What Lies Beneath

After weeks of being terrified to enter the ocean for fear of what may lurk within, I finally did it – I braved the waters at Dampier Beach. Well, I waded in up to mid-calf and then lay in the shallows. That is still pretty significant progress though, especially as, while paddling, I spotted a sting-ray and heard a mother call to her children, “watch out for stonefish and rays!” That trusty source of all information, Wikepedia, states that stonefish are ‘venomous, dangerous, and even fatal to humans. It is the most venomous fish in the world.’ The kids just brushed the warning off, running into the water and splashing around, laughing and shrieking as they played, oblivious to any danger. I, on the other hand, took heed of her advice and gingerly made my way back to the shore to sit in a couple of inches of water, keeping my eyes peeled for thingsthatcouldkillme the entire way back. In fact, if it wasn’t for that woman’s warning I would now be reporting that I had immersed myself fully and even swam. As it is, you’ll have to make do with me lying in a puddle of ocean. I stayed in for a good fifteen minutes though, and in that time spotted another ray and a huge orange and green fish, along with a shoal of tiny fish, moving quickly in their little huddle. I have promised myself that next time, stonefish or no stonefish, I will plunge in fully as,once I had put my fears to bed, it was lovely lying in the calm waters off Dampier Beach. The temperature was perfect – not too warm like the bath-like Gulf of Thailand but not frostbite-inducing like the mighty Southern Ocean can be. It was just cool enough to be wonderfully refreshing without taking your breath away with one dip of a toe.

I’m still not sure I’m brave enough to swim at Hearson’s Cove, where a sign at the entrance to the beach declares that there has been a crocodile sighting. That didn’t seem to deter a mother and her three young children from jumping in the last time we were there. Those Australians are a hardy bunch. Apparently the crocs are at the mangrove end of the beach and the sharks like the rocky end so as long as you venture out in the middle you’re fine. Now that is true Aussie logic! The first time we visited Hearson’s Cove the tide was far, far out, leaving a huge expanse of soggy sand to walk on. A film of water lay on the surface, making it so reflective the red, rocky hills towering over the beach were mirrored on the sand. We decided to wander out to the edge of the water, which meant leaving the safety of the beach and our car. It was a long run in the event of a croc sighting! Needless to say, we each regularly checked behind us, scanning all around for signs of big, scaly killing machines. What we didn’t count on was the number of crater-like holes in the sand – sure signs of giant mud crabs. But crabs are harmless, right? Not in Australia. Giant crabs are so, well, giant, that they can take your hand off with their claws. They are not to be toyed with. We didn’t sight any and they’d be more likely to scamper away from us if they saw us but we kept our eyes peeled nevertheless.

What with giant crabs, crocs, rock fish, sharks and sting rays (amongst a plethora of other dangerous marine creatures), it’s a wonder anyone ever ventures into the water here. Then again, we’re in Australia so of course they do.