Rarer than the Tasmanian Tiger and more mysterious, the Southern Moray has never been seen alive. A single specimen collected in Port Phillip Bay’s Half Moon Bay in 1884 is all we know about it. It wasn’t even noticed as a species among the museum archives until 2001. Where did it go? Did it use to be common? Are they still out there? ? The specimen went unnoticed for 150 years because it was presumed it was a Green Moray ..read more

The sun came out this afternoon and the wind dropped off to just two knots. Eager to see if I could find a Port Jackson Shark at Ricketts Point again, I headed out in front of the yacht club past the white markers. The sea was a lovely 19 degrees once more and there were lots of snapper about. After about 40 minutes I came across this guy sitting on the seafloor. Initially I didn’t dive down as I wanted to give it time to get used to my presence ..read more

I was a bit unsure what it was going to be like today but it turned out to be a very enjoyable Ricketts Point snorkel. Overall the water was quite clear and surprisingly fishy. The wind got up a bit but it was quite exhilarating and the sun peeked through a little. This nice smiley Rough Leatherjacket that came in to say ‘cheese’ provided the highlight of the swim at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Just goes to show, there’s always the unexpected to look forward to ..read more

There are two reasons we chose to go snorkelling at Sigasiga Sands in Fiji. First, we were looking for a quiet self-contained place to stay that didn’t have a mandatory meal plan. Second, we wanted somewhere we could explore a diversity of snorkelling spots for a few days. Sigasiga Sands delivered far more than we expected! If you’re looking for a comfortable resort-style place where you can be as independent as you like, this is a great place ..read more

It is definitely getting a bit cooler! According to my dive watch during my snorkel at Beaumaris today, the water today was still 19 degrees. I just bought tight-fitting long sleeve Frogskin top with a hood to go under my 5.5mm semi-dry wetsuit. From now until mid-August the temperature is going to drop about a degree every fortnight. It should still be nice for a month or so though. Usually at this time of year the weather is calming and the water clearer but last week’s heavy rains have made it a bit soupy ..read more

Sorry it’s been remiss of me not to send this out earlier. I’ve been a bit busy since I got back. The Raja Ampat 2024 trip was so good as usual. Yet again we had a delightful group of people. Each year the trips seem to create their own momentum as we have new faces and return visitors making friends. Read the whole trip report here Where we went This year was an interesting trip for many reasons ..read more

There is a petition running to save Ricketts Point. If you have a moment to sign, it would be gratefully appreciated. The object is to petition the Minister for the Environment to demand better regulation of illegal fishing. The park is currently inundated with infringments and it threatens its values. Good Friday Snorkel at Quiet Corner But meanwhile, we had a nice snorkel at Quiet Corner this morning. The water is cooling down ..read more

This weekend we did a snorkel at teahouse Ricketts and fossil beach. Fossil beach was relatively clear water on the Saturday. Despite southeast afternoon winds blowing directly into here, the sediment seems to settle quite quickly. The currents to the north and south miss this area and flow further afield. After the rain this week though, it’s been a little bit dirty to the north. There was quite a lot of sediment in the water column at Ricketts Point on Sunday morning ..read more

Hi there : ) I’m leading a small group to Wakatobi this winter. I’m very excited about visiting and we’ve got a few people who come on my Indonesia trips tagging along. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I wanted to let you know in case you wished to join us. It’s a very easy trip to do, as we are picked up by a VIP service on arrival in Bali and the following morning, whisked to the island, on a private charter flight ..read more

We went out for a quick snorkel to look for Southern Bobtail Squid at Quiet Corner last night. The weather has been HOT, so it was still over 30 degrees at dusk. The water is about 23 degrees too. It turned out they were quite common. We found ten in all. How to find Southern Bobtail Squid The trick seems to be to look for sediment-filled depressions in shallow water just behind where the shallow bedrock begins ..read more