I stayed in Carnarvon, the next town south of Exmouth, located 379 km (230 miles) away. This place was just a stop to sleep, as I needed to drive eight hours the next day to reach my final destination in Western Australia.
Day 10 Jurien Bay, WA
I left Carnarvon around 8 am and embarked on another long drive. The weather was good, with clear blue skies. I saw a lot of roadkill kangaroos, which made me feel really sorry for them. Some were dead in the middle of the highway, so you need to watch out. While they’re not as dangerous as live kangaroos, you still need to be aware of them.
This wasn’t part of my original plan, but I decided to visit the pink lagoon again, hoping to see the contrast of blue sky and pink water. And here I am!
I made a 100 km detour for this, but it was totally worth it—the pink lake was pink again! (It's not always pink.) Despite the side trip, I still arrived in Jurien Bay on time.
Day 11 Jurien Bay, WA-Australian Sea Lion
At 7:30 am, it was cold, and the water temperature was 18°C (64°F). This is not the kind of water I want to get into, and I felt like crying. I came here to swim with Australian sea lions, just like I did 15 years ago. Back then, I jumped into the 18°C water without a wetsuit. I still remember how cold it was, but it was actually okay because the sea lions were there, and I had to swim a lot with them. So, even though it was cold, I kept moving and it wasn't too bad.
On the boat, they had shorty wetsuits that were probably 5 mm thick. I had my own spring suit, which was 2 mm thick. Since they didn’t have any weights I could borrow and the water was very shallow (2 m depth), the shorty would likely give me too much buoyancy. So, I decided to jump in with my spring suit instead.
As soon as I jumped in, I regretted my decision. The sea lions were on the protected island (We cannot land or stay away 30m from the island) and didn’t come into the water, so we had to wait for them to join us. Floating in 64°F water is not what you want to do. I almost gave up and went back to the boat. My fingers and toes were getting numb, my thighs were hurting, I felt like my whole body was failing. but I kept telling myself one more minute, one more minutes". then finally they are coming to the water!
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the water quality. There were tons of kelp, bad visibility, and too many rocks. The place where I swam with sea lions 15 years ago was different. That place had white sand at the bottom, no kelp, and very clear water. However, the Australian government shut down that place to protect the sea lions. It is a breeding place for them, which is good, but not ideal for photographers. Well, I should be happy—I managed to get some good shots!
By the way, the guide told us there was a lady who landed on that protected island illegally, and she was attacked by a seal. This lady was lucky to be alive. She lost two fingers and received 400 stitches! Four hundred!
I remember there was a guy who was bitten by a great white shark in South Australia. He got 300 stitches and said he should have died because the pain was unbearable. He described it as hell.
Well, usually tourists forget their brains at home, but don't be stupid when you travel.
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To be continued
Akima Kai Ocean Travel Blog