Monday 3 February 2014

Under the pier

Over the weekend P and me had a little adventure - snorkelling in search of Weedy Sea Dragons below the pier at Portsea in Victoria.

The weekend was hot.  I mean really hot.  So, being in the water was the only place to be.  Even after our hot weather the water is far from tropical, so we were both suited up to stay warm.

Small people get colder faster than larger ones - its all to do with surface area and volume, but I'm straying dangerously close to Year 9 science again.

Unfortunately, the Weedy Sea Dragons were shy at the time - and we did not see any.  (Now in case any of you think this is another crazy Stewart M kind of joke here is a link to a page about these fish - you will understand why we wanted to see them!)  I've seen them under the pier in the past - but not this time.

However, there was more than enough to see.  Most of the fish were too fast moving for my point and shoot - although this smooth stingray was slow enough for me to get a (rather unremarkable) picture.  Its about the size of a chess board.


Most remarkable were the sponge gardens on the piles of the pier.  Wonderful colours and strange forms.  There were also lots of Biscuit Star starfish, although the current and waves did not make for easy picture taking!





Finally, here is a picture of P in all her Marine Girl glory!  Note the snippet of red hair, just to let me know it was still there.  The blue cast to the whole picture is caused by the "under-water" white balance  setting!


You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday!  cheers SM and MG!

20 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to go snorkeling. I love that shot of the stingray!

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  2. It's a whole different world underwater! Love your photos! I saw Weedy Sea Dragons Near Victor Harbor. They are fascinating!

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  3. nice way to get out with the kiddo! love the sponge gardens!

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  4. I've heard about your hot weather! Scary.

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  5. It's a whole different world underwater.
    The pictures are beautiful, Stewart.
    Greetings Irma

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  6. Whenever I see stingrays now I think of Steve Irwin. I'd stick to photographing sponge and starfish myself. Great images.

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  7. What wonderful captures, Stewart!! Love your underwater world!! Good place to be during your summer -- particularly this summer!! Have a great new week!

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  8. That is a wonderful activity between parents and kids, or is P a grandchild? I love red hair, always wished I was blessed with it when younger. Great shots, I am heading over to the link piece now. Thanks Stewart!

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  9. What an awesome underwater experience! The sea garden is so full of beautiful color! Fascinating photos, Stewart!

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  10. HI Stewart I love snorkeling and you seemed to have great fun. That fish is certainly well named and I can see why you wanted to see it. perhaps next time. the other shots are like abstract paintings. Really beautiful.

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  11. Cool images, my hubby loves to snorkel. So many neat sights to see under the water. Love the stingray!

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  12. Just love these photos! The underwater world is really amazing and quite magical. I went and looked at the pic of the Leafy Sea Dragon fish. Amazing!

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  13. The underwater colors ar so interesting. They look like paintings instead of living creatures. The Minnesota Zoo has the sea dragons, and they are fascinating. It would be really something to see them in the wild.

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  14. Oh so beautiful and totally different world!

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  15. Lovely shots - like abstract art!

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  16. What outstanding colors! Especially that bit of red hair. :)
    A couple of these look like they could be painted with oil on canvas, great views!
    We got out snowshoeing over the weekend. It was brutal. The snow is deep but so powdery, so there's no staying on top.. the tips of my snowshoes kept catching unseen logs down under the snow & sending my flying face forward. Still nice to get out & about.

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  17. Those underwater shots made beautiful abstracts. I wish I could snorkel (long boring story).... so special thanks for sharing. Great dad-daughter outing...beyond cool really! (Also it is OK for you to stray into grade 9 science anytime, because I slept through it back then and anything I can pick up now in my old age is appreciated!)

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  18. Sounds like another nice outing for you. Underwater photos look so vibrant. Now I'm curious about that other creature. I have to follow the link! Thanks Stewart...

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  19. I'm back from the link. Wow! That is just about as camouflaged as an animal can get.

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