Aussie Diving April 16-30

[Sas]

Petunia, when are you out diving next??

I got out for two dives today with my two regular buddies And I had my drysuit (is 15C now) :wave: so was much happier - though it did leak quite badly on the first dive because my neck seal wasn't on right :depressed: I dried it out on the SI though. We were at Point Cook Homestead - there is a beach out the back and that is where we dived. The people at the Homestead cafe were lovely! They said we were the first divers they'd seen there and after our second dive (around 5 so a few hours after they shut) they had free hot chocolates waiting for us as a few had stuck around for some after dinner drinks. They were very interested in the photos to see what was under the water in their backyard. Very friendly bunch there and we will go back. Also was nice to have a place two mins walk from the dive site to eat at

I got some pics:

A few blue-ring octopus shots

Also check out the video, especially at the end (it's short) to see it swimming for the surface, the swimming motion looks cool! Never seen them swim so much in midwater before.
Blue Ring Octopus swimming for the surface on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Paul got a nice puffer shot:

I got one of Paul after he'd fixed the holes in his gloves in an imaginative manner

And he got one of me looking like a ninja diver

Also here is one for fish and petunia, check out my t-shirt (hope it is clear, not very big pic) My other one got wet on the first dive so I stole my friend's shirt that he'd left in my car So, I was definitely a Hitchhiker today

 

[Gudge]

After a very rough trip there (and back again) we got a couple of dives in Lighthouse Bay yesterday. Conditions on the surface were pretty grim with a stiff northeaster blowing (worst possible wind direction here on Ningaloo) but underwater conditions were very good with 27°C water, good visibility and no surge or current. I was trying out my new wetsuit (purchased for my trip east next month) and cooked. Here's a few photos taken on the dives using my Tokina 10-17 fisheye:

For the third weekend in a row the very placid (and large) Estuarine Cod was at his favourite cleaning station again:

Spangled Emperor:

Parrotfish:

Golden Trevally:

Crescent Tail Bigeyes with a couple of Spanish Flag Mackerel:

Butterflyfish and Sweetlips:

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Petunia, when are you out diving next??

I got out for two dives today with my two regular buddies And I had my drysuit (is 15C now) :wave: so was much happier - though it did leak quite badly on the first dive because my neck seal wasn't on right :depressed: I dried it out on the SI though. We were at Point Cook Homestead - there is a beach out the back and that is where we dived. The people at the Homestead cafe were lovely! They said we were the first divers they'd seen there and after our second dive (around 5 so a few hours after they shut) they had free hot chocolates waiting for us as a few had stuck around for some after dinner drinks. They were very interested in the photos to see what was under the water in their backyard. Very friendly bunch there and we will go back. Also was nice to have a place two mins walk from the dive site to eat at

I got some pics:

A few blue-ring octopus shots

Also check out the video, especially at the end (it's short) to see it swimming for the surface, the swimming motion looks cool! Never seen them swim so much in midwater before.
Blue Ring Octopus swimming for the surface on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Paul got a nice puffer shot:

I got one of Paul after he'd fixed the holes in his gloves in an imaginative manner

And he got one of me looking like a ninja diver

Also here is one for fish and petunia, check out my t-shirt (hope it is clear, not very big pic) My other one got wet on the first dive so I stole my friend's shirt that he'd left in my car So, I was definitely a Hitchhiker today

the last three underwater shots look like the subjects might be related

I like the puffer most heheheh

 

[bowlofpetunias]

After a very rough trip there (and back again) we got a couple of dives in Lighthouse Bay yesterday. Conditions on the surface were pretty grim with a stiff northeaster blowing (worst possible wind direction here on Ningaloo) but underwater conditions were very good with 27Ž°C water, good visibility and no surge or current. I was trying out my new wetsuit (purchased for my trip east next month) and cooked. Here's a few photos taken on the dives using my Tokina 10-17 fisheye:

For the third weekend in a row the very placid (and large) Estuarine Cod was at his favourite cleaning station again:

Spangled Emperor:

Parrotfish:

Golden Trevally:

Crescent Tail Bigeyes with a couple of Spanish Flag Mackerel:

Butterflyfish and Sweetlips:

You just get stunning shots amazing work
Gudged

 

[Sas]

I got in a 100 min dive at Mornington last night, my longest dive in a drysuit. LOVE being back in my drysuit and I didn't get cold at all during the dive, even though it is now down to 14C Brrr :cold: The viz was bad at about 1m, and very silty, probably from all the storms we had a few days ago. I was diving with my buddy Michael and also burna from Scubaboard Poor Michael was the only one diving wet and was pretty cold at the end, he says he's never been that cold before (and has lived in the Antarctic and also dived wet through winter last year, just not longer than an hour).

We found a huge Boarfish (there was some backscatter in this so I tried to remove it with Picasa, but it is a very boring job to remove backscatter!)

A White Spot Octopus (backscatter cropped out this time )

Some seastars... hugging?

These are the same type of seastars as in the previous picture, they are like a carpet at the pier and it was fine a few weeks ago! :depressed: Very disappointing this seastar has made it to Mornington. I wonder if they'll organise a cleanup for it...

Tiny cute pygmy leatherjacket

Finally, he pier looked kinda cool at midnight after we got out (Petunia this is using the candle mode on the camera)

Anyone else been out? Looking forward to some pics from you petunia! *hint* *hint* But I guess you are probably busy with your visitor

 

[Gudge]

You just get stunning shots amazing work
Gudged

Thanks, it can be difficult taking shots when there's a cleaner wrasse at work in your right ear :

 

[deltablade]

awesome pics

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Conditions have made taking pics difficult to impossible. Lots of swell and surge... things are stirred up and murky but here you are by request Sas. These are from Camp Cove on Tue

 

[bowlofpetunias]

There were heaps of these tiny Cuttles

 

[Sas]

Conditions have made taking pics difficult to impossible. Lots of swell and surge... things are stirred up and murky but here you are by request Sas. These are from Camp Cove on Tue

Sounds like Melbourne at the moment too I nearly sent my camera back the other night with a buddy when he had to grab some more weight from his car! Though, there were still a few shots to be had but I am down to about half the normal amount of pics I take

Love the cuttlefish!