Understanding, enjoying and caring for our oceans
Sue Simmonds recently sent me the following email message regarding her late father’s love of the Shandon: – “Hi Steve, The “Shandon” was dad’s favourite ship, he loved sail and was probably born fifty years too early. I’ve also attached a photo of the “Shandon” taken from the “Mount Stewart” […]
by David Muirhead I see similarities between the recent and seemingly quite rapidly escalating decline in Port River dolphin numbers and the continuing extinction trend in the bushland birds of Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges. Ornithologists have been saying for decades that the many smaller, specialised birds (such as […]
Diving with Old Friends by Robert Rath Diving under the old Rapid Bay Jetty is often just like catching up with old friends, mostly good fun but sometimes leading to unexpected and beautiful surprises. Normally divers avoid currents, the biggest risk being swept off a dive plan and getting lost. […]
On 15th November, I attended a community forum held by the Australian Marine Wildlife Research & Rescue Organisation Inc. (AMWRRO) to discuss recent (& ongoing) dolphin deaths in the Port River. I was pleased to be able to ‘get the ball rolling’ at the forum by detailing what the Marine […]
Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia holds regular summer school abroad programs. These study programs are created and designed especially for international students from different study fields who would like to continue their education both professionally and personally within a semester abroad or a summer school in Bali. They welcome international […]
A B-17 Flying Fortress called “Black Jack” has been laying 48m of water off of Papua New Guinea since WWII. I had not heard of “Black Jack” at all until I picked up an old video cassette titled “Black Jack’s Last Mission” at a second-hand goods shop several years ago. […]
I have been visiting the wreck of the Santiago in the North Arm of the Port River on many of my kayaking trips from Garden Island. There is always much interest from kayakers in the wreck, possibly due to the large size of the rusting iron hull. It is also […]
A highlight of our recent dive at Port Hughes jetty was the sighting of a Cobbler Wobbegong, Sutorectus tentaculatus. The shark seemingly sprang up out of nowhere between my buddy and me. It started off swimming more or less in my direction before suddenly turning and swimming towards my buddy, […]
I was assisting the Estuary Care Foundation to check their oyster baskets at Outer Harbor during October, when I was asked if I had seen a particular crab before. My response may have been something like, “Holy cow, what is that?”. I quickly grabbed my phone and took a couple […]
There is an Aquatic Reserve at West Island in Encounter Bay. The Aquatic Reserve is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area. According to Wikipedia, “West Island Encounter Bay Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area. ….. It was proclaimed on 30 November 1971 in order to protect sites […]
David Muirhead and I did a dive with three others at Rapid Bay jetty on 9th March 2018. Three of us dived whilst two women just snorkelled. It was a sunny day, and the sea was flat calm. The water was 21-22°C and the vis was fair. My bottom time […]