higher, even managing the steep moves up the final wall:

Due to the wet rock we pondered what would be the best next route, some of the lines here are fairly steep and the conditions added a bit of spice. The easier lines here were probably a bit too easy so we stuck with our plan to hit the routes in the middle of the gade range. The rap rap line was moved across and we went back down, with my sights set on Loose Lip. This also meant that the next belay ledge was palatial in comparison and we could spread ourselves out, enjoying the view in a far more relaxed and comformtable position:

The water below was looking reasonably clear but the swell and choppiness, created by a stiff onshore wind, was making us have doubts about getting in. While sections of the route certainly still had a nice sheen to it, at least the rock didn’t seem as bad this time. I got the impression that I was lacing the route up, but looking back at the images the gear seems evenly spaced. Thin flakes and edges were the style for the first half to two thirds of this and the last climb, before then launching up on bigger holds up the final headwall:

Despite the tiring arms that we got to hear about several times, being blamed in part to the Wednesday evening boulder sessions that had only just started back up this week, Jaime was looking comfortable and making good progress. This was hampered at the crux, by the long reach and wet rock but all was forgiven as the holds got bigger as she topped out. With a rope above Rongy, like myself on the first route, glided up without any great difficulties. We were however unsure whether to go back down and whether someone’s arms would be up for it:

Seeing the rap rope was set up and rock had felt a little better we decided to go back down. Jaime hinting that she could just watch and take images, and she did both as Rongy worked his way back up. For a broken and fractured looking crag every line here really is a lot of fun and has a unique character. This one is no different, but with someone’s arms in mind I was thinking that it is also is a little easier and not quite as steep. That was until Rongy decided to take a slightly different approach and layback up a huge flake:

Indecision, was probably a good name for this route when I established it, as it does allow for a few varied approaches before headwall. Rongy’s choice was less technical than stepping left and climbing up the face but it was equally good fun. While it looked powerful, by using good layback techniques it yielded reasonably easy. And despite Jaime’s concerns she romped through it, yes we did manage to convince her to have a go. This flake was also a great prelude to the final layback crack up the headwall, which we were advised had sapped most of the last enthusiasm her arms could muster for steep routes:

Rongy has only been here once before and there was a line that we didn’t hit on that trip, which I was really keen to get his opinion about. Had Dan and I misinformed Steve in more ways than one when he had established Bad Directions? The first reason was entirely Steve’s fault, I mean who mistakes an arête for a corner?! But this did error had yielded a new route, which Dan and I immediately did the second ascent of claiming it only to be a grade 9. When Glen climbed it and managed to break his foot on a lead fall (https://sandbagged.blog/2019/01/27/not-one-to-be-left-out/) I really started to doubt the grade:

By now Jaime was quite used to rapping down into the abyss, and with the promise of a much easier route that wouldn’t be as steep she was sold. Both Jaime and I liked the look of belaying off a huge fallen boulder, meaning that Rongy would need to initially lead out up the wet and greasy black basalt. He contested just a little bit. But the stance we had was a little cramped with three of us, that along with and the potential risk of a large wobbly flake crashing down on us was enough to change his mind. This flake gets a mention in the report when Howsie led this route but I can’t recall now what grade he thought the line was https://sandbagged.blog/2019/12/16/taking-the-backseat/:

Rongy was on a time schedule and we were still considering a dip in the ocean, so this would be the last route. I was however not keen to start my dip prematurely, and while Jaime and I had instigated a belay off the boulder we were both tied in just in case a freak wave happened to hit us. The boulder was wet with puddles all over it, so a bit of neat rope work was also in order to avoid my new rope getting soaked in the salt water. It’s these position that makes this place so magical, and I feel that you may hear about a few return trips in the coming months:

