Last weekend there were no plans to go anywhere, so I took advantage and had two dips in our local waters. It was still pretty murky and the swell was shifting the water backward and forward over the weed so I was not too hopeful to see much. But as is usually the case there will be something to see if you make the effort. On the Saturday I came across a small shoal of trumpet fish, which hung about me for a long time:
I also saw heaps of fish out and about, mostly individuals or shoals of juveniles and other than that the only unusual find was a four legged sea star. These fellas are hardy as and can lose a limb of two and still keep going:
Unperturbed by the lack of significant finds I went out the next day. I passed our neighbour who was fishing off the beach and popped in a mere fifty yards away from them. I’d only got ten yards from the shoreline when I was surrounded by hundreds of herrings. I hovered about with these guys for ages ducking down and swimming through them. Maybe I should have encouraged them to shift along the beach to the fishing lines, but I left them to their own devices and that was to head the other way (my neighbour didn’t get one bite):
It was a calmer day with clearer waters so I headed out further than I would normally, probably about a 100m offshore. The water doesn’t get that much deeper even that far out but when it is murky and less calm I tend to hug the shoreline a bit more. Again there wasn’t a heap of new things to see but I couldn’t resist this image, as I liked the colours so much:
I did spy something and went down to investigate, to find the top of this Pinnidae, which is a large saltwater clams sometimes known as a pen shell. We are always excited when we find these washed up on the beach and even more so when we find the two halves complete and unbroken. The largest we have found was about a foot long. I have however never come across a live one, and this was the only image with the shell open. After this it somehow sensed I was there and clamed up. Only about a fifth of the shell is poking out of the sand:
This weekend the weather is due to come in on Sunday so I went for a wander down to the beach this morning. Our neighbours Brian and Eske, were stood by their boat looking at their phones and the shark Apps trying to decide whether to head out for a spot of diving. I told them not to be sissy’s and just get out there, when they offered for me to join them and snorkel while they dived. Their intention being for me to the shark bait:
After almost getting bogged in the soft sand the boat was launched and out we went. They reckoned we would be about 200m offshore in a water depth of 6m or so. While they used an electronic depth gauge to find a good spot (i.e. with reef) they also used a more traditional technique to see if the chosen spot would suit their purposes:
This comprised sticking your head in and seeing what is down there. While they were looking for reef, they also wanted a reef system that looked like it may be the home of crayfish. While I was going to bob about on top they would be below hunting for a feed of shellfish:
After kitting up it was time for them to roll out of the boat, which I thought would make a good picture. It kind of did but I missed the best shot of Brain hitting the water. This was due to the boat had rapidly rocked back upwards as he left it, sending me flying off the other side. Eske was in stiches as I swam round the back and hauled myself back up:
The water was about 4-5m where we were and it felt soooo much deeper than where I usually head to off the beach. I was a tad surprised not to see heaps of fish, or fish bigger than I would normally but I did find this very cool plate coral:
The boys were darting here, there and everywhere listening for the distinctive crackling sound of crayfish as they scavenge about clicking their claws. They were also looking under all the rocky ledges for the sign of antenna poking out. I bobbed about and stayed a bit closer to the boat than they did. Popping down every so often to see what I could see:
It was pretty cool watching the air rise up from below, looking a bit like jelly fish that got bigger and bigger until their exploded into heaps of tiny bubbles. From this image you can see that the visibility was not the best and if you looked out into the big blue it was hard to see too far, and hard to see what may be lurking:
I did go down to check out what they were up to but without any weights it was hard work getting down and then even harder trying to stay down. So they were relatively short stints, not that they would have noticed me as they focused on hunting their prey. You can see a long black cord hanging off Brian’s foot, both of them have these tails which send out an electric pulse that is supposed to deter sharks:
I would normally be in the water for about 45 min but only managed half that time out here. The water was a bit cooler, the duck diving was harder work and to be honest it’s more fun snorkelling in the shallows where the visibility is better. That said it was fun and I’m pleased I went out. Back on deck the wind was picking up and the boat was rocking back and forth, as I waited patiently. Eventually Brain retuned, flippers coming into the boat first, and it took another ten minutes or so for Eske to return:
They had both caught a cuttlefish each and a few crays, they checked the sizes to make sure they were legal. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to get down to the bottom and stay longer as it would have been great to see a cuttlefish or two. Seeing them splatted on the deck oozing ink wasn’t quite the same! Happy with their catch we headed back in, the boat smashing onto the small waves sending shock waves up my spine, and making for a less than comfortable return trip:
Back at the shore you wouldn’t have noticed the waves and it seemed perfectly calm. It was a good experience heading out and seeing a different part of the reef. But I don’t think the deep is for me and I reckon I’ll stay in the more shallow waters next time I snorkel, unless I get myself some dive gear…
Sandbagged 