14 Jul 2019
I booked this tour for myself and my sister as I had always wanted to see the cuttlefish. Our greatest fear was the prospect of feeling so cold that we'd leap straight out again without giving the cuttlefish a second glance. Well we got good weather, despite the gloomy forecast, and once we were in we forgot all about the cold, so engrossed were we in stalking cuttlefish. My camera battery died after one shot, so I'm looking forward to seeing the shots that other people took.
The journey to Whyalla was broken by a bracing walk into Alligator Gorge at Mt Remarkable.
Our hotel at Whyalla overlooks the seafront so we had time for an evening stroll next to gently lapping waters. Dinner was first class and so was the talk we were given by Carl, our expert guide. We had an extra early start the next morning in case the weather changed.
Everyone got kitted out on the rocks but there were two large toilets/changing rooms that gave us ladies a bit of privacy. Then a quick talk about safety procedures, a final adjustment of kit, and we were in among the cuttlefish, having a truly David Attenborough experience.
All too soon it was time to come out, struggle out of our wetsuits and let the sunshine warm us up. We were very ready for the delicious hot food that greeted us at the Arid Lands botanic gardens restaurant, then we dozed most of the way home, pausing at Clare just as the weather finally turned on us.
Having had such a perfect trip this time, my sister and I expressed opposite opinions: she doesn't want to do it again, as it surpassed her expectations and she'll have perfect memories. For myself, I now know how to organise a self-catering experience, and I can't wait to get back next year and do it all again. But I'm not telling too many people what a wonderful thing it is to swim with cuttlefish: the extra special thing about this trip was the fact that very few other people were there in the water with us, so I didn't feel crowded - even though I was surrounded in every direction by thousands of cuttlefish!