Dive Report: Jones Bay

Friday 10 Mar
HT 10:20
Wind N, 15 kts
Cloudy rainy
Waves 1m
80 min bottom time
10m max depth

At 9:15 am I walked along the beach from the carpark and disturbed two well camouflaged Reef heron roosting on the stones. I set off east from the end of the predator exclusion fence. I was pleased to find subtidal seagrass at 4m pretty quickly. It was a decent meadow running parallel to the beach. I noted the rhodoliths everywhere which became denser as I headed further east.

I saw a few juvenile goatfish and maybe a juvenile snapper but not much fish life. An octopus had made an impressive home and walled itself in with rocks. I also saw one juvenile octopus in a dead horse mussel.

At 10m I came across a few small boulders with ecklonia growing on them. Under one of the kelp plants a blade stood out to me, mostly because of this video. I had never seen a weedfish before and it was just a magical little fish. I spent the rest of my dive with it until I nearly ran out of air. It would go up into the kelp and then come out and hang out on the seafloor. Here it lay on its side a lot and drifted around just like kelp in an invisible current. It drunkenly walked around on its fins. It was magical to watch. It showed very minimal aversion to me, my bubbles and my giant light. I was able to get very close and it also swam straight at the lens twice. I took about 100 photos :D

Posted on March 10, 2023 02:49 AM by shaun-lee shaun-lee

Observations

Photos / Sounds

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:36 AM NZDT

Description

Abundant <6m

Photos / Sounds

What

Yellow Crested Weedfish (Cristiceps aurantiacus)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 10:39 AM NZDT

Description

So stoked to find this fish, dive journaled here https://inaturalist.nz/journal/shaun-lee/76306-dive-report-jones-bay

Photos / Sounds

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:34 AM NZDT

Description

I think?

Photos / Sounds

What

Horse Mussel (Atrina zelandica)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:40 AM NZDT

Description

Rare, Alive

Photos / Sounds

What

Demosponges (Class Demospongiae)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:33 AM NZDT

Description

Rare

Photos / Sounds

What

Mediterranean Fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 10:00 AM NZDT

Description

A few

Photos / Sounds

What

Bluff Oyster (Ostrea chilensis)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:54 AM NZDT

Description

A few, Alive

Photos / Sounds

What

Tipa (New Zealand Scallop) (Pecten novaezelandiae)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 10:07 AM NZDT

Description

Only one I saw

Photos / Sounds

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:46 AM NZDT

Description

A few

Photos / Sounds

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 10:04 AM NZDT

Description

Only one I saw

Photos / Sounds

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:51 AM NZDT

Description

A few

Photos / Sounds

What

Nana (Zostera muelleri ssp. novozelandica)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 09:31 AM NZDT

Description

Decent meadow at 4m (1hr before HT) many square meters , ran parallel to beach, was elevated in places which was odd.

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Sydney Octopus (Octopus tetricus)

Observer

shaun-lee

Date

March 10, 2023 10:46 AM NZDT

Description

Small, sheltering in dead Atrina shell

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