On Friday my wife Julie and I headed to Cape Jaffa to meet up with other members of the Sea Wolf Dive Club who were planning to snorkel from Ewens Ponds along Eight Mile Creek to the sea.
Arriving at Cape Jaffa our accommodation was a comfortable B and B at The Cape Jaffa Marina Retreat. We soon settled in with others from the club.
Not long after arriving that we were treated to a spectacular lighting show and thunder storm.
Saturday morning we were all up early and headed off to Ewens Ponds. Getting changed into our wetsuits was the biggest challenge as it was a freezing cold wind ripping through the entry area to the ponds.
Once in the water it was a lot warmer than out. The current quickly took us through the three ponds. You could see the water bubbling out of the ground as you drifted along. Several freshwater cray’s were also seen inside the ponds.
The journey down the creek is about two kilometers and takes about an hour and a half. Along the way you get see great diversity of colours and various marine plants. Along the way we encountered a large school of perch. A hail storm also made for an interesting time as you could feel the hail stones bouncing off your back. Finally we made it to the sea where we where meet by the non snorkelers with dry towels and hot coffee (in my dreams).
After Lunch the Sea Wolves set off for Carpenter Rock and Canunda National Park to drive the sand track through the park. On arrival at Carpenter Rock we tried to get on the beach however due to gale force winds and rough seas there was no beach. We continued along the track. For most of the track there was constant mound and dips almost like waves. We also encountered a lot of reasonably deep water along the track which made for some very interesting crossings. On more than one occasion water was over the bonnets of the cars. Three vehicles either lost their number plates or had them damaged. Fortunately this was the only damage sustained by the group.
Eventually we got through to the northern end of the park and made our way back to Cape Jaffa and a well deserved beer or two.
Written By
Alan