Usually Quiet in Matheson Bay

13/10/2016 (600)

The strong wind has ceased and changed its direction so the east coast was diveable again. I went to the Leigh area, checked Goat Island first, but the swell was quite unpleasant. I moved to Matheson Bay. The visibility on the beach did not look great, but the sea was calm so I expected it would improve further off shore. It did get better around the island, around 5-7m. On my way to the island I saw a couple of octopus holes in the sand, most of them inhabited. Unfortunately the home owners were not keen to ‘talk’.

As usually (summer is an exception) it was very quiet there, with a few resident leatherjackets hovering around their rocks and spotties playing hide-and-seek among sea weeds. Almost a meditative experience, that peace in the bluish water among waving kelp fronds. A very pleasant dive.

Note: I guess those octopuses get out of their holes to hunt at night … a night dive next time?

Quite a usual image from Matheson Bay: large boulders on sand, Ecklonia kelp growing on their top, encrusting sponges on the bottom.

Spotty wrasse playing hide-and-seek among brown sea weeds.

Beautiful Dahlia anemone of flat sandy bottom.

Lonely leatherjacket Parika scaber above flat sandy bottom on the way from the beach to the island in Matheson Bay.

Another flat boulder with rich colours of encrusting sponges on the flat bottom.

Dense field of fronds of brown kelp Ecklonia radiata close to the island in Matheson Bay. It’s low tide, the kelp is almost reaching the ocean surface.