Rongy ambled up the route, hardly stopping except to place a few wisely positioned bits of gear. Even the wobbly flake didn’t seem to slow him down. Jaime too managed a quick ascent and was probably relieved that I had not mislead here when I said it was a less steep route and much easier. However, when she reached the flake she made a rookie mistake of pulling outwards and not downwards, despite having had prior warning it was wobbly. It stayed put but the amount of movement did concern her. The good news being that Jaime’s arms did do their stuff, but not on quite the same difficulty of climb as Ron Fawcett when he did Lord of the Flies and when the catch phrase “C’mon arms, do your stuff” was coined (at 25min in the linked video if you want to hear it):

I was up next and it felt cruisy, I looked up and asked Rongy what he felt and he replied with no more than a 12 and maybe less. Feeling a little better about not sandbagging people too much on this route, and also taking into account the guide makes mention of the loose flake as a warning, we packed up. Back at the car we looked out over the bay, and as we had kinda guessed the swell and chop was too much and would have made snorkelling round the limestone bommies a little treacherous. With luck we can score better conditions on the next trip here. On that trip Rongy might also have more luck with jumping on Petropunster, which he had considered for today but with the rock condition being as it was it would not have been much fun:

Avoiding the crowds

Day two of getting out, it’s shaping up to be a fun long weekend! Today would be a little different. For starters we were driving towards Busselton for a 7am meet which is late in my books, and secondly Lisa was joining us. As we drove the back way we passed the floodgates and here we found the biggest flock of pelicans I have seen. Not only pelicans but there were egrets lining the bank, and grebes and darters out in the water. We simply had to stop and take a picture, but sadly as soon as they saw us they started to move on, and then when I crashed in the undergrowth to get closer they dispersed even quicker:

We couldn’t hang about for too long as we were due to meet Lou and Glen, and as we carried on I made a mental note that I should one morning come out this way to do a spot of bird watching. We were heading out to a spot Glen had stumbled across while exploring the 4WD tracks and coastline, another reason today would be a little different. Glen, Lou and I had been talking about this place for a few weeks now, and today it so happened we were all three available. He drove in and got us to a parking spot with a view. From here it was a ten minute walk down the dune, through amazing limestone formations and over granite boulders:

I’d already seen images, and the boulders looked fun. I wasn’t expecting anything too hard, and indeed today was about very chilled climbing. Both Lou and Glen hadn’t been on rock in ages and needed something cruisy and laid back to gentle reintroduce them into the art of leading. This place was perfect, 6-10m high boulders with a few features but nothing looking too steep. How it would be for gear was yet to be seen, and there was a second gully that had slightly higher and steeper looking lines if these proved too easy:

Lisa was along for the ride, just to get out and watch the waves. So while she found a good spot to soak in the location and kick back, Lou and Glen prepared themselves for the first lead. I could hear the clinking of the gear as it was being pulled out of the packs, but my sights were set on the clear looking bay right in front of the boulders. The water looked calm. You could see there was a swell pushing in and based on my observations from yesterday I assumed this would only increase as the morning wore on:

With a leader and belayer sorted I was happy to leave them to it and put my head under the water. The bottom of the bay was covered in a weed that looked unfamiliar to me, I scoured it for some time waiting to see the flick of movement, slight change of colour or a shape that differed from the weed to indicate a fish was darting away. But nothing came to sight. The thick blanket of weed swayed this way and that devoid of any other life, as the swell pushed the water in and then out again. It deepened as I made my way to the reef that fringed the edge of the bay and I started to work my way along this:

A few familiar fish came to view including drummers, morwongs and sweeps, but were quick to dash under the cover of the ledges. I went down looking for them but they went in too deep for me to see them. The edge of the reef had narrow crevices cutting into it that looked to open up at the bases into caves, but with the swell it felt too dodgy to swim into them and duck dive down. After hunting the edge of the reef and ledges for some time, with no new or exciting finds I took a couple of images of the colourful array of sponges, bryozoa, and weed hanging onto the underside of the ledges:

The only other place I could think to try and find where all the fish were hiding was along the boulders. The water was certainly deeper here and it looked a great place for them to be shoaling, but it was also where the swell had the greatest impact and after narrowly missing being thrown against the granite walls several times I decided it was time to get out. Back on the beach Glen was atop the first climb, and Lou was following up. It seemed that it had taken a while to sus out a line , get ready and climb it. It was his first lead in a while so it was great to see, and chatting to them he reckoned no more than a grade 8 while Lou scoffed and said a 4:

