Mar
30
Dive Number: 570 30/03/2014 Popes Eye
Conditions: Perfect
Visibilty: 20m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 70minutes
Max Depth: 12m
Details: Lovely visibility at Popes Eye. We dived the southern side and had a very tame cuttlefish allowing me to stroke it on the head…itonly batted an eye lid to show how much it was enjoying the treatment. Loads of fish around as usual.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Mar
23
Dive Number: 569 23/03/2014 Cottage by the Sea
Conditions:
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: A dirty dive at cottage with surgey conditions. A Weedy Seadragon gained confidence in my presence enough to start feeding in the seagrass while i hovered above…good to watch.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
23
Dive Number: 556 23/02/2014 Bell Reef off Shortlands Bluff
Conditions: Green and horrible
Visibilty: 4m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: This was a slack dive off Shortlands Bluff. The visibility was horrible, but the murky green water gave a certain sense of atmosphere that made it a fun dive still.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
22
Dive Number: 555 22/02/2014 St Leonards Pier
Conditions:
Visibilty: 5m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 3m
Details: An operation from Melbourne where trying out there standard dress kit, so i took the opportunity to snap some bygone era dive photos. I say that using this gear around a pier is the best idea though. The hose was ripping life from the pylons, and trudging over the bottom was really upsetting the local stargazers.(but so was I!) Another good sighting was a very approachable Bastard Trumpter..the first time i’ve seen this species.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
18
Dive Number: 554 18/02/2014 Orungal
Conditions:
Visibilty: 5m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 30minutes
Max Depth: 6m
Details: On the way back in, we had a quick splash at the Orungal. The vis was cloudy and it was dangerously surgey. Some big schools of Luderick were getting around, but difficult to photograph in the conditions.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
18
Dive Number: 553 18/02/2014 Ant Caves
Conditions:
Visibilty: 20m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 22m
Details: Another cracker of a dive at Ant Caves. After descending we were surrounded by large numbers of fish…sweep, perch, leatherjackets… Close to the anchor position was a wobbegong shark under a ledge. The resident Blue Grouper put in another show but still no photos to prove it. It likes to keep its distance. Phil got a couple of ID shots though. On ascent the large schools of Barber Perch formed again beneath us.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
15
Dive Number: 552 15/02/2014 Steeles Rocks
Conditions:
Visibilty: Night Dive
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 90minutes
Max Depth: 4m
Details: A warm summers night and gentle southerlies made for a good night dive at Steeles Rocks. Trav, Karly and Nick formed one group and me and Chris formed another too see what was around at night around Steeles Rocks. Everyone had good sightings and at the end of the dive i even managed to find a Chris’s boogey critter, a Blue-ringed Octopus. Squid are always great fun to photograph too.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
15
Dive Number: 551 15/02/2014 Portarlington Pier
Conditions:
Visibilty: 4m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 3m
Details: A macro dive at the mucky Portarlington pier. I spotted a seahorse on this dive too, but it was too dirty to get any decent pics.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
8
Dive Number: 550 08/02/2014 Ripbank – The Rip
Conditions:
Visibilty: 20m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 30m
Details: I keep on jumping on Divevic boats destined for Spec Reef, but shipping always changes the plans. The dive was diverted to Ripbank this time and i buddied up with a French Bloke who was chasing crays. The dive got off to a bad start when we dropped in over the deep water, and with great vis and no sign of the wall at 20+ metres we decided to surface, reboard the boat and drop in again. Good option, straight onto the wall this time. Ripbank is a fairly exposed part of the wall receiving the full brunt of ebb tide. So the sponge growth doesnt seem as prolific as the sites running paralell with the flow. A good sight to keep your eye on the blue though with rumours of shark activity in the area.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Feb
2
Dive Number: 548 02/02/2014 Blairgowrie Marina
Conditions:
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 70minutes
Max Depth: 7m
Details: A less than impressive dive at Blairgowrie, always something to photograph though!
