Last weekend we were not heading out anywhere so I had the chance to get into the water on both days. Saturday I wanted to check out a new spot along Peppy Beach so headed out early morning, only to be greeted by a bit of a swell and water that felt cold. It was not unexpected as the winds were due to be up all weekend. The swell made viability poor (as the image below shows) and also made it hard to stay in one spot for any length of time:
I did however spy not this fish, but the filter feather that is just below it. These feather feeders pop out their filaments to capture particles, but I have not until now managed to capture an image of one. They seems to be very aware of their surrounds and every time I have even got close to one it pops back into its protective home at lightning speed:
This was a doubly special moment for me as the damsel fish that appeared just as I took the above image is a fickle little fella that I have also until now not managed to get a decent image of. So I was very happy to capture the above and then below image of him, the fluorescent blue makes these fish visible from afar but like the filament feeders they speed into a hidey hole when you get close. I never use flash photography with my underwater images so what you see here is what I get to see, and note the feathery beast is now in hiding:
I also had a closer look at these plants, as the reef was fairly shallow in places I could get a great close up look. I’ve seen them plenty of times before but never paid them much attention. While it was a bit choppy the sun was out and the light in the shallow water was great, so it was the first time I noted all the filaments on these guys that make them look a bit ghostly:
It didn’t take long before I was a bit over being buffeted about so I popped my head up to check my bearings before heading back in. Just as I did so a gannet flew out of the water nearby and passed me by. Not sure if it was a sign to say time to head off, but I took it as so and headed in:
The wind didn’t relent for the rest of the day or the next morning and it looked pretty average out there. Then early Sunday afternoon it seemed to turn, and while being windy the bay calmed down. So back I went for an unusual afternoon snorkel, with the sun full on my back. I was pleasantly surprised at how clear it was. There were a heap of jelly fish floating along in the current, not stingers but these blobby guys:
I went a bit further out and I was stunned at how clear it had become in such a short time. The colour of the kelp looked amazing in the bright sun and these kelp covered bundies were shrouded with small fish, these being Western Pomfrey:
I also spied a tiny fish no more than a few centimetres long, I tried several time to duck dive down and creep up on it but each time it sensed me and frantically swam away. It quickly became lost from sight, as it merged in with the colour of the kelp beautifully. I had to include this image of it with its little bulging eyes. I reckon it was a very young box fish of some sort:
I continued on my journey and stayed out longer than normal with the early afternoon sun on my back keeping me that bit warmer. I didn’t see too many new things but did spy this beautiful delicate coral. I’ve not seen one like it before so spent some time duck diving up and down checking it out. Soon after I decided it was time to head in:
Lisa reckons that every day this week the sea has been flat as during her before work walk on the beach. When Saturday came and it was a total loss, high’ish winds and a reasonable swell making me decide to not even bother going in. This morning I was up and out early for a climb, so on the way back swung past the beach to find it relatively calm. Of course I went back and had a dip, while it looked calm the swell was pushing the water about manically and it was very murky, but I did find yet another filter feeder which had an amazing delicate looking pattern/shell:
Not sure of my chances of getting out next weekend, but you never know…
Sandbagged 