Dive Journal: The Secret Garden, 22nd August 2009

SECRET GARDEN- 22ND AUGUST 2009

Anita and Heather elected to record the marine debris using four 25 metre transects.
Anita tied the tape to a rock or sea tulip and I followed to record and collect any debris. Happily the only piece we found was a brick, which had holes in it. On closer inspection I discovered there were signs of life in the holes and decided to leave it. It was not all work however as towards the end of the dive Anita beckoned me to look under a rock where I saw a large eye belonging to a black reef leatherjacket and later spotted a moray eel poking out of a rock near the anchor line. The water temperature was even cooler at 16 degrees however as we were finning constantly it was not as noticeable. This site was originally unnamed however despite the poor visibility we all agreed we would love to return and thought the name Secret Garden was appropriate, given the beautiful colours and variety of shapes in the benthic life comprised of sponges, corals and algae.
Suzanne and Isabelle completed Reef Life Surveys, and although fish diversity was rather low, the benthic life was diverse and unlike that seen further south. This area definitely contains unique and wonderful reef life that is well worth the visit.

Dive Journal: Snapper Rock, 22nd August 2009

SNAPPER ROCK- 22ND AUGUST 2009

Early in the morning eight divers met at the jetty to board “Habana” with John from Action Divers. We donned life jackets and headed through the bar up to Saltwater and Snapper Rock. I chatted with Anita on the way out so we buddied up to do fish identification. The pencil on the slate was broken so Anita tried to sharpen it with her dive knife to no avail however Anita had her camera so we could still record our findings. Initially we were disappointed as there was almost no fish life however towards the end of our time we came across a cave, which had many Wobbegongs and Port Jacksons Sharks lying about at the entrance and a school of bullseyes inside. On our dive there were quite a few sea stars and nudibranchs including many small bright yellow one with white spots. The water was a cold 17 degrees, which made the dive uncomfortable.

Back on board Anita and I wrote down the fishlife on a slate, which included hula fish, yellow tail scads, sergeant baker, crimson banded wrasse, maori wrasse, girdled parmas, mados, a large catfish and a, Eastern blue devil fish (a rare and endangered species) as well as the Wobbegongs, Port Jackson Sharks and bullseyes but ironically not one snapper. Peter and Ryan reported seeing a turtle on their dive. Everyone was cold and shaking so soup was the preferred choice. Suzanne had lost all the blood from her fingers so John gave her the kettle to cuddle, of which she became quite possessive, much to our amusement. It was Isabelle’s birthday but sadly she and Ryan were both feeling the effects of the choppy seas.
After tucking into Anita’s tasty lunch of chicken, ham, salad and hommos dip we changed over tanks and John motored to our second site.

HEATHER ARMOUR

Dive Journal: Sawtooth Rock, Seal Rocks, 27 June 2009

SAWTOOTH ROCK – 27th June 2009

Whilst gearing up for our second dive a turtle popped his head above the water at the back of the boat. Peter laid out the transect tape to enable Suzanne and Isabelle to complete Reef Life Surveys whilst I trailed behind recording fish life on a slate. Despite poor visibility, there were lots of schooling fish, such as Yellow-tailed Scad, Mado and Eastern Pomfrets.

It was a quick trip back to the bay and John kindly motored in closer to the shore so we only had a brief snorkel back to the warmth of the car.
HEATHER ARMOUR

Dive Journal: Little Seal Rock, 27 June 2009

LITTLE SEAL ROCK – 27th June 2009

We met at the marina to stow our gear on the Action Divers boat before car pooling for the trip to Seal Rocks. Suzanne kindly drove John , Isabelle, Rob and I down to meet up with John who had already arrived. We snorkelled out and boarded for the trip to our first dive site. On the way we saw whales breaching and swimming about as well as a pod of dolphins.

Suzanne had both a camera and a slate whilst I recorded the fish life on a slate. I was delighted to see a Moorish Idol as soon as we reached the anchor. There were also yellow tail scad, hula fish, leather jackets, banner fish, red and crested morwongs and both female and male grouper. We almost circumnavigated the rock before settling in an area with a vast array of fish. It was here I almost bumped into a grey nurse shark slowly cruising by however Suzanne had spotted one earlier.

Back on board we devoured a delicious lunch prepared by Anita.

HEATHER ARMOUR

Dive Journal: Shark Gutters, Broughton Island, 9th May 2009

THE SHARK GUTTERS BROUGHTON ISLAND 9TH MAY 2009

I opted to be part of the transect team so took a slate listing local free swimming fish on one side and cryptic fish on the other side to tick off when sighted. The team consisted of Ryan laying the four twenty five metre tapes, Scott photographing and Peter recording the invertebrates. I recorded many fish but could not find girded parma on the listing. It was on the return journey that I found it listed as cryptic. How this could be considered a fish that hides is unknown! Ryan motioned me to a rock and wrote black cod on my slate, a large but shy species now listed as Endangered and part of our key monitoring target species. At the end of the fourth transect we were surrounded by a large school of kingfish which was exciting and even Scott was smiling through his facemask. The return trip was choppy however the boat handled it well. When we docked at Nelson Bay all the tourists came over to have a look at us.