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
27
Dive Number: 547 27/01/2014 Whites Beach
Conditions: Surgey
Visibilty: 4m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: Very surgey and dirty at whites beach today with the swell just that little bit too high. We spotted a few Wobbies still including this one tucked away in a cave.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
17
Dive Number: 546 17/01/2014 The Ledges
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Wonderful visibility at The Ledges today. The dive finished with a large Wobbegong.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
16
Dive Number: 545 16/01/2014 Mouth of Barwon River
Conditions:
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 30minutes
Max Depth: 12m
Details: This was a short dive just out of the mouth of the Barwon River. The vis can usually get pretty bad here, but i made the best of the good conditions to check out the area. There are some good reef sections out around here, but this dive didnt turn up much reef, just your usual kelp species, crayweed, bull kelp etc.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
16
Dive Number: 544 16/01/2014 Ant Caves
Conditions:
Visibilty: 8m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 21m
Details: I spent most of this dive in a cave that gives this site its name. A pretty amazing sight with schools of yellow-tailed pike swimming in and out of the cave. Very nice.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
15
Dive Number: 543 15/01/2014 The Labyrinth
Conditions:
Visibilty: 8m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 22m
Details: Sandy and Phil joined me for a dive and i showed them the Labyrinth. Sandy made made some big statements throwing around words like ‘word class reef structure’ and i couldn’t disagree with such a well traveled diver. I had some focus issues on this dive, but tried my best to get a sharp shot of a unique formation of hard coral.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
10
Dive Number: 541 10/01/2014 Cod Cave, Ocean Grove
Conditions:
Visibilty: 12m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 22m
Details: Cod Cave is a really nice small dive site with tons of interest. This time around the cod weren’t home. The big highlight of the dive was on ascent when i spotted a family of leatherjacket using a Jellyfish as a good way to travel under protection.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
5
Dive Number: 540 05/01/2014 Cottage by the Sea, Queenscliff
Conditions:
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 9m
Details: Ordinary conditions at Cottage today. A gorgonian and seastar where the only subjects of interest.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Jan
1
Dive Number: 539 01/01/2014 Beady Boulders, Barwon Heads
Conditions:
Visibilty: 8m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 14m
Details: This was a dive just out of the mouth of the Barwon River Esturary. The area consisted of a field of boulders, but not many overhangs or crevices. Not much of interest except the algae cover boulders themselves…hence the name..Beady Boulders.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
31
Dive Number: 538 31/12/2013 Tourch Reef
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 50minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Tourch Reef is a slack dive in Port Phillip Heads back towards Shortlands Bluff. Although not dramatic like the wall, the colours and sponges in this area are brilliant. It was a great photography dive…Check out the photo of the blue devil..see the tiny baby blue devil to the right? The tide really rips through this area and we travelled a fair way on the safety stop, but the skipper had keen eyes (and a sweaty brow) so we survived the pickup..thanks Dad!
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
30
Dive Number: 537 30/12/2013 Blairgowrie Marina
Conditions:
Visibilty: 8m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 6m
Details: I tried some new strobe positionings on this dive at Blairgowrie and was impressed by some of the results. Blairgowrie rarely has a shortage of subjects.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
30
Dive Number: 536 30/12/2013 Seals at Chinamans Hat
Conditions:
Visibilty: 12m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 18m
Details: The water looked crystal clear on the surface, but the strong sunlight and sand content in the water made photographing the seals difficult. The seals weren’t in the most welcoming mood with the large alpha male making some close barking passes and barking at us creatures carrying strange-looking apparatus.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
28
Dive Number: 535 28/12/2013 Dales Arch, Point Addis Marine Park
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 18m
Details: Conditions were so good i had to head back to the boat to convince Soph to come for a dive and check out the arch. A unique purple algae was common at this site.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
28
Dive Number: 534 28/12/2013 Dales Arch, Point Addis Marine Park
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 18m
Details: Based off some of the Lidar scans that Parks Vic had produced of the Point Addis Marine Park, i picked out an interesting looking area and sounded around. The results was a great little site sitting in about 16-18m and rising to 5m. The large bommie was covered in lush kelp and the water clarity and sunny conditions really set off the colours of the kelp. The bommie was teaming with reef fish together with crays, blue devils, rainbow cale and all the common local species. The biggest feature of the site is a big archway which joins the east and west bommies. This was just such an easy and beautiful dive in ideal conditions.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Dec
26
Snorkel at Point Lonsdale 26/12/2013
Conditions:
Details: A quick snorkel around the rock shelves at Pt Lonsdale.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
