I - we - have been bloody remiss in talking about the critters wot we have
been seeing in our early morning dives.

Last week Julian and myself set out very early - just at the change-over
time between the nocturnal and the daytime critters.  We saw more things
than wot a normal person could poke a stick at!  But apart from pregnant -
and very tetchy - wobbegongs; more different types of nudibranchs than is
usual; and uvver stuff, we did discover a ... a ... B-I-G shell that was
laying eggs.  We photographed it.  The egg cases look like architecturally
designed soft corals; beautiful looking and geometric edifices that looked
very alien.  We saw several more of these obvious egg-cases a little later
on in the dive, nestling beneath an overhang.  :-)

Julian's come up with the following  sites that show the shell - about (and
at least!) 10 inches in length - and, in one instance, the egg cases:
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/wf/bc/bc95may.html
http://www.gastropods.com/a/Shell_Melo_amphora.html

Early tomorrow morning we're back in the water again!  (Folks in those parts
where it's winter - we'll toast your good health with post-dive coffee and
Tim-Tams!  :-)))))

Strike