I’m staring wide-eyed at a school of frenzied fish devouring a lump of tuna, when suddenly, SMACK! The cage I’m in is rocked to the side. Looking over my shoulder in shock, I’m overwhelmed by a love for metal bars I never thought possible.
The reason? It’s the only thing separating me from the giant, violently thrashing great white shark just inches from my face.
I’m in the chilly Southern Ocean waters off the Neptune Islands, by Port Lincoln, a place famous for two things above all else – some of the world’s tastiest tuna and those tunas’ biggest fans, great white sharks.
It’s for good reason that Steven Spielberg chose these South Australian waters to film the real sharks in Jaws. It just happens to be a favourite holiday destination for the world’s biggest predatory fish. But more on that later, as the cage diving experience is the grand finale to my six-day tour of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula – a region, it’s fair to say, that is not on the usual backpacker trail.
Nestled between the Great Australian Bight to the west, the Spencer Gulf to the east and the Gawler Ranges to the north, the Eyre is a vast area that boasts some of Australia’s cutest, scariest and most downright surreal animal experiences. Which is why I’m here. I’m on a mission to do them all.
Starting with a bleary-eyed pickup in the early hours of an Adelaide morning, the operation begins with a drive a couple of hundred clicks north to the southern reaches of the Flinders Ranges. While there’s no time on this trip to make it as far north as the region’s pin-up star Wilpena Pound, even the southern Flinders are a geological wonder it’s hard not to stare at in awe. Six hundred million years or so of erosion has meant the mountains no longer soar as far beyond the clouds as they once did, but there’s no doubting the majesty of a range 10 times older (and once higher) than the Himalayas.
Seasonal wild flowers adorn every rising hill, adding psychedelic waves of colour to the craggy contours, combining an ancient unspoken authority with a temporary beauty. We spend our time walking among the canyons, spotting the rare yellow-footed rock wallabies, which are common in the area, plus a variety of crazy-looking and crazy-named lizards, like the shingleback skink or painted dragon.
We’re told to be wary of the brown and tiger snakes that are abundant – “you absolutely will be within a metre of one of the world’s most dangerous snakes on this trip, even if you don’t know it,” assures tour guide Simmo. That makes us nervous. But gagging to see one. No such luck.
At nightfall, we camp out around the fire, in swags under the stars. Forget diving the reef or climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A swag, some good people and the Milky Way for a roof is all you need for the ultimate Aussie experience.
The next day, we move on to Coodlie Park, a farm retreat that is to be our base for a couple of nights. Now it’s time to start the mission in earnest, with a full-on day that leaves our adrenal glands aching as much as our muscles.
It starts with something I’ve wanted to do for a long time – swimming with sea lions at Baird Bay. While I’ve been lucky enough to swim with dolphins in half a dozen different places, sea lions, I’ve been told time and time again, are the coolest cats when it comes to underwater interaction.
In we jump to the bay’s undeniably icy blue, treading water in a natural pool by the nearby sea lion colony. And luckily, due to some serious shivering, we don’t have to wait long. Just as I’m pondering the symptoms of pneumonia, our first playmate speeds inquisitively through the perfectly clear waters towards us.
As the cold is jolted from of our minds (well, almost), this forerunner is soon joined by his buddies.
They swim under and around us, spinning and swivelling, twisting and turning. It really is incredible. With their gentle faces and big, friendly eyes, they genuinely seem to want to play with us (or at least laugh about how rubbish we are in the water), hanging around for much longer and coming much closer than dolphins generally do. At one point, something grey and much bigger darts in front of me. My heart skips a beat until I realise it’s a bottlenose dolphin. Two, in fact. They clearly don’t want to miss out on the fun.
However, I never tire of the privilege of seeing and swimming with dolphins in the water, they’re no match in the personality stakes, for the sea lions, who, like the perfect party host, seem determined to make sure we never get bored while in their neck of the woods.
When the party does finally end, we’ve just got time for a quick barbie before it’s back into the water, this time for a surfing lesson. After a few pointers on trying to master “the snap”, we’re released into the blue for our chance to hang 10. Cue several near drownings, an arm-straining workout and some brilliantly glorious, if very brief, moments actually standing up. Despite my muscles screaming for mercy, I’m immediately hooked, always wanting one more go. But our time is soon up and I begin to regret my eagerness in the water as we head towards the final leg of our adrenaline-packed day – sandboarding.
