The Busselton Jetty, which extends an incredible 1.8 kilometers into Geographe Bay, has been described as Australia’s best artificial reef. With swimming and diving platforms, rain shelters, and gorgeous sculptures to add to the overall ambience, the jetty is also home to an underwater observatory, and is a fabulous spot for divers and non-divers alike to wonder at the marvels Australia’s oceans hold. Let’s take a quick trip down under – we promise that you’ll enjoy yourself on this shallow dive!
The Busselton Jetty Structure
Busselton Jetty holds the record for the Southern Hemisphere, as far as its length is concerned. Construction of this wooden pylon jetty began in 1853. Over the years, it acted as a docking platform for American whaling ships, and once it was reinforced in 1865, horse-drawn carts started shifting cargo of timber and farm products back and forth between the mainland and the ships that swarmed through Geographe Bay.
In 1911, a train was added, which has recently been updated to provide tram service to and from the underwater observatory. That’s not the whole story though; through the years, the jetty has been closed for years on end, with a final closing in 2009. The good news? The jetty reopened in February of 2011, and is once again a wonderful place for all to enjoy.
One reason it is so popular is that it boasts a multilevel underwater observatory. Divers can swim right up to the windows, among the fish and invertebrates that live here in abundance, to get a look at the crowds that gather each day. If you’ve ever wondered what your fish back home in the tank feel like, now you know!
A Fun and Easy Diving Experience
Diving at Busselton Jetty is very easy, thanks to the platforms that have been installed for your convenience. If you want to enjoy the experience even more, you can hire a boat for the day, or take a charter out. There are plenty of options to choose from, depending on your needs. At any rate, this is an excellent dive with a maximum depth of just about 8 meters. The water is clear, and the sea life is beyond fantastic.
The jetty pylons, which stand like a forest of tall trees, are each populated by an entire menagerie of invertebrates, including lots of nudibranchs, starfish and crabs, and shellfish – plus lots of soft coral, too! There are great numbers of fish everywhere, from schooling yellowtail scad and clouds of fierce looking pike, to jewfish and blennies, clingfish, and lots of different gobies.
If you are very lucky, you might even visit on a day when the local dolphins have decided to come investigate the pier. Be sure to bring your camera with you, because life here is amazing and abundant. Organisms are piled, one on top of another, and as the jetty has been here for more than one and one half centuries, you are bound to see some very interesting, and colorful things!
Try a night dive, or visit during the day. Either way, you’re certain to enjoy yourself – and you just might find that no other jetty dive on earth holds a candle to Busselton Jetty.