Hey, everyone! What a fun week it has been. The cherry on top for me was absolutely a day trip down to Busselton Jetty… where I proceeded to get stung by a jellyfish. But not before seeing a gorgeous eagle ray and some fish I’ve never seen before! Read on to learn more about it and see some cool pics.

Octopus at Mettam’s Pool

I’m sure you all are so sick and tired of me talking about my failed snorkeling attempts at Mettam’s Pool. Well, I FINALLY went there on a good day! The conditions weren’t perfect, but they were better than I’d ever seen them at Mettam’s before. I was able to snorkel around, enjoy the scenery, and see lots of cool fish.

Mettam’s Pool is really neat. Lots of little coves to explore, a lot of sea grass with different marine life. The water had lots of debris floating around, and the waves were rather strong so I was getting knocked around a little bit.

I went in the water three times during the day, taking breaks to lay out in the sun in between. I almost didn’t go back out for a third session but I’m so glad I did, because it ended up being the most rewarding. After wanting to see an octopus forever…I spotted one. It was hiding in a little crevice, taking a nap. I spotted it first by its tentacle popping out of the crevice. Upon further inspection, I could see a sleeping eye. How amazing! I wanted to spend longer observing it, but the waves were so strong that at one point I got pushed away and couldn’t find the crevice again. Alas! Hopefully, I’ll see an octopus again one day.

I was so thrilled to finally have a decent session at Mettam’s Pool. It was well worth the wait.

Busselton Jetty Day Trip

Busselton Jetty has been a spot I’ve heard over and over again since before and while living in Perth. It is a haven for snorkelers and divers alike. Busselton is 2.5 hours south of Perth which makes it tricky to go to when you’re relying on public transportation. Luckily, my coworker and friend Jono took me down there on a day trip!

The ride itself was nice. I love going on road trips, so listening to music and hanging out in the car is a treat on its own. Along the way, I even saw an emu hanging out in a field, reminding me of the time I spotted a family of emus near Kalbarri National Park. I didn’t get a picture of it, as we were driving quite fast down the highway and there wasn’t a spot to pull over.

Busselton is a sleepy town. During school holidays, it is apparently insanely busy, but the kids are back to school and the town has gone back to normal.

Jono and I got out of the car and as soon as we got to the water, I was wowed. The water was gorgeous, clear, and the jetty was… magnificent.

The jetty itself is hands down the longest jetty I’ve seen in my life. It actually is apparently the 2nd longest wooden jetty in the world (measuring at 1.8km which is about a mile), trumped only by Progreso Pier in Mexico.

When I travel places, I try not to look at pictures before going because I like to be surprised, so I was not at all prepared for the sheer size of Busselton Jetty. Wow. They even have a little train that drives people from one end of the jetty to the other. At the end of the jetty is an underwater observatory… which of course Jono and I went to check out.

While waiting for our mini tour of the underwater observatory, I was applying sunscreen, knowing that after the tour, I’d be hopping in the water for a snorkel. An old woman volunteering at the jetty offered to help put it on my back. She goes, “I have sons, I know how it is!” It was so cute. I let her put sunscreen on me, even though I could have done it myself. It was just too sweet of a moment to pass up. Gotta grab those “mom” moments when I can!

The tour of the underwater observatory was so cool. You descend a number of flights of stairs to get to the ocean floor, and are able to check out all the different types of marine life hanging out there.

I don’t know the names of them, but there were lots of fish hanging around. Some very big, some very small. It was such a treat to just watch the fish swimming around, doing their thing.

After the observatory, Jono and I walked back to shore and got our snorkel gear on. Some people will actually snorkel from the end of the jetty all the way back to shore, but I didn’t see any snorkelers in the water and it seemed incredibly ambitious so I chose to snorkel near the shore instead.

Jono lent me his fins (uh-oh, remember what happened with fins last time?) and I hopped in the water. Upon entering, I was so pleased with the visibility. It was excellent! And I was greeted by lots of a school of teeny, tiny little fish.