The grades really were not a worry today, it was about rope work, placing gear and setting up belays. Lou was up next and fancied a wide crack. There was an off-width that Glen was keen to get her on, but she solo’d most of it before declaring it to be too much of a cake walk and plumping instead for this line. Again nothing too serious and similar to Glen’s lead in grade, but it did give a few more gear placements than the off-width had offered especially in view that we hadn’t brought a rack of size 5 and 6 cams along. Atop the boulder once more the belay was set up efficiently and it seemed that both of them still had the rope work and gear skills needed:

With a lead under each belt eyes diverted to a pocketed wall, it looked fun but would there be any gear? I played on it to check out what it was like, the big round pockets offered no jugs and all the holds were mostly slopers. Also the break at just over half height didn’t seem to provide anything that looked bomber, and there was no gear above or below. During the solo inspection I piked out left to a ledge, as the fall onto uninviting boulders started to get too big. Glen however kept looking up and was convinced there may be a bit of gear in the break, encouraging me to take a more direct line just a little to the right:

Sure enough he was right, a black tricam slotted in but it was right on the edge. I also managed to wriggle a 0.4 Camelot in with the lobes only just catching the rock, resulting in the lobes sticking out of the shallow slot. The move to get above the gear was the crux and smeary. With placements that were not the most inspiring, it took a few attempts to work out the moves and build up enough courage to go for it. Glen and then Lou followed up and the great grade debate began, we plumped for 16 but they both felt it was a very sketchy lead and not one they would take on:

Glen was then eyeing up what looked to be the crag, or should I say boulder, classic. A steep crack and flake line that looked to provide enough gear and holds to make it something he would consider. Racking up he used stepping stones in the pool below to gain access to the route, the low tide today was in our favour. The gear and holds to start were bomber and he seemed to be going not too bad. But I often say footwork is key and for this line it really was, a layback flake and the need to smear your feet:

He managed to get a couple of bits of gear in, but then had to fully commit to laying back with not much for his feet. He was visualising the sequence but couldn’t pull the moves, slipping off and proving that his gear placements were good. The line looked too good to leave, so as he sat below it looking up he offered it to Lou and the response was not surprisingly no way. So he offered it to me and I jumped at the chance. It was stellar line with good gear, but the steepness demanded commitment that was rewarded with improving holds. That said probably a 15. Both Lou and Glen followed up and they both made it hard work due to not committing to the footwork:

As a result the route had taken it out of them, and their arms were tried. So while we checked another line there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm from either camp. While it may seem we didn’t do a heap of climbing, time was ticking along. This was a result of in-between the climbing there being a fair bit of chat, mucking about and exploring the area to look for possible lines worth attention. The sun was moving round and very little shade remained for Lisa to hide in, so we all agreed it was time to head out. The ten minute walk out was interrupted as we looked at possible lines and took in the views one last time:

The gear was in the back of the tray including Glen’s snorkelling gear and catch-bag which never got used, maybe next time. From the vantage point the cars that had been at Whaleback were still there. Possibly boulderers or maybe people just out for a fish. I’ve heard there may be some trad lines out that way too, and while the spot we had been today was worth another trip Glen and I talked about possibly checking out what may be at Whaleback next time. On the drive back food options were discussed and it was agreed most touristy places would be chockers and the wait would be horrendous. So we had a well-deserved the feed at the relatively quiet Shed Markets in Busselton instead:

The perfect playground

I am still in “work a four day week” January, so decided once more to bail on the boys and not join them in the early morning Welly Dam session. I’ll probably do the same again next Friday. With a bit more time on my hand I returned to Smith’s Beach, this time with Jaime. There were two main reasons for coming back here so soon. First I really enjoyed the trip on New Year’s Day with Craig, Rongy and Alana, and second during that trip I remember how scary the climbing can feel here and that makes it a great place to push your mental limits:

