Dive report: East Jones Bay

Jan 18, 2024
High tide 1:30pm
Sunny /cloudy
10 knots a bit choppy
60min
9-13 m
Transect West looking for Caulerpa
Vis 7 m

Launched kayak from Jones Bay carpark. Quick paddle across the bay to the dive site. I wanted to check this area for exotic Caulerpa and also wanted to know if there were rhodolith on this side of the bay (I found neither). I anchored about 50 meters off shore just after high tide. I was very pleased with the visibility and after checking out the area under the kayak where there was a little bit of Ecklonia, I swam West for 100-200m into the current then turned as it began to pick up. Returning (bang on) to my anchor I did a little investigation before surfacing.

I really enjoyed documenting the different sponge species but was most excited by the tubeworm matts which were thick and dominated the benthos. There were spotty and common triplefin closer to the Ecklonia where I also saw one adult tāmure /snapper and one leatherjacket. A juvenile trevally also swan with me for a bit. I didn't see any fish further out into the bay.

Posted on January 18, 2024 09:34 PM by shaun-lee