Turning a corner, it seems the South Australian landscape has transformed into the Sahara, as we’re met by a series of soaring sand dunes. We’re soon clambering up the sand, boards under our arms, only to fling ourselves back down screaming our heads off. It’s a lot of fun, but coming straight after surfing, we can only manage a few goes each before slumping back into the dunes to catch our breath and admire the sandswept panorama.
The next morning we hit the road again, heading onwards to check out the area’s spectacular coastline, all the while edging closer to Port Lincoln’s sharks.
For our final night, we stay at Mikkara, a sort of koala-sanctuary-meets-campground. There are more wild koalas here than I’ve ever seen. Back in a swag for the night, I fall asleep to the sounds of the horny marsupials in the trees around us.
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Australia’s best beaches
There are 10,000 stretches of sand to choose from in Australia. So which ones shouldn’t you miss?
MISSION BEACH
In a nutshell: Golden sands separate rainforest from reef.
Tell me more: This underrated spot, a few hours south of Cairns, boasts kilometres of spectacular beaches happily clashing with World Heritage-listed rainforest. After a swim and a sunbathe, wander through the lush green wonderland looking for endangered cassowaries.
Where? North Queensland.
WINEGLASS BAY
In a nutshell: Like wine, it makes you feel relaxed, a little dozy and wanting more.
Tell me more: You do need to walk uphill for an hour to get here, but we wouldn’t recommend such torture unless it was worth it. Bask on the vacant glistening sand, juxtaposing green hills and bush land (there’s a great little campsite too), and watch dolphins frolic in the bay. The most beautiful spot on a beautiful island.
Where? Tasmania’s east coast.
CORAL BAY
In a nutshell: Where the reef starts at the water’s edge.
Tell me more: You’ll be amazed at the array of bizarre creatures lurking among the coral. The bay is frequented by whale sharks, humpback whales, manta rays, turtles and reef sharks. It’s pretty, too, with no other bugger about.
Where? Near Exmouth, Western Australia.
HYAMS BEACH
In a nutshell: Claims to have “the whitest sand in the world”.
Tell me more: It may not officially hold a world record, but the sand sure is white. The beach is calm and relaxing and the water moves like an old lady, very slowly and laboriously as if it’s got all the time in the world. This gentle spot is perfect for a romantic stroll, dolphin spotting, and swimming in secluded coves.
Where? Jervis Bay, south coast of New South Wales.
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The next morning, it’s finally time for Port Lincoln. The sharks, however, must wait just a little bit longer. First I need to get in character and meet their bait – bluefin tuna.
Port Lincoln is first and foremost a tuna town. The main reason it boasts more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in Australia is that the tuna is damn good, with most of it heading straight to Japan’s sashimi markets. So, it’s perhaps not surprising that not so long ago somebody thought up one of the stranger wildlife experiences Down Under: swimming with tuna.
Wetsuited again, we find ourselves in a pen floating out at sea. The tuna, incidentally far bigger than I had realised, are everywhere. They also have sharp teeth and can move at a zippy 70kmph. One helpful soul chucks a handful of pilchards in my direction; suddenly, I’m surrounded by hungry missiles firing in every direction, seemingly at the speed of light. One fellow swimmer, apparently with a pilchard-looking finger, cops a papercut-like slice to the hand.
It’s a surreal experience, strangely unnerving, and I leave with a new-found respect for the bluefin and a feeling that I’ve earned my next tuna sandwich.
There’s now nothing between me and the cage. Up at dawn the next day, we spend a few hours heading along the coast to the Neptune Islands. With a giant splash, the metal enclosure is dropped off the back of the boat along with a couple of tuna carcasses, and then the waiting game begins.
It’s barely half an hour before the first, “shaaaark!” yell goes out and we all scamper to the side. It’s a big one. Four, maybe five, metres long. Seeing such a massive predator circling the boat, its fin carving through the water, is intimidating, to say the least.
With the sighting goes the call for cage volunteers. I hang back. I’ve been tipped off that the later you go, the more likely you are to see a greater number of sharks, so I let the tension mount. The hours pass. Sharks come and go, worried faces get into cages and grinning, slightly demented, ones get out. Finally, it’s my turn.
I take the plunge and find myself at the front of a cage with a worryingly large gap (apparently, if a shark does get its nose inside, it can’t open its mouth).
