Ewans Pond & Piccanninie Ponds

We wanted to dive the limestone ponds near Port Macdonnell but you needed Australian Cave Diver Certification to do it, you even needed permits from the wildlife department just to snorkel! So, thoroughly intrigued, we got our permits from the council office and headed to the local dive shop to rent wetsuits – since it is 15 degrees C in the ponds!
We did Piccaninnie Ponds first, which from the surface just looked like a duck pond – surrounded by reeds. So, bundled up in an ill-fitting 5mm farmer-john, 5mm shortie plus hooded vest & booties we waddled down the platform in the hot sun.

Sam – Michelin man

Evidently, the water takes 500 years to filter through from the Blue Lake and it was crystal clear and BLOODY FREEZING! We had to keep our hands out of the water behind our backs in the sun (rather like a Sea Otter) or cardiac arrest would have ensued, I’m sure.
Being our first freshwater snorkeling experience it was quite interesting and the limestone caverns would have made a great dive - but we had to content ourselves with swimming through the water plants next to swans & moorhens instead.