One of the most attractive things about Western Australia is the vast
empty
beaches. It was simply wonderful to drive down a long unmade track, opening
out into a seemingly endless sandy shoreline stretching away into infinity.
Which ever way we looked...not a soul to be seen. Ruddy marvelous. We
chose one of these to have a much needed cool off late one afternoon on the
way up North. We had a huge lagoon all to ourselves. It didn't matter how
far I strode out, the briny never seemed to get much deeper than my waist,
so the only option to ensure I was completely immersed was to sit down in
the wonderfully warm and crystal clear water. I laid there just wallowing
in the luxury of my environment for what seemed an age. Shoals of small
fish swam curiously around me, trying to figure out what this intruder into
their world was. Eventually after trying fruitlessly to have a swim in the
shallow basin we were lying in, my friend joined me in just laying back,
relaxing and taking it all in. It had not been long since I'd watched the
film 'The Beach' in which a huge great white shark swam into their lagoon and
attacked several of the swimmers, so I was just a little nervous that we may
have a similar experience. But I was sternly informed that I was being a
'Wuss', and there was no way anything bigger than a minnow could join us due
to the shallow draft of our pool. I was not 100% convinced, since I'd seen
the dolphins swimming on their side at Coral Bay in much less than 2 feet of
water, but I tried not to let it spoil my afternoon.
This was just about the last time I, or anyone else for that matter,
ventured into the ocean that far North. For as you proceed further on up
the Western Coast of Australia, there are a good many reasons not to go in
for a dip. Sharks are only one of the prolific dangers, for there are a
multitude of smaller evils lurking under the surface that you would be
blissfully unaware of till it was far too late. Even dangling your feet
into the attractively sparkling water is taking a risk.
For more info. go to http://www.didyouknow.cd/animals/octopus.htm