For the next 45 adrenaline-pumping minutes, I’m glued to the spot, awestruck. I’ve no idea how many giant sharks I see, perhaps three (they kinda look the same), but I see them a lot. And oh so close. But the strange thing is that’s it’s in no way scary, just truly magnificent. Watching these giant killers feeding in their natural habitat, while looking you in the eye, is quite simply something I’ll never forget.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, when I finally climb out of the cage, the demented grin is firmly in place.
Essential information
GETTING THERE: Return flights from London to Adelaide require multi-part bookings and start at about £1399. Check skyscanner.net for the best deals.
WHEN TO GO: Warm summers, mild winters and a balmy spring and autumn make the Eyre Peninsula a year-round destination, though most rainfall is in the winter months of June-August.
CURRENCY: £1 = AU$1.51
ACCOMMODATION: The Port Lincoln Lions Hostel is probably your best bet when it comes to a sleepless night before cage-diving with great whites. Dorm beds at the hostel, set amid farmland overlooking Boston Island, start at AU$20pppn, or about £13pppn. (portlincolnlionshostel.org)
SEE: southaustralia.com
Andrew Westbrook travelled with Nullarbor Traveller. The six-day Secrets of Eyre Peninsula tour costs from AU$840 (about £556), including surf lesson and tuna swim. thetraveller.net.au.
The sea lion and dolphin swim with Baird Bay Charters is AU$140 (about £90). bairdbay.com.
One-day great white cage-diving with Calypso Star Charters costs from AU$495 (about £330). sharkcagediving.com.au
Click for Australia’s Best Beaches…
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Australia’s best beaches
There are 10,000 stretches of sand to choose from in Australia. So which ones shouldn’t you miss?
MISSION BEACH
In a nutshell: Golden sands separate rainforest from reef.
Tell me more: This underrated spot, a few hours south of Cairns, boasts kilometres of spectacular beaches happily clashing with World Heritage-listed rainforest. After a swim and a sunbathe, wander through the lush green wonderland looking for endangered cassowaries.
Where? North Queensland.
WINEGLASS BAY
In a nutshell: Like wine, it makes you feel relaxed, a little dozy and wanting more.
Tell me more: You do need to walk uphill for an hour to get here, but we wouldn’t recommend such torture unless it was worth it. Bask on the vacant glistening sand, juxtaposing green hills and bush land (there’s a great little campsite too), and watch dolphins frolic in the bay. The most beautiful spot on a beautiful island.
Where? Tasmania’s east coast.
CORAL BAY
In a nutshell: Where the reef starts at the water’s edge.
Tell me more: You’ll be amazed at the array of bizarre creatures lurking among the coral. The bay is frequented by whale sharks, humpback whales, manta rays, turtles and reef sharks. It’s pretty, too, with no other bugger about.
Where? Near Exmouth, Western Australia.
HYAMS BEACH
In a nutshell: Claims to have “the whitest sand in the world”.
Tell me more: It may not officially hold a world record, but the sand sure is white. The beach is calm and relaxing and the water moves like an old lady, very slowly and laboriously as if it’s got all the time in the world. This gentle spot is perfect for a romantic stroll, dolphin spotting, and swimming in secluded coves.
Where? Jervis Bay, south coast of New South Wales.
Click for Australia’s Best Dive Spots…
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Australia’s best dive sites
Great Barrier Reef
Though the site is protected on the World Heritage list, the Great Barrier Reef is still under threat, so you should seize upon any chance you get to go and explore. The reef, which comprises a staggering 2000km of corals and lagoons, is accessible from a number of places along Queensland’s coast – Cairns being the most popular – and there are scores of dive providers to choose from. And the reef isn’t the only drawcard – there are also 1600 shipwrecks off the coast just waiting to be checked out by yours truly.
The Whitsundays
The Whitsundays include more than 70 islands, so there are heaps of options to choose from. It’s a great spot for learners, with introductory dives and snorkelling readily available, plus plenty of scope for more-experienced dive enthusiasts.
Ningaloo Reef
Even better than the Great Barrier, this area is protected, preserving an ecosystem of more than 500 species of fish, whales, whale sharks, manta rays, turtles and dugongs. There’s also a spectacular reef only 100 metres offshore with far less people than the GBR. The closest main town is Exmouth, Western Australia.
