This was a fairly murky dive in a reasonable swell. There were lots of large Dusky Morwong around, and we found quite a few Old Wives, Snapper, and Sweep, but not as many Leatherjackets as we would normally find here.
The highlight of the dive was a large school of Zebrafish grazing around the reef, being buffeted by the surge.
Ingall's golfbal sponge is common in Southern Western Australia, but is also found in Port Phillip, and as far up the coast as Sydney. It is easy to see where it gets it's name from. The sponge is anchored to the rock surface by up to ten small pedicels
The male Six-spined Leatherjacket has three pairs of prominent spines on each side of the base of the tail. Females and juveniles have much smaller spines, if they are present at all. Commonly seen in seagrass beds, adults are also seen on sheltered reefs. Males are much more colourful than females.
The Bluethroat Wrass is one of the most abundant Wrasses in Victoria, and is an interesting species. Females and males look quite different, with the female being a greenish-brown, and having broad light and dark bands across the body, lighter towards the tail, while the male has a dusky red-brown body, with a rounded bluish head, and a single broad white band running vertically across their body, and yellow pectoral and pelvic fins. Large females can transform into males!
Old Wifes can grow up to 25 cm in length. Swimming with their fins erect, these graceful fish can be found in pairs, or as part of large schools. Large adults are sometimes seen on their own. They are named after the grunting sound they make when stressed, supposedly sounding like the humphing sound a fisherman's disapproving wife might make.The dorsal spine is venomous. This is the only representative of the family, and its relationship with other families is unclear.
Dusky Worwong can grow up to 1.2 metres. Adults a blue-green colour, while juveniles have brown spots and bars in the upper body and tail. They are regularly seen in seagrass beds, often in pairs, lying in the grass, and are quite easy to approach.
Most of the Ciocalypta polymastia sponge is buried under the sand, with just the papillae extending into the water.
Sponge. Species unknown. Perhaps Spheciospongia papillosa .
Kirsty Batchelor, exploring a reef at Ricketts Point.
We think that this isPlesiastrea versipora , or a rtelated species. A common reef-building coral of southern Australia, it is normally green-brown in colour and has distinctive large, roughly circular pits, containing the polyps. Colonies can grow to a width of 3 metres. The structures we see at Ricketts Point are often larger than a basket ball and are as solid as stone, but they are white. Does this mean that the polyps are dead?.
You can often see large shoals of Zebrafish around some of the rocky ledges of the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Sometimes they will ignore you completely, and other times will disappear into crevices and caves as soon as possible.
You can often see large shoals of Zebrafish around some of the rocky ledges of the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Sometimes they will ignore you completely, and other times will disappear into crevices and caves as soon as possible.
You can often see large shoals of Zebrafish around some of the rocky ledges of the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Sometimes they will ignore you completely, and other times will disappear into crevices and caves as soon as possible.
Peter Batchelor
Divers: Kirsty Batchelor, Peter Batchelor
Weather/Sea: Slight swell. 5 Knots, Southerly.
