Florence Falls

 The water camera was buried deep in the suitcase after this day trip to Litchfield. I got some clips together to give an idea of swimming there. The clarity of the water is "to the bottom" eg where ever I went I could see the bottom clear as day.  Good considering the number of people messing about in the water. It has been an extra wet, wet season so the amout of water at all the falls is voluminous, hence the clarity. The current was also pushing you away so it was easier to hang back and watch the climbers jumping off.  The fish are sooty grunters.  They are black hence sooty however with the noisy waterfall I did not hear them grunt. 

Jetty Pole Line

 I went back to the pole line where the class was having a canoe lesson. It seemed like unfinished business. The poles here are closer together and there is a lot of tall but spaced out grasses. It seemed  like good cover for fish and I did find a school of larger ones, maybe 10 fishes. My camera decided not to work. I went all the way out again, dried it off as best I could, found my glasses and read a media error. At great risk, with wetness and sand and grass etc, I opened it up, got the micro card out, reseated it back in and the error went away. The only way I can unload now is to take the media out each time, as the cable connection never works for uploading videos.  Of course when I went back in the water  I could not find the fish again, although there was a large orange cuttlefish that had just been bitten by something. It was laying on the bottom.

Ride to the Reef

 Normally I would walk to the reef but I end up taking the road route and got the bike right down into the Dell. Getting back out was another matter. It was just easier to walk it back up.  Back at the reef I was talking to a passerby who had never swam out but I could tell wanted to try it.  How cold, does it swirl around, can you get caught on anything?   He has observed birds sitting on each mound at low tide trying to pick off fish.  Now this is a new development. Another sign that the reef is working to attract fish. On this swim I did see more fish than ever before and some bigger ones as well. The plants and sponges are coming on also.  This swim needs to be timed for the higher tides. The fisheries guys said it should have been sited in deeper water.

just poking their heads out

Fisheries Dept

I wanted to try combining a bike ride with a snorkel swim. I tried this some yar ago but it was a bit bulky as I had a backpack as well as a snorkel pack hanging around, all while trying to keep the bike in a straight line.  This time I was more efficient with only the snorkel pack but I put a small hand towel in there as well.  I cycled around to another old pole line that I have never properly swum.  This time there was another problem as the whole lane was crowded with canoes as an outdoors class was being held.  Kids have way more fun than when I went to school.  We had concrete and one handball court yadayada. I got back on the bike and moved around to the reef area.  There were two fisheries guys patrolling the shore line, taking photos, taking notes and taking prisoners.  Is there a problem officer? Yes we are looking for illegal drainage flowing down that could effect the clams, oysters and mussels. I did not tell them about the huge oyster I had in the pocket of my budgie smugglers. I plucked it off the sea floor right near there.  What are the odds of grabbing seafood from the ocean and there are two fisheries guys waiting on the shore.  When I got home I found I had shocking shucking skills and not the right knife so I threw it out. One time we took a shell back to our hotel room but it had a fish still inside.  The room stank the next day.

shucks

canoe slalom

Canon Ball Garden

 This would have to be the best conditions I have experienced for a few years. The only thing missing was fish although there was another big ray today.  I went out further than yesterday and just floated on the surface. You could spend more time checking out the contents of each pole but I seem to want to move on. The ray was hiding beneath the foliage of one of the poles.  He was too big to hide and decided to move off in a fairly lazy fashion. I branched out from the poles crossing some open water on my way backin. The sea floor always has something going on. I found this cluster of balls and the further I looked the more they stretched into the wet yonder. 

More Rays

 Yesterday was sponges, today its rays although there were still a lot of sponges. The calmness continues even with a slight Northerly that gave the water a small chop.  The water clarity remains excellent and one thing about low tide means that if you are out of swim practise you can get further along the pole line and still stand up. I did go another 50 metres passed that point and I found a large ray snoozing on the bottom. The outline of its body shape was perfect and the bulging back ridges protruded in the middle. That was about as far as I went against the breeze, at least it pushed me back to shore.

low low tide

                                                                          sleepy ray

Sponges

 Not the eating kind also heard of someone sponging off others but never quite knew where that came from. These are the underwater always saturated kind.  I finally got in for a snorkel as all the conditions were ripe for the fussy swimmer. This was the first one for a month. The clarity was so good shadows were cast on the sea floor.  There was a lot of fish but miniscule versions of them.  The thing that got my attention were the sponges and their water holes eg breathing holes.  These will have a name that escapes me but in the absence of fish they are where the colour is. I am hoping for another swim if the conditions hold.

