Cabbage Tree Bay - Long Weekend

With a long weekend, I figured it was worth getting out of my local neighbourhood and hitting one of my favourite South Sydney spots... Cabbage Tree Bay. The water was cool and clear so this is another pretty long post.

There were a few big Blue Gropers out in force. Surprisingly the Eastern Blue Groper is not actually a 'grouper' but in fact a wrasse. The juveniles are typically a greenish brown, in females this shifts to a reddish brown with age, whilst the adult male are bright blue. They can grow to be 1.2m, with a round belly, heavy scales, and thick lips.

There was also a heap of other wrasses out and about.

Senator Wrasse:

Crimson Banded Wrasse:

Maori Wrasse:

Their juvenile offspring:

And my first ever Rainbow Wrasse:

I also found a massive Old Wife, hiding down deep.

There was a couple of Indo-Pacific Sergeant's enjoying the clear water.

Not to mention an adult and child pair of Neon Damsel's.

I haven't yet figured out this black and yelllow fellow.

I also didn't know this spotty:

I found a great Blacksaddle Goatfish:

There were plenty of Black Tipped Bullseye's:

A big school of Squid:

There were Rock Cale's chewing on algae everywhere:

A terrific Fan Bellied File Fish:

I love this bay.

Shelly Beach - Manly

I love this beach.

Shelly Beach forms part of the Cabbage Tree Bay marine reserve; opposite Manly’s North Head and Fairy Bower beaches. This spot is a mecca for North Shore snorkerlers and scuba divers because of its marine park status, shallow water, and large variety of marine life.I have been waiting to do a blog on this spot for awhile, and I got the perfect opportunity this week. I spent about three hours underneath so its another long one.

Aside from Clovelly, this bay is one of Sydney's most reliable spots to see Blue Gropers; and they were out in force. They were fairly active so as well as the regular shots. 

I also scored a little look into a Gropers daily life.

Snacking on Sea Urchins

And getting a clean from tiny friends.

I got up nice and close to a male Crimson Banded Wrasse.

And a school of decent sized Yellow Tail Scad.

There were plenty of Southern Maori Wrasse; named due to their facial markings which are said to resemble the tattoo's of New Zealand's Maori warriors. 

The blue scribbles on the face identify a male.

Their juvenile offspring were out to school too.

A mother Blacksaddle Goatfish was looking after her young. These are easily recognised by their bright pink body and two dark stripes along the side; the juveniles are most slender and are slightly more yellow.

I tailed a big shoal of squid.

Found another pair of Rough Flutemouth's.

Some well camouflaged Fan-Bellied Filefish.

And another Common Stingaree.

Rock Cale's were out chewing on algae just about everywhere I looked.

Eastern Sea Garfish were darting in all directions.

As were Black Tipped Bullseye's.

Not to mention this unknown school.

I even had more luck than usual getting shots of tiny guys.I think this bright blue is a Neon Damselfish.

I couldn't find the name of this tiny orange and white beauty.

And I got some great shots of a pair of Yellow Tang.

After such an awesome dip I had the added bonus of finding some Eastern Water Dragons on the way back to the car too.

Hopefully you have made it this far after so many shots, I just couldn't help myself. For a beach I usually dont get a chance to visit, Shelly's is definitely worth the time.

Pros:

• The quantity and variety of sea life is probably the best in Sydney.
• A grade showers, toilets and a kiosk, as well as free electric bbqs make it a perfect picnic spot. It even has a formal restaurant on the beach.
• Beautiful scenery.

Cons:

• Not much parking and pretty pricey; one weekend I drove for an hour to get there, spent another forty five looking for a parking spot before giving up and going home. Probably not worth the effort on a hot weekend.
• Busy; you will be sharing the water with plenty of others.