The day may have ominously started with rain, but the diving was so pleasurable as to make us quite indifferent to such superficialities. The first dive and then the second were so enjoyable as to make us forget this out of water background. What was going on in the water was all that mattered.
Dive #1 Manly Bommie:
Each time one comes here one discovers more things to see. Like an aquatic 'pass the parcel', with gift after gift being revealed with the removal of each bit of wrapping paper. The vis was very good, and the aquatic life even better. Highlights from this dive were swimming through gutters full of fish, fish goings-on, and meandering through some of the gutter's interconnections. One Spot Pullers proved to be the bossiest fish on this trip, chasing away every other species that inadvertently came near - even a colourful Moorish Idol - but not before Shelley managed to take a few photos. This is also the season for Giant Cuttlefish which is why we saw many of them here today. Most were inquisitive but nevertheless quite cautious. Moving through one interconnection, we came across two schools of Long-finned Pike. Each one slowly circling in a tight formation. The way light flashed off their bodies as they circled was like looking at a revolving mobile of jewels or jewellery. This definitely was a stunning sight.
A Sergeant Baker looked on, looking very officious. Whilst Red Morwongs, adopted the opposite pose: they had an exaggerated look of being 'world weary': they appeared today, as they always do, as being the laziest fish in the sea. The very opposite of a fast moving Herring Cale which needs to be told to relax.
We also saw Old Wives, Black Reef Leatherjackets, Magpie Morwong, Bulls Eyes, a single Kingfish, Fiddler ray, and two Three Bar Porcupine fish - amongst many other things!
And Nick found here at least two Weedy Seadragons!
Dive #2 Flag Staff:
As is often the case, the second dive site chosen is very different from the first. This was the case today. Flagstaff could hardly have been more different than Manly Bommie. This was a more sheltered location with a different atmosphere, varied marine life and different topography. Underwater, it consists of a mainly straight stretch of reef wall, constantly but almost imperceptibly descending. Well worth exploring is this wall as well as the upper sections of this reef.
We followed the interface of the reef and sand-line, descending deeper and deeper, as we moved in a roughly southerly direction. Stingarees appeared, the first revealing only its eyes above the sand, then another, swimming alongside of us and then seeming to stop and simply hover when we stopped.
Three Mourning Cuttlefish appeared: two together and an interloper looking on. The couple, shall we call them, put on a theatrical light show, sending ripples of colours across their body, followed by other amazing colour changing effects.
All of this appeared next to a fabulous sponge garden replete with ‘Hand’ sponges, bowl shaped sponges, dreadlocks shaped ones, and sponges in shapes for which we have no names. Sea Tulips in different colours festooned adjacent walls. Whilst Starfish (Biscuit, Mosaic, etc) adorned both sponges and reef outcrop.
We came across two Wobbegong sharks. The first must have woken up from a bad dream. It lunged towards me with an open mouth, as we passed by, without us even stopping (maybe that was our mistake: he/she expected us to stop and admire him/her, but we failed to even acknowledge his/her existence). After jumping up, it circled angrily but we simply continued on our way. The demeanour of the second Wobbie was much better, but this may have been because we did, in fact, stop to admire this one.
Wobbegong sharks actually have poor eye sight, causing us to wonder whether our angry shark had simply mistaken my leg for something more edible? They are a hunter, a lazy hunter (although they prefer the description "ambush hunter" - which sounds much better) that normally waits for food to come to them. When a prey (fish, octopus, crab, lobster, squid, smaller shark, etc) comes near to them, they pounce - doing so in milliseconds. They prefer to swallow their prey whole which is why I am glad it just missed my leg. They can open their powerful jaws wide supposedly allowing them to swallow a prey almost as big as themselves. And they rarely let go. Wobbegongs grow to about 3m. It is worth noting that there are no records of a fatal Wobbegong 'attack' - which, it should also be noted, is rare.
An interesting fact about Wobbies is that they can even walk out of water, from one tidal pool to another, so long as they keep their gills wet.
As it rained above water, so it did underwater, but instead of raining with precipitation, here underwater, it rained in fish. Several times schools of fish descended upon us, culminating in a grand finale fireworks effect with Silver Trevally followed by One Spot Pullers and then by Mado. Mado had devised new ways to thrill us, in the way they would move in a synchronised way around us. The effort was unmistakeable, the effect brilliant!
The piece de resistance of this dive was coming across a particular Giant Cuttlefish. It was friendly and extended its tentacles to hold onto one's hand before retracting them and doing it all over again. It then came forward repeatedly to press its forehead against one's hand in a sign of apparent affection. Watching it open its eyes and look directly at you whilst providing a display of warmth and affection, is something one really cannot forget. They are certainly admirable and special creatures!
Finally, making our way back to the boat, a single Mourning Cuttlefish stood its ground when we observed it. Its display of shifting colours, etc, was remarkable but nevertheless was still unable to erase or displace the memory of the experience we just had with a Giant Cuttlefish.
There was so much to attract our attention on this dive meaning we were quite overwhelmed by everything we saw. It was good to compare this dive site with our first one; it was even better to finish the day's diving with so many wonderful memories from both of our dives. As I have often remarked before, afterwards we were left as eager as ever wanting to return to both locations to continue our investigation of those dive sites. May it be sooner rather than later.
Images Courtesy of Shelley Xia
Eric