Ricketts Point, Quiet Corner. 14 April 2022

Kirsty and I tried another dive at Quiet Corner, hoping to see an Eagle Ray. Ths was following the advice of a snorkeller we met after our last dive at Ricketts. No Eagle Rays were spotted, and there was very little other fish life seen either. We did see a few Snapper and Zebrafish, a couple of Leatherjackets and Dusky Morwong, but all of the fish seemed to be very timid here - nothing like the normal site where we dive at Ricketts.

There were lots of cracks, crevices, and overhangs, and lots of lush growth on the bottom, so it should have been teeming with life! Quite a disappointment really...

For this dive we had to park on the other side of Beach Road, in one of the side streets. We used our beach trolley to wheel all of our gear down to the path that ran along the waterfont, and locked the trolley to a convenient park bench. It certainly made the relatively long walk a lot easier!

Red-handed Shrimps grow to only about six centimetres from the head to the tip of the tail. The body is transparent, with thin red lines on the carapace and red spots along the abdomen. The red claws have a white tip. They feed on algae or scavenge on dead animals, and live in tidal pools, reefs, seaweed and seagrass meadows, at depths up to 12 metres.
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

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

Velvet Seastars are normally red or orange in colour. It is covered with a skin that gives it a soft, velvety appearance. It has five arms, with the centre to arm tip reaching up to eight centimetres. Velvet Seastars feed on sponges, ascidians and lace corals, but very little is known about the biology of this species.
Photo by Peter Batchelor

Divers: Kirsty Batchelor, Peter Batchelor

Weather/Sea: 5-10 Kts Northerly.
Visibility: 3 - 8 Metres.
Water temperature: 18°C.
Maximum depth: 4.5 metres.
Time of entry: 10:59am
Duration: 67 minutes.