Rye, 30 November 2021

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!

The Banded wobbegong is the most common wobbegong species in Southern Australian waters. They tend to hunt by lying on the bottom, waiting for their prey to come to them. Their mottled appearance provides excellent camouflage.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

The Moonlighter has six dark bands down each side, over a body that graduates from silver to yellow. Juveniles have a large white-edged black spot on the dorsal fin near the rear of the body. Adults are either solitary, or may be found in pairs. They can grow up to 35 to 40 cm.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Feather Duster Worms are sedentary marine tube worms in which the head is mostly concealed by feathery fronds, called radiole, used to filter out small floating organisms, which are moved toward the mouth, located at the center of the crown. Feather Duster Worms live in tubes of a tough, parchment-like secretion, strengthened with sand and bits of shell, and can rapidly retract the radiole into the tube when disturbed.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

The Pale Octopus grows to around 35 cm in length. It has a relatively large body, short arms, and is normally a reddish brown to orange colour. It is often seen on sand amongst sponges and gorgonian corals. It can form spiky protuberances all over its body, radically changing its appearance.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

The Northern Pacific Seastar is considered a serious pest of native marine organisms in Australia. This invasive species is an aggressive predator of native species, including oysters, mussels and scallops. It can affect commercial fishing and aquaculture. Younger specimens are yellow and purple in colour, while adults are completely yellow. Now commonly found in Port Phillip, the species probably arrived here in the bilge water of large ships.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Divers: Kirsty Batchelor, Peter Batchelor

Weather/Sea: Calm.
Visibility: 6-8 Metres.
Water temperature: 16°C.
Maximum depth: 9.5 metres.
Time of entry: 10:20am
Duration: 54 minutes.