Pastures in Channel

16/6/2017 (622)

I had plans for another lazy dive, however, the current in the channel at Goat Island was so strong that I surfaced exhausted. The channel was full of juvenile trevally, snapper and goatfish. Goatfish were digging in the coarse sand on the bottom, trevally and snapper were hovering in midwater facing the current. There were red moki everywhere too. I saw only one eagle ray. Clouds were “running” through sky so the light conditions underwater were changing all the time … so was the water colour. Anyway, a great time alone, just the sea and me.

Slovak

Mal som v pláne ďalší z lenivých ponorov, ale prúd v prielive pri Kozom ostrove bol taký silný, že som sa vynoril vyčerpaný. Prieliv bol plný mladých trevally, snapper a goatfish. Goatfish hľadali potravu v hrubozrnnom piesku, ktorý pokrýval dno, trevally a snapper sa vznášali uprostred vodného stĺpca tvárami proti prúdu. Všade naokolo sa potulovali aj red moki. Žiaľ, videl som len jednu raju. Mraky sa hnali po oblohe, takže svetelné podmienky pod vodou sa neustále menili. Podobne sa menila aj farba vody (viď. fotografie). Ak to zhrniem, bola to veľmi príjemná hodinka osamote … len more a ja.

Red moki on flat bottom

Red moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis resting on flat bottom in the channel at Goat Island. Note the small school of juvenile trevally behind it.

Adult snapper close-up

An inquisitive Australasian snapper Pagrus auratus posing for the camera with the sea surface in the background. This one was very patient and allowed me to take pictures of it from various angles.

Clouds of juvenile fish in channel

Juvenile trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) hovering in strong current in the channel at Goat Island. Note the sea weeds at the bottom of the picture, they are a good indicator of how strong the current was. Under the no current conditions they grow vertically with the help of pneumatocysts on their stems.

Redi moki grazing shallow flat bottom

Red moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis grazing short hard algae growing on flat rocks in the channel at Goat Island. When the fish takes a bite it makes a loud sound underwater. The sound used to make me nervous before I discovered what was causing it.