Always Flipper

 Some times it takes a while to sink in but never do the snorkel without the flippers.  I knew early that the conditions were calm again today when I heard the Ding Ding Dong of a Tassie ferry announcement as it went sailing passed.  Yes the water was clear and the Sun was out as well. This time I had the flippers on and it was like chores and chess compared to yesterday.  Almost effortless kicks make for better progress.  I went further along the pole line but there is still a shortage of fish at the moment.  Don't miss the chance to just lie on the surface and gaze down at the scenery.

He doesn't Egret eating all the fish

Ding Ding Dong

Before the Rain

Yes I went across with the snorkel again. The tide was low but the Sun was out and the breeze was slight. I went in without wearing my flippers.  It is a tight fit with a sore toe so I went barefoot.  I seemed to be going nowhere without the flippers on.   That footwear makes a huge difference and as well, I am very out of practise.  I did not spy any fish life just some ghostly encrusted poles but at least I am making some progress. The temperatures are still good, so there is hope for a bit more water action before the cold really gets here.

Weather Watch

 I could not figure yesterdays weather. 30's in the morning, storms into the afternoon and back up to high 20's into the evening.  Our snorkel may have been better around 6:00pm as the wind and the swell were completely gone with a calm pond effect, although the tide was still coming in then. I need a weather crystal, don't some people lick their finger and hold it up. I got the gopro film unloaded and edited this morning. You might notice spikes in places and I think they may be zip tied plants for extra grip.

Good Reef

 This was Debbie's first snorkel of any sort this Summer, so good job on that.  At most it would be 100 m there and again to get back. However if you think conditions are calm it is not until you are waist deep in it will you know and there was a buffeting swell. Also when you include the jellies then it wasn't a straight forward swim.  The main observation is that the plants are more numerous and thicker than the last time we were here and I think that might have been two yar back. There is still room to swim between the structures but I did not see any fish, except for jellies.  It was 30° at 10:00am and a pleasant way to swim thru the heat. There are meant to be storms with hail any time soon.

Swim Plan b

I was heading off with Debbie for a ride when I felt my back tire was completely flat. I sent her on her way while I tried to sort this out as there was no spare in the seat pouch. These must be in the other bike currently at Willie. I got the wheel off and the tire out without any finger or elbow trouble. The hole was the tiniest pin prick that could be heard and felt on the cheek.  The under water trick confirmed it. I patched it and set the pressure at 60psi and an hour later it had lost none. So the test will be riding. In the meantime it happened to be high tide however the water clarity seemed good near the shore but deeper it got the greener and darker further out. I went in anyway and did get to find my first Banjo Ray this year. Hooray, they are still around but so are the Lion's Mane jellies.  I found an article which does warn of getting a welt that can last three days. Also the tendrils can simply breakoff but still give you a sting if you swam into a loose one floating around.  In the ocean these jellies can be a metre across but in this Bay I think the sting is less of a problem.

Mask Blockage

Now this is a new one for me. I just got back from a not so good swim as I kept getting salt water in my mouth.  It was clear water when I started but closer to the rock groyne there was a lot of floating grasses. I tried a few things whilst in the water to no avail. Now that I can see clearly now the water has gone (song variation?) there is grass caught way down in a small valve at the bottom of the tube. This is totally encased in a plastic cage however my stamp tweezers could reach down in there and clear the grassy stuff. Hooray for stamp collecting.  I still need to test if this was the cause of the seepage. I also saw a sheet of roofing that has washed up. I am still dealing with an elbow issue after hauling up another piece so this will have to wait.