HEATHER ARMOUR

Dive Journal: North Rock, Broughton Island, 5th May 2009

NORTH ROCK BROUGHTON ISLAND 9TH MAY 2009

GLUG scheduled some dives at Port Stephens, using Pro Dive at Nelson Bay. Some were driving down early in the morning whilst others opted for a weekend away with shore dives on Sunday.

The seas were up but the size of the boat decreased the rocking and rolling on the 45 minutes trip to Broughton Island. I buddied with Peter who again had his video camera. The water was my favourite shade of blue so the visibility was fantastic. I took a slate with a list of local free swimming fish clipped to one side and recorded a large green turtle and later a small green turtle as well as five grey nurses, fiddler rays, puffer fish and many more including a multi coloured leatherjacket with a yellow patch in the centre of its body later identified as a six spined leatherjacket.

Back on deck we checked our slates and it was like the television show “The Rich List” as we kept saying “it’s on the list” when we identified a fish. Anita reported the water temperature was a balmy 22 degrees.

HEATHER ARMOUR

Dive Journal: Bait Grounds, 25 April 2009

BAIT GROUNDS – 25th April 2009

At anchor we saw a green turtle which was exciting. On the way to the Bait Grounds we passed One Mile Beach and saw a wreck on the sand and a crowd looking at it. I was part of the transect team so took a slate. There were many fiddler rays and a huge school of scat however I also saw a large estuary catfish. On board we watched gannets dive into the sea like dive bombers. They are large birds which appear each winter.

Back at the marina Anita and I barbecued sausages for everyone and a vege-burger for Isabelle. I decided to go and investigate the wreck at One Mile Beach and so did Jan, Tony, Anita, Wayne and John! It was a lifeboat from a container ship named Kilabati Crew, which drifted ashore the night before and meant to carry 25 persons. It was considered to have been floating for about six months as there were barnacles on its bottom. The police had looked at it already possibly for bodies or espionage as there was police tape on it. Cape Hawke SLSC were caretakers and it was not decided what they planned to do with it. Now it was unstable as it was moved around by the waves however the longer it stays there the more stable it will be and harder to shift.

HEATHER ARMOUR

IDOL BAY- 18th April 2009

The second dive of the day was to Idol Bay and we were having coffee to celebrate April’s birthday cake when we saw dolphins. I was part of the transect team recorded the fish life. The shallow water made the water surgy, however I recorded quite a few species including quite a few fiddler rays. On board Anita said the water temperature was 23 degrees.
Heather Armour

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA - BIG SEAL ROCKS

Early Sunday we loaded regs, BCD’s, weight belts and tanks into the boat and drove down to Seal Rocks. The sun had now risen and it promised to be a fantastic day.The boat was anchored close to shore so we almost waded out to board. We headed to Big Rock (there is also Little Rock close by) and each buddy pair was given a bag to collect any debris found, although not much rubbish was anticipated, as it is a marine sanctuary. On the way out I asked Captain John whether there were seals at Seal Rocks and was told the fishermen had shot some of them so the rest left the area.

The first thing I noticed was the clarity and warmth of the water, however this was soon forgotten by the sight of dozens of grey nurse sharks swimming leisurely around. The good visibility was more evident in the shark gutters when sharks could be seen moving up and down as if they were shopping at the mall on a Saturday morning. They surrounded us, over our heads, alongside, around every corner and even underneath. There were twelve divers in the water however it was if we were invisible as they simply ignored us. I was saddened to see some sharks with hooks in their mouths and some had gashes along their flanks. Peter was going ballistic with his video and I did make an honest effort to look for rubbish but happily I did not find any. There were of course other fish including one of my favourites, the puffer fish, plus numerous nudibranchs and morwongs, however the sheer numbers of grey nurses tended to obliterate the smaller life. My total dive time was 32 minutes with a maximum depth of 21 metres.

Back on board for morning tea and a tank change, others commented on seeing a turtle at the onset of the dive so I felt a bit miffed at missing out.
I was at the bow of the boat when one of the guys yelled to me to come to the stern. I hurried to the back deck to watch a seal with its fin up like a sail cooling itself on the surface. This was one seal that had come back home so hopefully there are others around. Some divers found some fishing line and a few hooks but overall the area was clean.

The second dive was at the other side of Big Rock and again the grey nurses were in abundance and overshadowed everything else in the water.
My total dive time was 49 minutes with a maximum depth of 18 metres.

HEATHER ARMOUR

CLEAN UP DIVE TUNCURRY 13TH December 2008

We participated in International Cleanup Day as part of Project AWARE in September and cleaned up the Forster side of the channel. This one was simply a club event and it was planned we clean up the Tuncurry side of the channel and then have a barbecue lunch which would be our Christmas party and wrap up for the year.