Jaime was the only one to bite when I put my intentions out on WhatsApp, and that added a third good reason to come to Smiths Beach. It has a couple of chimneys that I felt she would love. We began proceedings on the easier of the two chimneys Seafood Extender (13), which I debated the grade of in the last post. When we visited Moses Rocks Jaime seemed to enjoy the rock style and climbing techniques it demanded, but added to that she loved being so close to the ocean. It was evident that she felt the same about the proximity to the waves here, but I wasn’t initially sure about the climbing (and descents):

I say that as I have often described Smith’s Beach as Moses Rock’s big brother, some might say the big brother is a bit of a bully. Most will come away from here with a few scars, not necessarily from falling but from the sheer roughness of the rock and need to hug it so closely. In addition many fear leading here, which keeps them away. Rather than enjoy the chimneys back to back, I threw in a harder line in-between to give Jaime a real flavour of the place. The obvious line being Cape to Crack (17), and it certainly tested her. Like slab climbing, total and utmost trust in smearing with your feet is required:

While it was a challenge, she wasn’t put off and to boot there didn’t seem to be any scars to speak of. So we then jumped on, or should I say into, The Drunken Sailor (14). One of the most fun chimneys in the south west, in my opinion. Kym put up this true classic that is so much fun, before I came along and sieged the area stealing nearly every other line. I wormed my way up this crevice, and was happy to see Jaime adopt a similar full body wedging approach. Giggling and laughing her way up it, and still managing to come out at the top relatively unscathed:

The sun was now hitting Harbour Wall, so we left the other routes there for another time and headed to Camelot Castle. Here bolder and more vertical routes awaited. Jaime blindly follows me, having faith that I don’t do anything too silly myself and that whatever it is she will have a good chance of getting up. This next line may have been a bit cheeky of me, even before I set off she looked up and indicated she didn’t like the idea of it. Sir Lancelot (19) is one of those lines I put up that took a few false starts, due to me insisting on ground up first ascents:

It isn’t too hard really, but the gear for the crux in the lower section is marginal and the landing isn’t pretty. Even today I had to down climb this section, recompose myself and then got for it. Before heading back up I popped a pink tricam in. On the first ascent I didn’t have these nifty bits of gear and that made it so much more spicy. My obvious nervousness put Jaime on edge even more, but I’m pleased to say I managed a clean lead and then Jaime learnt the art of getting super up-close and personal with the rock. She admitted to enjoying the route, and I could then sigh with relief. Truth be told I climbed this one for me, as it scares the be gibers out of me:

With that line under our belt and shade still on this magnificent wall we headed for Excalibur (19), which goes right up the guts of the wall and is the route that probably links the most number of technical moves. It’s probably also the most climbed route on the wall, with plenty of gear but again rounded holds making good footwork essential. For most of the route you trust smeary footholds and use rounded hand, well mostly finger, holds for balance. On this line, and with a slight height disadvantage, there was the need Jaime to really work those feet. That she did and it paid off, it was great to watch:

There was one more line I had in my head that we should climb. Billowing Sails (17) is not as much of a mental challenge for me, but I feel it is the most out there climb here. The belay is on a pedestal and with a 2-3m swell today the water gushed up on both sides and the spray occasionally hit Jaime. The stance is exciting and exposed, so much so we anchored in. I was setting off up the many varied features of the arête and, as with The Drunken Sailor, all I could hear was the fits of laughter and pleasure as Jaime thrived on one of the best belay stances you’ll get in the South West:

That all stopped after I had set up my belay and pulled in the rope. Jaime will openly admit she does not have a lot of upper body strength, which I think is debatable. However, this was route number six and with the limited climbing she has done her arms would be feeling it. As such my focus was more on her than the images this time. On occasion I could her calls, not of distress but certainly indicating it was testing her. This route is steep and overhung in places so I couldn’t watch her progress or offer any advice, but eventually she joined me. This time the bully had come out and she was sporting some impressive battle scars, ones she hadn’t noticed till she got up:

