A Paddle around Gantheaume Point

A free unplanned day! Oh what to do? They are many interesting and touristy things on offer in Broome. However many of them are dependent on the tides, in particular low tides, or a full moon. As neither of these occurred today we were unable to fill in the day hunting dinosaur footprints, or searching for the wrecks of the WWII flying boats or watching the staircase to the moon. Instead we signed up for a sea kayak adventure!

Leaving from the southern end of Cable Beach, where three horses were enjoying a splash in the sea, we met Richard our tour guide who issued us with kayaks, paddles and life jackets. We were ready for another adventure!

 

Conditions were idea - sunny, calm day with a receding tide. Our group of 16 paddled out through a gap in the reef, heading south.. We were on the lookout for turtles.

The water was its normal stunning turquoise colour and against the red rocks of Gantheaume Point looked sensational. The colours up here are mind blowingly beautiful. Richard gave us snippets of info as we paddled along at a relaxing pace. He pointed out a rock shaped like a map of Australia and indicated when the tide was high, Perth and Sydney would be underwater.

There was not much to see in terms of marine life except jellyfish. As we rounded the Point, Richard indicated that we were paddling over the famous dinosaur footprints and despite the clear water we couldn't see them. A short time later we pulled up into a sheltered beach for morning tea. A great spot for a swim and rest.

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As we began our journey back in our kayaks we watched a sea eagle returning from the ocean fly into an osprey's territory. Richard thought there was going to be a David Attenborough moment with the osprey attacking the eagle. The osprey did approach the eagle, however the eagle turned direction and the osprey then lost interest

 

The return route saw us requiring to paddle further away from the beach as the gap in the reef we used at the beginning of the adventure was now rock, sand and void of water with the tide now at its lowest. Just as we were thinking that we were out of luck with the turtles, one surfaced close by then proceeded to dive and swim underneath us. Being so close to us in clear water we were able to identify that this turtle was missing part of its back flipper. Here is Ella's excellent video technique with goppy the go pro!

Our paddle session was almost over, only a short stretch back to the beach. Once onshore, we dragged our kayak out of the water, returned the paddle and our life jackets. The sun was high in the sky with its ray beating down on us so were keen to return to the water for a swim and cool off before returning to our bungalow for lunch and lazy afternoon.