I also saw some comb jellies and this time was able to capture their iridescence. They kind of sparkle teeny little lights in the sunlight. At night, they are bioluminescent. I also saw some stingers, which are jellyfish that actually sting, but I was careful to avoid them as there were just a few hanging around.

I snorkeled further out and explored the fish hanging out by the jetty pylons. So many amazing corals clung to the pylons, and some very interesting fish were hanging out at the base of the pylons as well. I even saw a leatherjacket which was very neat! Wearing fins really allowed me to dive down much deeper than without. One day, I’ll have to invest in a pair of my own, because they really do make a difference.

The crown moment of the snorkel was when I saw something come around the corner of a pylon… and sure enough, it was an eagle ray. It was such a magnificent sight. This was my third stingray encounter since being in Australia (first was Rottnest Island on my birthday, the other was at Bicton Baths), but each stingray has been a different type of ray. This one was in such clear water and I was able to observe it for such a long time. It swam under me and then I followed it for a little while. I was really stunned by the pattern on its back. Just WOW.

As I was making my way back to shore, I started to spot a lot of the jellyfish I was earlier trying to avoid. Where before, there were only a few, now there was a whole cluster of them and I had accidentally found myself in the middle of them. I tried to get away from them, but everywhere I turned, there they were. I was surrounded. Very small, they each had four thin tentacles anywhere from two to six inches long. Soon enough, I was feeling a sting – it felt like a zap or a pinch. I got struck a few times, but it didn’t feel very bad. I was expecting awful pain, but that’s not what I got. The worst part was that I was starting to panic, and panic only makes things worse. Before long, I was able to escape and get out of the water. Jono got stung, too, on his lip. While my stinging feeling went away very quickly, his lasted into the next day. Yikes! (Oh, and P.S. I did NOT lose Jono’s fins.)

I had a feeling I would one day get stung. I’m grateful that it was a relatively harmless sting, and not one from a box jellyfish that can kill you in a manner of minutes. Let’s hope I don’t run into those suckers. They usually hang out along the northern coast of Australia. (I guess these stingers are technically related to box jellyfish, but they’re not the deadly kind.)

All in all, the day trip down to Busselton was absolutely incredible. I would love to get down there and spend more time in the water. We’ll see what happens in the coming months.

Art of the Week

I wanted to get back to drawing people, so here we are! I’m quite happy with how this one turned out, except for one thing. The ear is so small!! But alas. I’m happy with the face and the concept. As I’ve mentioned many times before… I’m a work in progress.

Reflections

Kory and I went out dancing at Connections Nightclub one night which was nice. I love to dance, and it has been so long since I’ve been out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly feeling the music, but I was still on the dance floor for a while. It was a nice night.

I also went shopping one day. Since being in Australia, I’ve been wearing the same clothes over and over.. and I’m SICK OF THEM! I only packed so many, knowing I have to have a limited wardrobe while backpacking. Alas, I got some new shorts and threw out my old ones which I’ve had for years anyway. I also got a couple new shirts, and Kory gave me a really cute shirt that I think looks so nice on me! I got a haircut too, first time since before I left the states.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this or not… but there is a store called Cotton On here in Australia that they also have in South Africa (and probably many other places, too). When I was in South Africa many years ago, I had a tour guide that had THE CUTEST HAT. It was a baseball cap with little cat ears on it. I 100% needed one of my own, so I asked her to tell me where she got it. I couldn’t understand what she was saying because of her accent. I must have asked three times. When I returned to my hostel, I asked the receptionist if they could ask her what the name of the place was. It was Cotton On. I went there and bought two of the same hat! And sure enough, they have a Cotton On here. Love it.

And lastly… I’ve now been in Australia for five months. Wild! I have three weeks left of work and then the Björk concert on March 3rd. After that, I’ll be leaving this lovely city and heading elsewhere. But y’all already know that.

That’s all for now! Not sure what I’ll be doing in the next week, but I’m sure there will be something coming up. Maybe a hike one day… definitely a snorkel somewhere in there. Stay tuned!

As always, if you’re enjoying these posts, please share them on social media! I’d really like to turn this blog into a full time thing one day. It would be a dream come true.

Sending my love.