With scars on her shins and some bark taken off her hand what could be better than a dip in the ocean. But before talking more about that I’m pleased to say Jaime wasn’t put off Smiths Beach and is eager to head back. We had been watching the ocean during the climbing, the 2-3m swell wasn’t ideal but the winds were easterlies so seaward and that was in our favour. It was too rough to consider going in straight off the rocks so we drove towards Canal Rocks. The carpark to The Aquarium was again overflowing and people were parking dangerously on the relatively narrow road as we passed by:

Jaime has great memories of The Aquarium from when she was a kid, it was quiet and full of fish. These days its insta-famous and I wonder if I will ever find a day when I can get it to myself. As we stood at Canal Rocks we looked out, the water looked clear but the surface was a little choppy. It was always a possibility that the swell would have churned up the sediments, but we decided to risk it and got ready. Jaime winced as her wounds were submersed, but once the head was underwater all was forgiven. It was clear and there was great visibility:

We saw a good variety of fish, although they were mostly individuals or in small shoals. Above the weed you needed to keep a sharp eye out, as they would appear and disappear from sight way too quickly. Check out the small green and black fish above. I saw lots of varied fish along here but there was no hope of getting down in time to snap a close-up. So I just enjoyed watching them from above. As the water deepened I started to go down to check out the caves and ledges, and to start with it felt like I would be out of luck:

As we carried out more and more fish came to sight, and it is the first time I have come across a female Herring Cale. It was about a foot long and as it swam this way and that, it was either confused or curious. Coming in closer and then deciding that wasn’t a very clever idea and swimming away, before changing its mind. All the time on the move making it hard to get any super clear images. I popped my head up and found Jaime stood on a submerged rock looking cold, like Rongy she doesn’t function well when cold and in the water gets cold quite quickly:

She headed in to allow the sun to warm her up on land, and told me to stay in as long as I liked. So I continued to explore for a little longer, continually checking under ledges and caves and it started to pay off. Below is a Moonlighter and a couple of Old Wives. The Moonlighter looks to be a juvenile that is getting close to adulthood, the young have a clear black spot in the top of the upper rear dorsal fin. On this one the spot is visible but starting to fade, they usually grow to 35cm but can be a bit bigger. This one was probably only 20cm long:

On my return swim I was going up and down like a yoyo, and came across a large cave that was thriving with life. One area was full of fully grown Common Bullseye and a few juvenile Southern Silver Drummer, each time I went down they would swim to the furthest recess. This and the swell pushing the water back and forth made it impossible to get a good image. I also saw what I believe was a very striking and beautifully patterned male Rainbow Cale. It was stunning but like so many other fish just too fast to get away. There was however one fish that just sat there:

Despite me going down several times it almost seemed reluctant to move. I’ve been searching high and low and can only assume that the above is another female Herring Cale. The body shape, fins, size and distinct yellow eye makes me think I’m right, but it looks so different from the first one I saw. My next find was by far my favourite of the dive, this colourful Puffer sat there content with me invading it’s privacy and even did a very slow twirl for me. The shape and fin configuration makes me convinced it is a Puffer, but as yet I have not been able to narrow it down to which sort:

It was then time to head back and as I snorkelled over the shallow weed I spotted a Southern Calamari Squid. I made the mistake of swimming towards it, and it took on that familiar torpedo shape as if to say I’m about to go into warp speed. It never did and when I stopped swimming it visibly relaxed, the tentacles moved into a downward position and it started to move towards and past me. The colours of the body also changed and it no longer moulded into the background with this lined pattern, almost as if knowing I wanted to see it more clearly. As it moved slowly past me and then away I didn’t follow it:

The final stretch was very shallow and there was no diving down, little fish scooted this way and that including this one. I believe it is a Pretty Polly, the size, body and head shape, eye and fins seem to match and these are “strongly associated with weeds and seagrass in coastal bays”. Looking back I wonder if that little green fish in the first image may be a juvenile of this fish. As I came out of the water I found Jaime absorbing the heat from the sun and rock she lay on, periodically moving to a new part of the rock to suck out the heat. When we wandered back to the cars, we both agreed that we are very lucky to have such a playground on our doorstep: