Having scrubbed a dive at Flinders after less than a minute because the visibility was so terrible, we headed over to Rye, to take our chances there, and it was much, much better!
Lots to see, including Gunn's Leatherjackets, our first Bridled Leatherjacket, a couple of Big-bellied Seahorses, a Sweet Caratasoma nudibranch, tiny Bullseye fish, Long-finned Pike, juvenile Moonlighters, Southern Blue Whiting, a good-sized school of Australian Herring, a Hermit Crab, Magpie Perch, Southern Hulafish, and a Pygmy Leatherjacket that was trying to scare off a competitor by inflating its belly, and of course, lots of Goatfish. When we got out to the Eivion we also saw several Senator Wrasse, and a couple of adult Moonlighters lurking in the shadows under the wreck.
Very warm water, and so much to see, meant that this was a long dive, just on 100 minutes, long enough that my GoPro's battery went flat just as we reached the Eivion .
So glad we weren't put off by having to squeeze back into our wet wetsuits, and didn't drive home after getting out of the water at Flinders!
Gunn's Leatherjackets are often seen under Rye Pier. Adults have a longer body shape than juveniles, and are often a green or yellowish brown.
The Bridled Leatherjackets is sometimes called the Golden-eyed Leatherjacket and Small Brown Leatherjacket. The males are pale grey or green, with blue spots on the upper and lower sides of the body. A blue line curves across the cheek to the eye and then along the side of the body. A black line curves from the chin to the dorsal margin of the snout, then to the eye. A yellow line passes along the lower side of the body to the chin. Females are pale brown to pale green with scattered dark spots. Female Bridled Leatherjackets are very similar female Toothbrush Leatherjackets. Bridled Leatherjackets are usually found in estuarine and inshore waters in seagrass beds and on rocky reefs, sometimes seen in large schools or as a male and female pair.
Blue Weed Whiting (to the right in this photo) are seen in seagrass beds, and can be confused with Little Weed Whiting. They are longer, at up to 41 cm, and have a longer and more pointed snout. Juveniles have a silver stripe along their side, and adults have darking markings across their body.
Red Mullet (Goatfish) have two long barbels under their chin, used as feelers to probe the sea floor for prey. There are around 60 species in this family, and most are referred to as Red Mullet, as they all turn bright red at night, when stressed, or after death. They can vary in colour from white to brown. The species most commonly seen in Port Phillip would probably be the Bluespotted Goatfish, which has a dark stripe running from they eyes down the side to the base of the tail, as well as thin blue lines or spots also running down the body.
The Sweet Ceratosoma only grows to around 6 cm. Although looking similar to the Shorttail Ceratosoma, it can be distinguished its smaller size, orange spots on the upper surface, and rectangular markings along the margin.
Kirsty Batchelor
Magpie Perch look quite different as juveniles and adults. Juveniles have a pronounced dorsal fin, starting just behind the eyes, but this fin seems to disappear in adults. The middle dark band can be either black or grey in adults, and they can change colour by lightening these bands almost instantly. Juveniles are often seen nibbling/sucking bits from the pier pylons, and adults continue this method of eating, sucking small invertebrates of the bottom.
The Australian Herring is a schooling fish that lives in temperate coastal waters. They are silvery in colour with vertical rows of golden spots on the upper side of the body and black tips to the caudal (tail) fin. Easily confused with juvenile Eastern Australian Salmon, Australian Herring have a larger eye and more rounded head than the juvenile Australian Salmon. Australian Herring spawn in Western Australia, and the eggs are carried by currents as far East as Victoria, where the fish mature before returning to Western Australia to spawn. Their name is somewhat misleading as they are actually a part of the perch family.
Very well-camouflaged, if you can find them the Big-belly seahorse is easy to recognise, with a number of tassels on their head. They can be brown, white, yellow, grey, orange, or have a mottled colouration. As with other seahorses, the male carries the fertilised eggs in a brood pouch on the belly. A pregnancy lasts about 30 days.
Very well-camouflaged, if you can find them the Big-belly seahorse is easy to recognise, with a number of tassels on their head. They can be brown, white, yellow, grey, orange, or have a mottled colouration. As with other seahorses, the male carries the fertilised eggs in a brood pouch on the belly. A pregnancy lasts about 30 days.
Juvenile Bullseyes under Rye Pier. There are about 20 species of Bullseyes. They have small dorsal fins, and their large eyes are ideally suited for locating their planktonic prey at night. They are generally found in shallow water under ledges and near the mouth of caves.
Hermit Crabs have a soft abdomen, and as they grow they need to find new gastropod shells to use as a home. Sometimes there can be fierce competition between crabs for the limited number of shells of the correct size.
Very well-camouflaged, if you can find them the Big-belly seahorse is easy to recognise, with a number of tassels on their head. They can be brown, white, yellow, grey, orange, or have a mottled colouration. As with other seahorses, the male carries the fertilised eggs in a brood pouch on the belly. A pregnancy lasts about 30 days.
Southern Hulafish grow to around 10 cm. The tail is rounded in juveniles, pointed in adults, and elongating with age. They are generally seen in schools. In Port Phillip we regularly see them in the debris lying alongside Rye Pier, and they are very common in the caves and ledges of Ricketts Point Marine Reserve, normally in schools of 20 to 50. Apparently it is the most abundant reef species in Tasmanian waters, with huge schools clouding the water. It is hard to believe that this small drab fish belongs to the same family the beautiful Southern Blue Devil.
The Longfin Pike has a pointed snout, large eyes and a large mouth. The species is yellowish-brown above and silvery below. Although unrelated, they are easy to confuse with Barracudas. This large predatory species feeds on other fishes and squid.Photo by Peter Batchelor
The Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket is the smallest of the Leatherjackets seen in Australia, at only 8 cm. A very rounded body, they can vary in colour from geen to orange to yellow, with small dark dots scattered over their body. At night it often anchors itself by biting onto seaweed fronds. Its belly can be extended like that of a Pufferfish, as a defensive mechanism, and also when involved in territorial disputes with other males.
The Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket is the smallest of the Leatherjackets seen in Australia, at only 8 cm. A very rounded body, they can vary in colour from geen to orange to yellow, with small dark dots scattered over their body. At night it often anchors itself by biting onto seaweed fronds. Its belly can be extended like that of a Pufferfish, as a defensive mechanism, and also when involved in territorial disputes with other males.
The Eleven-armed Seastar is the largest seastar found in Southern Australian waters. The arm radius is about 25 cm. If broken off, each arm can regenerate into a new individual. Found in sheltered habitats, they actively hunt molluscs such as mussels and scallops, and are also prolific scavengers.
The Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket is the smallest of the Leatherjackets seen in Australia, at only 8 cm. A very rounded body, they can vary in colour from geen to orange to yellow, with small dark dots scattered over their body. At night it often anchors itself by biting onto seaweed fronds. Its belly can be extended like that of a Pufferfish, as a defensive mechanism, and also when involved in territorial disputes with other males.
Divers: Kirsty Batchelor, Peter Batchelor
Weather/Sea: Slight sea, 10kts Northerly.