Foliage Fishes

 Hooray, I found a school of Zebra Fishes.  Eventually I was going see a fish and I found maybe between 20 and 30 smallish zebras.  These guys eat the grasses and growths on the poles so it is no surprise that they gather there.  I followed a few and then they shot across to a small cave and hid. High tide is your friend for seeing fish along the rock groyne. Still no rays around. The only way they can hide here at the moment is to dig into the sand. There were a few other snorkellers about all wearing wet suits. Come on wimps, it's not cold and the jellies are slow movers and the rays will stab right thru, so toughen up. Advice freely given while laying back under shade with a drink and finished my swim, intact.

wet suit waders beach invaders

Longer Swim

 I did the old course of 400m from groyne to groyne but my right calf seems to be complaining about it.  I need to remember to kick with my whole leg rather than just my ankles.  However being out of practice, at least I got across.  I stopped a few times for this years jelly phenomena being the red/brown variety. Now I have not seen these in six years snorkelling here but there is a whole bowl of jellies out there this year. I dodged another 10 on the swim across. I got a detailed look at them with their tentacles streaming out at least ten times their body size.  There was also a coloured sack attached to the bottom. I have seen the plain sandy coloured style but this is the first red/brown sack that is waving to and fro. Maybe it has something to do with the red/brown jellies.

Clear Water Snorkel

Due to my recently replaced face I could not consider placing a mask across it for some time. In fact this is the first real swim I have made this Summer.  I can report that the fish have fled although I did not go very far.  The water clarity is very good as there is not much seagrass at the moment which is the main reason there are no fish, as there is not much cover to hide in. I think this will change if I can time it for the real high tides as fish will start to hide in the holes in the rock walls. I did see the red/brown jellies and got close to a couple and dodged a few others. The tentacles are short but I do not want to test them.

Tangalooma Wrecks

 I have a video clip of some of our wreck snorkel.  There is a Dell dock here where many devices are attached including two large screens which are very good for editing purposes. However this dock has given up so getting something happening on the smallest of sreens is tricky. Hopefully that dock is still under warranty. 

The Wrecks

 Snorkling wrecks is not an easy thing. We walked a bit over 1km with our gear. There are numerous hazards like fast cars and trucks. Most cars were giant gas guzzlers with  KickAss on the side. Once in the water there were similar jetskis and speedy boats. Also I had new mask and fins not tried yet, which was an issue getting me anxious part way, due to an ill fit. We sorted most of it out. Despite the issues, the fish were huge and teeming. The hulls open up so deeply out of nowhere. We sidled passed three wrecks in a line of eight. There was a bit of chop. A young couple turned back due to sharks but they were just reefers.  If you can handle the issues then these wrecks are worth it.

King Zebra

 We had a three hour hospital session but with the school holidays it was a dream run getting there and getting back to Williamstown.   Debbie went for a sleep straight away so I got the snorkel gear out and went across to the Jawbone.  As usual there were a few snorkellers about but not many and those were amateurs who hugged the shallows.  I was also testing out the elbow but mostly let my legs do the swimming whilst just trailing my left arm behind.  The elbow has now reduced itself down to a rounded shape with a crusty red cap.  The water was very clear and not a lot of fish around like last time but as I was wafting about the biggest fish yet came into view. It was a zebra and did not move one bit. I hovered over it, swam aound it and pointed my camera in its face.  I could see the eyes tracking me and it must know it is in a protected zone because there was not the slightest concern that I was so close.  I can't unload video just now but perhaps at the weekend.

Reminds me of a certain tree in Nundah

are these tessellated?

You can hear Chinooks underwater

I have done a bit of snorkel in my day and experienced and seen my fair share during the swims but getting buzzed by chinooks has to be right up there.  My hearing has improved of late so the unmistakable chatter of helicopters sounds different underwater. I can't say how but it does.  They buzzed by three times and I emerged to film one of those passes.  Back here preparations continue over at Avalon.  There were strifing runs and bombing runs with much explosion.  Back to the water, the JawBone is one of the better bay locations I have found so far for a snorkel. There are always good sized fish as it is a sanctuary afterall.