2020.07 - Dampier Archipelago Kayak Expedition

The adventure that made us fall in love with sea kayaking

Leanne & Xander on the Burrup Peninsula - Jul 2020

The winter of 2020 marked the peak of COVID-19 restrictions in Western Australia. By keeping the state’s borders closed, we enjoyed a much greater sense of normality than much of the rest of the country. When regional travel reopened, adventure tourism was given the green light, triggering a wave of intrastate travel and sending us back to work.

Before returning to work, we wanted to continue our tradition of escaping to a warmer climate each winter. With interstate travel off the table, our favourite Mid-West destinations were completely overrun. Instead, we got creative and used a professional connection to secure accommodation in Karratha.

This trip was always about exploring the islands of the Dampier Archipelago, but sea kayaking wasn't part of the original plan. We first tried posting in local community groups, hoping to pay someone for a lift out to the islands.

Sturt's Desert Pea, one of the Pilbara's most recognisable wildflowers.

While we waited to see if anyone would respond, we decided to see what we could discover for ourselves. Starting from the Dampier Foreshore, we planned a sea kayaking day trip to Sam's Island.

Sam’s Island Day Trip

Sam’s Island, originally Tidepole Island, is located only 400m from the Dampier Foreshore making it a perfect destination for us to dip our toes into the archipelago.

The crossing was short, and from the island the rest of the archipelago suddenly felt far more accessible than it had from shore. What had seemed remote on a map now looked well within reach.

After exploring Sam’s Castle, it was time to head back. The short crossing had only fuelled our appetite to explore deeper into the archipelago.

That evening, over dinner at the yacht club, we stopped waiting for someone else to take us into the archipelago. Instead, we pored over maps, piecing together a route that linked the places we most wanted to visit with the shortest crossings between islands.

Day 1 - Burrup Peninsula

Setting out from Withnell Bay, we were excited but nervous, unsure how we’d handle a heavily laden kayak in such an unfamiliar environment. We cautiously hugged the shoreline, only crossing to the far side of the bay once we felt comfortable with the kayak’s weight and handling.

Our confidence gradually grew as we continued up the peninsula, weaving through the rocks and enjoying close encounters with the local birdlife.

Along the way we took breaks on sunny beaches, albeit in very different ways.

By the afternoon of Day 1 we reached our first real crossing, leaving the Burrup Peninsula for Dolphin Island. Out of an abundance of caution, we’d chosen the narrowest point possible, just 300 metres from one beach to the next.

Leanne on Dolphin Island looking back over the day’s journey.

The crossing passed without incident. In fact, by that evening the tide had dropped so far I could simply walk back to the mainland.

As we settled in for dinner, we discovered our fuel canister wasn't compatible with our stove. Fortunately, we realised we could prepare our meals with cold instant mashed potato instead of rice, persevering with unconventional dinners.

Day 2 - Angel Island

Conditions were favourable when we awoke on day 2, encouraging us to make the 2km crossing over to Angel Island, one of the highlights from our pre-trip research.

Completing the most daunting part of the day first shifted our mindset, and we began to slow down and enjoy the place, cruising from beach to beach finding new ways to have fun.

We collected shells, explored rock pools, and snorkelled.

As we made our way around the South East corner of the island we were shocked to discover an active shipwreck!

This gave us a real laugh as we had seen the mast from before the last headland and were baffled by its proximity to the island. Fortunately the crew were aboard sipping tea under a gazebo, with two other boats nearby, so we were confident they had the situation under control.

We finished the days paddle on the North-West corner of Angel Island by a small surf break we’d seen online, with Gidley Island only metres away.

As the sun set we once again watched the tide retreat.

Day 3 - Gidley Island

On the 3rd day we decided to follow the channel between Angel and Gidley Islands to the east. By this point we had developed an eye for spotting the ancient petroglyphs spread throughout the islands.

The petroglyphs of Dampier are generally thought to date from the Holocene period, with many carvings depicting marine life and coastal scenes—unlikely to have been created earlier when the coastline lay much further away.

When we arrived back in the Flying Foam Passage (between Angel & Dolphin Islands) we found the waters choppy from a strong easterly wind. Consequently we sought shelter in the next available channel.

We paused for lunch and a swim back on the west coast then continued north along a long beach section.

The day’s end was decided for us when we reached another narrow channel, this one turbo-charged by the outgoing tide, making it impossible to paddle against. Instead we spent the remainder of the afternoon running up the shore and floating back with the current.

Day 4 - Wildlife Encounters

On the fourth day it was time to start heading back towards the mainland, but it was also the day we dialled in our eyes for the local wildlife. First we found the source of the tiny tracks we had been seeing on all of the beaches: hundreds of hermit crabs scuttling about.

Our priority was to head east, back to the Flying Foam Passage and cross to Dolphin Island, but we hadn’t anticipated the low tide lingering into the morning. The turbo-charged channel from the previous afternoon was now a shallow rock pool teeming with life. We stuck to our plan, walking the kayak through the shallow pools and discovering the best ‘snorkelling’ of the trip without ever putting on a mask.

The channel was filled with donut-shaped discs of coral, their tops worn smooth from exposure to the elements while the edges remained intact just below the surface. Amongst them we found clams and anemones, adding even more life to the shallow pools.

In between the coral, small predators darted about. We spotted reef sharks, stingrays, shovelnose rays and even an octopus!

After a while the channel opened out into a wider sandbar and we dragged the kayak forward. Although it was much lighter than at the start of the trip, I still ended up with rope burn (we now bring a shoulder strap).

When we finally arrived at Collier Rocks, we were excited to see the Flying Foam Passage was still glassy. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we crossed straight away, although we would later realise we had picked the widest point of the passage — a 5km crossing!

After a good break we began the journey south along Dolphin Island, passing beaches and mangroves along the way. This ended up being our best day for turtles and petroglyphs, with both turning up constantly along the way. When we reached the crossing back to the mainland, we didn’t bother diverting for a narrower route. After our most adventurous day yet, we settled on a beach only a few kilometres from the boat ramp.

Day 5 - The End

We finished the expedition with a short paddle back to the boat ramp. Over a few days we’d gone from tentative crossings to taking on whatever was in front of us. It became one of our most memorable adventures, introduced us to a new favourite way to explore.

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