Yesterday I went for a dive to the Leigh area. I was aware of the strong wind from the southeast so was very skeptical about the conditions. Anyway, I hoped the Ti Point wharf spot could save my trip. Unfortunately that was not the case. I have no idea what was happening there recently. The parking […]
Some people think tropical seas are colourful and temperate ones are not. Often the opposite is true. Many hard corals of tropical reefs in shallow water are greenish or brownish. A lot of invertebrates in cold(er) water have very bright colours. The rock on the picture is only in about four metres of water. A […]
Here at New Zealand we call them crayfish, but their real name is southern rock lobster, red rock lobster or spiny rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii, see the Wikipedia article). I do not collect them for food so don’t know where to find them. If you want to observe them, marine reserves are a good place […]
It does not happen often, but there are days when the visibility underwater is acceptable even in bays of North Shore in Auckland. By saying ‘acceptable’ I mean more than five metres. That sort of visibility also means backscatter is not such na issue, even at night. I’ve made this picture in Browns Bay at […]
If there are kelp forests underwater, there are also undersea meadows of green, brown and red algae (often referred as seaweeds). And red moki (Cheilodactylus spectabilis) is their “cow”. Grazing slowly, alone, in pairs or small groups. When the feeding is over, they hide in small crevices or under overhangs and sleep with open eyes. […]
When I saw this image, I realised why my mask had been leaking during that dive. The seal of the mask goes over my neoprene hood. I usually check if my mask sits properly on my face … actually I believe I did the check before that dive as well. It seems I was too […]