2023.07 - Sunset at the Maze
Xander & Leanne enjoy Coral Bay Kayak Snorkelling at its best!
Interested in more kayak snorkelling adventures in Coral Bay? You can read about our visit to Lotti’s and Cowtails, here.
Or for something more adventurous close by, try our epic voyage to The Fin Shipwreck.
Our first stint in Coral Bay was coming to an end, we had been working hard and spending every other moment out and about exploring the local attractions.
By this point we were familiar with all of the Coral Bay moorings, so when a brief window opened in our schedule, we decided to make the most of it and head to our favourite spot!
Refined Kayak Transportation
Our home in Coral Bay is a little under one kilometre from the beach access at Baz’s Park. Over the course of our first few months here we had discovered that it was much more efficient to manhandle the kayak to the beach than load and unload it from the car, But this still presented challenges.
At the start of the year we had purchased a kayak trolley that slots into the scupper holes and takes the weight as you maneuver the kayak from the handle at the front. This was an absolute game changer over short distances, but an incomplete solution for longer stretches, as it quickly became strenuous.
Our first solution was to thread one of our paddles through the handle at the front, enabling both of us to lift with both hands, arms fully extended to lessen the load. This was a little awkward and increased the kayak’s already massive turning circle.
Next I took to wearing my PFD and attaching the kayak to the back of it with a carabiner. This was more efficient than the previous solution, but awkward to set up and placed undue strain on both my back and the life jacket.
I finally cracked the code by swapping out our bow rope for a modified cam strap. One end is tied to the front of the kayak, the other has a carabiner attached, by clipping the carabiner back to the kayak the system becomes an adjustable shoulder strap. This enables a variety of carrying positions, easy egress, and doubles as a quicker way to connect to buoys.
Beautiful Conditions
We covered the two kilometres to the outer reef in no time at all, then with almost an hour to spare before sunset we began a leisurely snorkel.
Low Tide - Great Photography
The extremely low tide, combined with the indirect light provided perfect conditions for the crisp close ups above.
We were even able to stop for a rest on the shallow sandy areas!
Blue-spotted Fantail Ray
Searching close to the surface we were able to find a few of our favourite critters, and photograph them without the water depth obfuscating the pictures.
Fantail rays are often spotted in the shallows around the bay, but also like to hide under coral ledges.
Spotted Sweet Lips
Turtle & Shark
I was able to get up and close to a Green Turtle enjoy it’s dinner, and also saw a much less accommodating White Tip Reef Shark.
Outer Reef
I swam as close as I could to the outer reef, the crashing waves conspicuously absent at the low tide, then rode a current back towards the kayak, weaving my way through the coral bombies that give The Maze it’s name.
Sunset
The sunset from the outer reef was beautiful, but we were still a little early and getting cold!
Keeping Warm
Too cold to stay where we were, we followed the reef to the north, dodging reefs and stopping at Blue Maze.
Then after the sun had set we made a beeline for home, completing the paddle, towing the kayak, and walking in our front door in less than thirty minutes!
Reflections
We left the gear care for the next day, showered and headed back out for some fine dining.
My biggest takeaway from this adventure was how efficiently we were able to get from our house to the outer reef and back.
It inspired me to move away from my shore based Open Water Swimming adventures, and a month later I solo kayaked back to The Maze in less than an hour from home to the reef!
Trail Tip
The Maze is one of the points on the official Coral Bay Kayak Trail, featuring a kayak only mooring adjacent to the one used by tour operators.
This site is unbeatable at low tide, always providing fantastic opportunities for wildlife photography. However it can get quite hairy when there’s lots of water coming over the reef, so check the tides before heading out, and be ready to find an alternative site if necessary.
Links
https://trailswa.com.au/trails/trail/coral-bay-kayak-trail
Next post: Thursday 2023.12.07
Join us on our adventures in the Kimberly!
I’ll be looking back at our marathon trip from Coral Bay to Tunnel Creek in only 28 hours!
