Our last dive for the year was at Ricketts Point, and it was a bit of a disappointment...

Diving at Ricketts Point can be a bit hit or miss, and what we see can vary greatly, depending upon which part of the marine sanctuary we swim through, but we were surprised at how barren some parts of the sea floor were, possibly caused by the large numbers of sea urchins that were seen during the dive. We didn't see anywhere near the usual diversity of fish that we have seen in the past, although another diver we spoke to afterwards said that he had been in a different area, and had seen much more life.

There were quite a few Snapper, but very few Leatherjackets, and we did't see any Zebrafish, Normally we come out of the water raving about how great it was, but this time we were talking about how worried we were about the health of the area. Is it as bad as this video makes it look? We'll have to come back and take another look soon.

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

The weather was good, the rest of the week wasn't looking all that promising, work was winding down for the year, and there was time for another dive before the Christmas rush on the Peninsula...

I used Will's tank on this dive, which is smaller than mine, and I could hae done with a bit more weight in the shallower portions of this dive, but it was still manageable at 7kg. There was a very large school of Australian Herring under the pier, and we could have spent much of the dive just sitting on the bottom watching them flow around us. We first headed off to the Eivion wreck, which sank 100 years ago this month. There were a few small Stingarees and a Banjo Shark near the wreck, and some Leatherjackets, Zebrafish and Moonlighters hiding amongst the timbers, but we didn't see any Cuttlefish this time. We did see a couple of colonies of Grape Ascidians on the way out to the wreck.

After swimming the length of the pier we headed out to the new reef, via Elsa's. We found a small group of Barber Perch at Elsa's, and there were even more Pale Octopus at the new reef this time than there was when we first made it out to there. Many of the breeze blocks near the star picket trail were also occupied by octopus, all pretending to be seaweed, and exhibiting a creative variety of colours and tassels.

There were qute a few student divers in the water today, but most of them were further in towards shore, so we only saw a few of them. The carpark was nowhere near full, and after we had filled our tanks Kirsty and I came back and had fish and chips to celebrate another great dive!

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Today was too good a day not to go diving, so we skipped work for the day, and came down to Rye. There were quite a few divers getting ready whilst we were there, so it seems that midweek diving is a thing for older divers on the peninsula ;-)

We were told that a couple of Wobbegong had been sighted under the pier, and we were exited to be able to see one of them on this dive. They hunt at night, so this one was just lying on the bottom, minding it's own business, and being very photogenic! We kept looking for the other one, but didn't find it. The one we did see seemed larger than the ones I saw up at South West Rocks, and is the first I have ever seen at Rye.

We were also told that a new artificial reef had been added, out past Elsa's, and that it as a favourite haunt for Octopus. Once we got to Elsa's Reef, we spotted the new star pickets that led to the new reef. It is made of old toilets and large PVC tubes, and there were lots of Pale Octopuses taking advantage of all of the new homes on offer. Kirsty and I both found Weedfish, walking on their fins, out at Elsa's as well.

A great first dive for the season, after a long break due to the various lockdowns of 2021!

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Very poor visibility on this dive! Kirsty and I did manage to see one Weedy Sea Dragon, and lots of Cowfish, but the conditions were pretty poor. I think there's only been one other dive where the visibility here has been worse. There were quite a few Leatherjackets and a Rainbow Cale, and glimpsed a  Smooth Ray out from the end of the pier.

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Another fairly murky dive, but we saw more Snapper than we've ever seen before! There were several species of Leatherjackets - some of them quite large, including 6-spined, Yellow, and Horseshoe. We saw a few Zebras, but no large schools.

We headed further West on this dive, and came across a couple of Port Jackson Sharks, one under a ledge, and the other swimming through the weed.

Ricketts never disappoints. Kirsty and I love diving here!

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Kirsty and I had a fantastic pre-Easter dive at Flinders. We were the only divers there, and we had fantastic conditions all to ourselves.8

This was perhaps the clearest dive we've ever had at Flinders, with visibility exceeding 15 metres at times.TYhe conditions gave us great views of the Smooth Rays patrolling the pier, and the view across the gase of the pier at the engine block was amazing. There were lots o Cowfish and several large Smooth Rays, but not a single Weedy Sea Dragon. When filling our tanks later I was told that many diviers had reported not seeing them.

Interestingly, we did see a school of Mado - the first time we've seen them in Victoria (more common in New South Wales), and perhaps an indication of the effects of global warming. In the news this week thy were talking about the East Australia Current coming further South, and closer in to the coast, and the increased food supply leading to a doubling of the number of Fairy Penguin chicks, so perhaps this is related to this.

We had a great view of a male Rainbow Cale out past the pier, at the wreck of the catamaran. There were lots of juvenile Leatherjacketes schooling about halfway out along the pier, and once again they were very inquisitive, and were nibbling on the camera frame, and photobombing  my video of a Smootyh Ray. One of them even tried nipping me, My reaction can be seen in the video of the dive...

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Very few people around, and no other divers in the water! We saw several Pale Octopuses out at Elsa's Reef, and hiding in bricks on the way out to the reef. There were also a few Mosaic Leatherjackets that seemed to be standing sentry duty on the star pickets that mark the way to the reef from the pier.

There were several Spider Crabs passing through, heading East. No aggregations though. We also spotted some squid, a couple of Barber Perch, several Magpie Perch, a Big Bellied Seahorse and a Sweet Ceratasoma nudibranch, along with lots of Goatfish and Leatherjackets.

The new (for us) steps on the pier made getting into and out of the water very easy.

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Fairly murky in spots. Lots of Snapper, but almost no Leatherjackets to be seen.

Did find a few Old Wives and a couple of Fiddler Rays. I couldn't find the caves that the Port Jacksons usually hide in, probably because it's been such a long time between dives here.

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf

Kirsty and I enjoyed a great morning at Flinders! It was a wonderful first dive for the year. The pandemic and Kirsty's cancer treatment mean that it has been a long time between dives. On this dive we saw more Cowfish than Weedies, as well as some very inquisitive juvenile Leatherjackets who were determined to eat my camera.

There were two large Smooth Rays outside the pier, but I only saw the one with no tail. The exit, on a falling tide, onto the side platform, was an awkward scramble, but made a change to the swim in to shore.

About 9 pm, incoming SS Penola ( 500 tons) struck and ran down City of Launceston which began to settle almost immediately. Passengers and crew transferred with difficulty to Penola. Sunken vessel valued at about 17,000 pounds - not insured. Sold by auction to Barrett, engineer of City of Launceston, who sold to a syndicate but salvage attempts eventually abandoned. Victorian Steam Navigation Board Inquiry held City of Launceston to blame for accident. Two separate Supreme Court actions by the respective owners for damages found in favour of the plaintiff in each case! An appeal by the aggrieved owner of the Penola for a non suit or a new trial was ultimately refused. Eleutheria, lighter, exhibited light at wreck site until it too sank. City of Launceston was the first shipwreck to be declared an Historic Shipwreck under new Victorian legislation. Built for the Melbourne to Launceston Bass Strait run, it was a regular trader across Bass Strait. - See more at: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/124#sthash.aPC0R645.dpuf