Sydney Snorkeling : 2015

Monday, 9 November 2015

Bare Island (La Perouse) 31/10/2015

I have been excited to hit up Bare Island in Botany Bay for awhile; I have always heard the spot is one of the best in Sydney. Sadly I was with work and had to keep an eye on a bunch of teenagers and couldn’t explore as much as I would have liked and only scored a few shots. As I was short of time I only really checked out to the right of the bridge, but due to the size of these reefs I’m sure there will be plenty to discover in the near future.

On the centre of the island is a large fort which was built in 1885 to defend against an expected Russian invasion.

There were plenty of seaweed and kelp forests.

Providing a good home for some shy Mado

And also a lot of craggy rock’s, which allowed for some great coral.

Couldn’t find too many fish today, as it was fairly terrible visibility. Saw a couple of common fellows though:

Neon Damsel-Fish

A Smooth Toadfish

Plenty of tiny Comb Jellies; these tiny translucent ctenophores resemble jellyfish but are lacking in stingers. They serve as an important food source for a variety of fish and if you spot one in the dark you are in for a light show as they become bio-luminescent (light up) when disturbed.

Around the rocks there were also plenty of schooling fish, but I wasn't too sure on what they are.

Although it wasn't the most impressive trip, the amount of divers out exploring and some of the guys on the sign below have me intrigued and I'll keep you posted with what I find next time.

Monday, 2 November 2015

Clovelly Once More 30th 10 2015

What can I say I’m a sucker for Clovelly. But I'll let the pictures do the talking ;)

A couple more shots of some Blue Gropers.

Including this popular lady who was being tailed by a school of Mado.

I also finally got a few shots of what I think is a Roundbelly Cowfish. I have run into this little green, horned fellow plenty of times but as they are so quick and flighty I can never seem to get a decent photo.

Found a tiny school of what I think are Juvenile Southern Maori Wrasse along the far wall.

Plenty of decent sized Bream.

This evil looking black fish with a white stripe (I see plenty of these around but have never found out their name).

Edit: These guys are called White Ear's (Parma Microlepis)

A lonely Mado.

A great bit of stringy blue coral I hadn’t seen before.

This awesome Sea Hare; a type of sea slug named as its large tentacles supposedly look like the ears of a hare. They are usually pretty tough to spot due to their incredible camouflage, but if they find themselves in danger they can release a purple dye which acts as a smoke screen whilst they glide away.

And my favourite ‘arty’ shot of the day.

Giles Bath (Coogee Rock Pool) 28th 10 2015

Coogee Rock Pool

As the weather has been fairly windy and overcast I haven’t had much of a chance for a dip lately. But I have always heard that Giles Bath (Coogee Rock Pool) is perfect on windy days and for beginners as it is well sheltered from the surf, so I thought it was worth a look. I wasn’t in for long so this will just be a shortie.

Located at the North end of Coogee, this little natural rock pool can be accessed at low tide via the rocky foreshore, or at high from the Coastal Walkway in Dunningham Reserve, the entrance stands near the memorial for the Bali bombing attack.

Source: Australian Geographic: Giles Bath

As the water is so shallow and protected from the waves it makes for a perfect habitat for the little guys and a huge array of colourful coral.

Found some White Striped Anemone. They use their tentacles to pull in small fish but also have the added defence of stinging cells they can shoot out from near their base when needed.