The night before a thunderstorm shook our house and heavy rain pelted my newly planted vegetable patch so the next morning I telephoned prior to leaving to confirm it was still on. You may recall my buddy and I had buoyancy problems due to the shallow depth of the channel on the Forster side. I ended up lugging two rocks around with me before just snorkelling. This time I left my tank, BC and regulator at home. When we met up at the dive shop I found out the Tuncurry side is much deeper.

It was still sprinkling when we geared up and I stubbornly stuck to snorkelling whilst everyone else duck dived under the water. This meant I snorkelled alone which was not as much fun. I concentrated on the channel wall where debris accumulated particularly around the slipway. I found a fan belt and plenty of plastic while others came up with mats and even signs from road works. John came up with a few vintage bottles for his collection. Back at the dive shop the pile was photographed to record the findings.

The rain had stopped however the proposed Christmas barbecue lunch was cancelled due to the sodden ground.

HEATHER ARMOUR

INTERNATIONAL CLEAN UP DIVE -20TH September 2008

I received notice calling for volunteers to participate in International Cleanup Day as part of Project AWARE (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education).
It was decided to dive Breckenridge Channel along the break wall from the harbour entrance to just beyond the Forster Tuncurry Bridge in groups of four. Each group would enter in a different area to enable the cleanup to be widespread. The maximum time in the water would be 45 minutes and there would be a barbecue/picnic afterwards. I put down my husband Arthur’s name as a shore helper to collect the bags and to advise anyone fishing along the wall there were divers in the water.
There was a briefing at the marina before we geared up for both divers and shore helpers. I wore gloves, carried my rubbish bag and an empty plastic milk bottle for collection of sharp objects and for winding fishing line around. My buddy Isabelle had the same and also towed along a dive flag to float above us. Arthur was to walk along the break wall following the flag, collect the bags and hand over new ones. He also carried a whistle in case of an emergency to tell the divers to leave the water and I gave him my camera to record the event.
I took a giant stride off the jetty closely followed by Isabelle. We snorkelled around to the edge of the channel to duck dive down to a depth of 2.6 metres. We soon realised we were both under weighted so with two rocks in my bag I began my task. The area was surprisingly clear of debris due to the swift tidal movement out through the channel. I did however find bottle caps, a fair amount of fishing line, sinkers and a jazz CD. I imagined someone on a boat not liking the music and hurling it over the side.
We had to keep to the sides of the channel due to boats motoring overhead so oyster shells and buoyancy was always an issue. We surfaced now and again to give Arthur a report and to see how far we had travelled.
Isabelle was not managing the dive flag well with all our other stuff in the shallow water so gave the flag to Arthur and we simply snorkelled. Along the way I noticed the fish life and some areas were quite pretty with small fish, coloured rocks and sunlight filtering through. I spotted numerous fortescues, which made me remember my dives at Shiprock.
Isabelle and I met up with the next group who were on their way back and as our allotted time was up we clamoured up the edge back to the meeting point. I did not mind the walk back as I gave Arthur most of my stuff to carry. So good to have ground support! We dropped our collection on the pile and noticed a bicycle and a tyre amongst the debris. There was also a Slim Dusty CD so some boatie really had a tantrum.
At the end of the day everyone was presented with a Certificate of Recognition, “In appreciation for your contribution to the aquatic environment”.

BLACKHEAD BEACH AND REDHEAD GUTTERS - 28TH June 2008

After loading up we donned lifejackets for our trip through the bar and set off for our first dive off Blackhead Beach. I again buddied with Suzanne. The visibility was not clear but to make up for it throughout the entire dive we heard the songs of the whales. I desperately hoped that a whale would suddenly emerge into my view but had to be content listening to their songs whilst we dutifully recorded the marine life. The site was a large and prolific sponge garden teaming with sea pens, ascidians, sea stars, sponges and hard plate coral. Half way through we swapped over so I had the digital camera while Suzanne took over the slate. Our maximum depth was 21.9 metres with a total dive time of 49 minutes including a 5-minute decompression stop at 5 metres.
On deck we looked at the photos, had coffee and a biscuit and changed tanks whilst travelling to our second site, Redhead Gutters with a maximum depth of 11.7 metres. The highlight of this dive was a large ornate wobbygong plus a giant cuttlefish accompanied by a smaller cuttlefish. We also recorded male and female grouper, maori wrasse, rock cod, old wives, leatherjackets, hula fish, nudibranchs, sea stars, scads (yellowtail), mado and bullseyes. When we spotted the giant cuttlefish Suzanne indicated she wanted the camera back and took off after them at rapid knots with me trailing behind. One of the downsides of becoming absorbed in fish identification is that you easily lose track of the anchor rope resulting in a midwater 5-minute stop at 5 metres before a swim back to the boat. Our total dive time was 51 minutes.
HEATHER ARMOUR

What the heck is that thing that guy is pointing at me? Doesn't he know that i am doing stuff. Yeah good onya.