Aussie diving, 1st Feb to 15th Feb.....

[bowlofpetunias]

Hi all. Sas sorry but what does BSAC stand for... I have lots of ideas what it could stand for but.....

I love the pics to the blue ring... shows how different yours are to ours. Amazing you see them all the time. Yep Calamari..... I think word got out what humans do to them, I have never seen one that wasn't moving very fast. I like your hairy star fish.

Stormy and byron.... glad to hear you are going to be able to connect and dive

 

[Sas]

Hi all. Sas sorry but what does BSAC stand for... I have lots of ideas what it could stand for but.....

I love the pics to the blue ring... shows how different yours are to ours. Amazing you see them all the time. Yep Calamari..... I think word got out what humans do to them, I have never seen one that wasn't moving very fast. I like your hairy star fish.

Stormy and byron.... glad to hear you are going to be able to connect and dive

It is the 'British Sub-Aqua Club' - basically another training agency, very popular in the UK. Their Dive Leader course is equivalent to a DM course but I am more doing it cos it will teach (and qualify me) to be able to dive to 50ms safely so I can see all the wrecks. It also has rescue skills, decompression theory and things like that I like the structure better than my other courses as you can take your time learning things which helps me as I am a slow learner at practical diving skills :blush: I joined one of their branch clubs recently as I quit the old club I was in (looong story ).

The starfish is called a 'Velvet Starfish' but I like 'Hairy Starfish' or even 'Stubble Starfish' as it looks like it has stubble

Stormysea + Byron, hope you have a ball with the leopard sharks!!! I am so jealous!

 

[DeNomad]

So are those leopard sharks a seasonal sight, or they year around? Same question about that wicked guitarfish.

 

[AussieByron]

So are those leopard sharks a seasonal sight, or they year around? Same question about that wicked guitarfish.

They are a seasonal animal. They prefer warm water which we get in late summer.

Regards Mark

 

[stormysea]

Hey Mark, Do you think the weather will be ok on Sunday??

 

[AussieByron]

Hey Mark, Do you think the weather will be ok on Sunday??

Its not looking crash hot for the weekend and I dont like your chances. It was rough today and the vis has dropped a little due to the swell. I still got a good couple of dives in, I'll post a couple of pics from to today later so you can see.

Regards Mark

 

[AussieByron]

From todays dive

Old wives at the Black Coral

Guitarfish

Slippercray

Wobbies can bite their own tail

"Salt & Pepper"

 

[stormysea]

Bugger!!!!

 

[Gudge]

We got out for two dives today and after reports of terrible visibility earlier in the week I couldn't make up my mind what lens I wanted to use. I really wanted to shoot some wide angle but the "supposed" bad viz put me off that and I've had enough of shooting macro lately. Time to use my I don't know what I want to do lens, the Sigma 17-70 macro. We got to the first dive site in Lighthouse Bay and were met by the best visibility we've had in long while but a really strong current combined with some surge that made photography really difficult. After the first dive we decided to move inside Exmouth Gulf to get away from the current and surge. What we found was a gentle current, no surge and terrible visibility. Sometimes you can't win. Anyway the 17-70 proved to be as versatile as ever in the conditions and here's a few of my favourite shots from the two dives:

@17mm

@28mm

@36mm

and two @70mm

 

[Sas]

Great shots Gudge! I think I have a different definition of terrible viz to you though

Today I got out for four dives :shocked2: A first for me and now I am SO tired. We dived at the Coogee wreck, then two backbeach dives (swell was <1foot so we FINALLY got to dive here again) and then a night dive at Mornington Pier. We were aiming for Sorrento but the current was really ripping so we had to continue back towards Melbourne for a good dive. For the day dives, the viz was >10m on all dives

At Mornington a fisherman went nuts at the divers around, saying we were going to scare away his squid. He was threatening to attack us, blah blah blah, the cops were called and he shutup. Well somewhat He stopped the physical threats but spent any time we were on the surface yelling about how we'd cost him an $18 squid jig I was going to mention that we often collect the squid jigs and give them back to fishermen, but only if they are nice... but I thought perhaps I better not

I got five abalone too, so my grandmother and brother are pretty happy! Today was one of the few days we could collect them. In the Bay I don't see them that often, but as the backbeach isn't dived as much there were tonnes. Also a heap of crayfish around so I guess that is where they all hide to escape being caught.

Some pics later as I better go to bed soon