Ricketts Point. 30 December 2021

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.

Snapper are a member of the Bream family, and can grow to 1.3 metres in length, and weighing 20 kg. Snapper form schools in shallow water to spawn once the water temperature reaches 18c. Growth is slow, and larger fish will be more than 20 years old. Juvenile Snapper have bright blue spots all over their body. Adults have a pronounced hump-headed appearance, and tend to spend most of their time in deeper water.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

The Southern Fiddler Ray, also known as the Banjo Shark, is often seen foraging over shallow sandflats. Growing to around 1.2 metres, it can be distinguished from the Eastern Fiddler Ray by stripes rather than a triangle in the area behind the eyes. The Southern species is also much fainter in colouring. It seems to be quite placid, and is easily approached.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

The Biscuit Star can be found in a variety of colours, but will generally have 6 plates along the edge of the body between each arm tip.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Unlike stingrays, the Spotted Stingaree has a rounded fin at the end if its tail, although it does have a venomous spine on the tail. It reaches a maximum size of 70 cm. It has a dark, rounded body, with light blotches and trellis-like markings on the upper surface.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Dusky Morwong 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.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Kirsty Batchelor
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Divers: Kirsty Batchelor, Peter Batchelor

Weather/Sea: 5kts Northerly.
Visibility: 4-6 Metres.
Water temperature: 18°C.
Maximum depth: 5.5 metres.
Time of entry: 10.10am
Duration: 80 minutes.