Strike responded ( to my post):

> > Last Saturday we aborted to "Two Poles" (18m - 60 ft). I don't usually
> > dive that depth with twins, let's call the other tank a "large pony"
> > instead. :)

> My apologies - and scrub my last post! :-)))
>
> > It was my turn to get in the water last, it mostly seems to be that
> > way but I don't mind, means that I can check out that everything is
> > done at my leisure without worrying about anyone else (like Lee we
> > dive an unattended boat).
>
> You're a big boy now and I imagine that the decision to dive an unattended
> boat has been thought through carefully! :-)

Strike, we've been through this. You've even, agreeably I think,
commented on one of my safety devices as to this.

> > So I fall overboard and am busily pulling myself down the buoyline
> > (yep, the dive site is all-of-a-sudden buoyed, thanks Les) when at
> > about 6 metres down (I checked) I espy this really skinny bit of ...
> > weed? Nope it's a fish, about 6cm (2.5') long (when compared to my
> > hand), green, long tubular snout about one third of the body, skinny.
>
> I overlooked the fact that you were 6 metres down - as opposed to being on
> the bottom - and I've only ever seen pipefish on, or close to, the seabed!
> :-)

Which was, indeed, the reason for the question.

> We've certainly seen juvenile flutemouths in midwater and close to the
> bottom, but they've all seemed to be similar in shape but much smaller in
> size than the adults.  The pipefish that I've seen also tend to be more
> flexible in their joints, (like snakes) than do the flutemouths!  :-)

6cm, as quoted above, is pretty short for a flutemouth, what
throws/threw me is that the otherwise diagnostic skinny tail behind
the conventional rear fin was not evident. I've seen 'em before, it's
just that this time I asked the question.

There seem to be two things agin 'em locally:

If it's a juvenile, why in the middle of the water column? It's too
(relatively) big to hide (although it tries to emulate a weed, doesn't
move unless disturbed)
It's pretty far south of its usual watery domain, although right now
we have about 23C (73F)

That last, by my recollection, is a whole 2C (about 10% - a HUGE
increase) more than, say, even four years ago at its maximum.

Which opens up yet another can of worms.

Cheers,

Christian