Anchoring at Salutation Island
Thinking of doing a shakedown camp aboard trip in Shark Bay later in the year. Plan to launch at Baba Head and spend something like 3 days/ 2nights. I know the Tea Tree camp side of the peninsula well enough, and think it is logical to plan my movements around wind and tide, priority being a comfortable camp for the night after fishing ceases. I know how the water just disappears from the bottom of the bay ( at least on the Tea Tree side) when you get a sou'easter, and was wondering if anyone had looked at Salutation Island in this respect. Charts aren't much help, of course, when a couple of foot of water makes all the difference at low, so I've been looking at Google earth as a rough guide to how shallow it "looks", compared to other places which I am familiar with. I know it won't be deep, but would it be do-able, preference being to not wake up in the early hours with the hull starting to touch the bottom? I've noticed it is a reserve, and have looked for information on that, and just assume it is OK as long as you don't go ashore. Not a fishing exclusion zone like Mary Anne island?
Starbug
Posts: 563
Date Joined: 27/08/09
check
check here
https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@11&key=~j~%60DyekuT
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Thanks mate, I've got the app
it basically calls most of the close-in stuff as 0-1 fathom. It says this for some places i know retain useable water, and says the same for some places I know are ankle deep in the same conditions. I'm fine with knee-deep at a dead low tide, as long as it is flat.
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
ranmar i have fished around
ranmar
i have fished around on the west and north side of salutaion , depth varies but is generally under 8 metres with clean sandy bottom , , we never ventured right in close up or landed on it ,so i cant say
but i did read in one of the books about shark bay early fishermen , the pros who started off workign up their and way down towards tamala on several day stays with motherships etc , they talk about it being walkable to salutation at low tide , either being very shallow or dry depending on tide and moon phase etc
so it may well depend if you thinking to anchor on the n/west side or s/east side as to how much water you will have under you , east side id say is going to be less though .. how much does your boat draw ?/ with motor leg on trim/tilt , what will she traverse navigably ?? mine is manouverable in 40-50 cm deep without a strong cross wind
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
Nw corner
when we were there a month ago there were yachts anchoring in that bay
behind the sandspit in the NW corner.
Water depth would be around 1m or so but doesn’t drain to dry.
Bradmac73
Posts: 176
Date Joined: 22/03/17
No drama
You'll have no probs anchoring anywhere around there from my experience Ranmar. I've fished all around it plenty of times in most condition and there's still plenty of water for a Reefie. Obvioulsy shallower the closer you get but west and south side you can get within 20 mtrs of the island in over a metre of water still. South east corner has a few nice sandy holes close in which would be ideal for an overnighter
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Thanks for all that
The little corner, finger of rock on the SW corner looks likely as well. if in doubt the weedline showing the drop to deeper water comes in close on that NW corner. Looking forward to spending some overnighters, i'd always scout it out before dark and mark out on the plotter for if you needed to islei later on.
dodgy
Posts: 4563
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Used to get some real good
Used to get some real good pinks around White Island at night too. And some of the biggest shovels you have ever seen.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?