On Thursday, January 24, 2002 9:12 PM, Viv, (aka Krazy Kiwi) wrote:

(snip)

> >Julian discovered two pipe fish among the seagrass beds.  Camouflaged
> >in the same colour as the sea grass, not only were they difficult to
> >see but both of them seemed intent on disguising themselves as pieces
> >of grass.

> Julian is a fine critter-hunter. You guys ought to seriously think about a
> book on the marine life in that area as many folk do not realise how rich
> many of these dive spots are for breeding grounds.

'S funny you should say that! :-)

While it's always enjoyable to dive new places there are some sites that,
like favourite arm chairs, you can't wait to sink down into!  For me, the
dive sites at Cabbage Tree Bay - off of Shelly Beach - occupy a very special
place in my personal pantheon of favourite places to dive. :-)

Trying to convince people who've done their training in the shallows that
it's an outstanding dive location because of the amazing variety of marine
life that lives there, is sometimes very difficult.  Most of them can't wait
to get away from the place and dive the more challenging sites in the area
so that they can stand in the pub later and boast that they've dived to ten
zillion metres.  Something that I regard as a pointless exercise unless
there's an underlying purpose.  (As a very talented commercial diver once
told me, "The ability to dive is not a panacea for the skills one lacks.")
:-)

I've certainly dived Shelly Beach more than any other single location
anywhere else in the world, (I must count them up one day!), and yet it's
still a rare dive when I don't discover something new that I haven't seen
there before.  (And - thanks, in the main, to people like Julian - awakened
an interest in wanting to learn about the many types of marine life, their
habits, and their place in the grand scheme of things.) :-)

>Take a good look at many
> of our fish reference books .. there are hardly any good pics of juvenile
> fish in them. Yes, I do know many look alike at the small-fry stage but
> half the fun is working out what the heck it was :-)

> I took a pic of a juvenile moorish idol while muck-diving inside the
lagoon
> at Layang-Layang Island with Mad-Max. Never seen a pic of one in any OZ/NZ
> fish reference book yet. Two of our WAUPS members, who co-wrote The
> Ningaloo Reef & Coral Bay, are currently working on a book about the
south-
> west of WA and at this moment concentrating their efforts around the
marine
> life around Busselton Jetty. They have noticed juvenile species there that
> are normally seen in Indonesian waters .. the Leeuwin Current and global
> warming have ensured the new critters made it through our winter season.

I'm pretty certain that it was you, Viv, who pointed out to me that the
juveniles often bear no resemblance to the adults.  And I'm only now
starting to appreciate the truth of that!  :-)

> <snip of the kiwi shears>
> >Hidden in the branches of a large sponge were several minute creatures
> >that, through the magnifying glass, turned out to be brightly patterned
> >red and white) shrimps of a type that I haven't seen before.

> Wow! I can't wait to have my personal dive guide take me to this area :-)

Janet took a photo of one last week - that we subsequently identified as an
Amboin Shrimp, (Thor amboinensis) - I'll reduce it in size and, (if that's
OK with you?) post it to you.  Strangely enough you can also see, in the
picture, the tentacle of a brittle star that also lives in the sponge, but
that I didn't spot with the naked eye - or when looking through the
magnifying glass!  :-)

> >Hanging >beneath a ledge on a nearby rock, Julian and Janet also
> >discovered a small (3 cms) fish shaped like a goby with a bright red
> >body and a jet black head.

> This sounds like a bi-colour blenny. Did Janet get a pic of it?  I would
> love to see it.

Indeed she did.  I'll ask her to post it to me and then send it on to you.
:-)

> >A curious grouper - about a metre in length - put its head between
> >theirs to see what it was they were looking at!  :-)

> It is funny how many times I have seen gro(u)pers do that. They are such
> inquisited things .. but I think they are really checking it out to see if
> it is eatable.

There's one large blue one, (over a metre in length) that knows that we
won't feed it but still swims up for a pat and to have its chin tickled! :-)

> >It was an enjoyable 74-minutes - but I still couldn't wait to warm up
> >under a cold shower! :-)

> I have goose-bumps on my goose-bumps just reading about the brass monkeys
> sea temps .. you are making me gringe in sympathy :-)

I spoke to Neptune Wetsuits yesterday.  They've got a new exposure suit
intended to replace the straight lycras for warm water diving.  Apparently
it has a 'fleece' lining; has the same thermal protection qualities as a
2mm; and is neutrally buoyant.  I've ordered one!  :-)

We've got lots of new critters and spots to show you when you lob into town
prior to the CAIVNEDFest, so bring plenty of film!  :-)))

Strike