Viewing: Dive Reports
September 25, 2017
Long-nosed fur seals hauling out at the Fort Glanville breakwater
I had a pleasant surprise on Friday afternoon, when I was treated to an intimate encounter with South Australia’s most notorious pinniped. I’m talking about Arctocephalus forsteri, the long-nosed fur seal; loved by many and detested by some. Previously known as the New Zealand fur seal, its common name caused some confusion in the community, as people falsely assumed that the species wasn’t native to Australia. In South Australia, its population is actually still recovering from intensive sealing efforts in the…
Posted in Conservation, Dive Reports, Pinnipeds | By Dan Monceaux
September 3, 2017
Artefacts from Argosy Lemal at Port River Sailing Club
As I stated in my article titled “Follow-up on the Schooners Lemael & Booya” at http://mlssa.org.au/2016/09/09/follow-up-on-the-schooners-lemael-booya/ , “I had previously written a series of articles regarding a number of sailing ships, but two in particular – the Booya and the Lemael. The series started with “Cyclone Tracy Shipwrecks” in our April 2005 newsletter (No.320). This was followed by “More About the Booya” in our July 2005 newsletter (No.323). The third article was titled “The Wreck of the Schooner Lemael” and…
Posted in Maritime History, Shipwrecks | By Steve Reynolds
July 6, 2017
Port Noarlunga Anchor’s Anniversary
The ‘big’ anchor at Port Noarlunga reef has been there as long as I have known, but only just. It was apparently placed in position at the reef just under two weeks before I did my first dive there. It was years before I got to see it though. It was Sunday 22nd January 1978 when divers moved the anchor from where it had been buried in sand to a rocky area where it would be seen more by divers….
Posted in Dive Reports, Maritime History | By Steve Reynolds
June 25, 2017
Our stay at the Moonta Bay Beach Villas
A small group of Society members were able to stay at the Moonta Bay Beach Villas over the weekend recently, thanks to the kindness of Peter Anastassiadis. We were supposed to be a bigger group, but half of the group cancelled out at the last minute due to cold or flu problems. Lyndon and David arrived at the villa on the Friday night. They were soon joined by Haixia Wen. Lyndon was able to do some stand-up paddle boarding by…
Posted in Dive Reports, Jetties | By Steve Reynolds
May 10, 2017
Normanville Jetty and Hotspot
David Muirhead says that the Normanville jetty is “a pretty poor excuse for a jetty”. “I have, however, found some surprisingly good photographic subjects on the piles at high tide, which is all the more titillating given the entire jetty can be above the water mark,” he says. (The present jetty is the second Normanville jetty. The first one was a short distance to the south of the current one but, after severe storm damage, it was decided that repairing…
Posted in Bony fishes, Dive Reports, Jetties, Maritime History, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
April 13, 2017
Update on the wreck of the AV Ulonga
This photo of the AV Ulonga at the North Parade Wharf in Port Adelaide was posted on the Facebook page for The South Australian Ketch Fleet recently: – The Ulonga at Port Adelaide circa early 1960s (Source: https://www.facebook.com/234583500036716/photos/a.237879926373740.1073741831.234583500036716/775086302653097/?type=3&theater ) It came with these details: – “Three mast auxiliary schooner “Ulonga”, at North Parade Wharf, Port Adelaide, sometime in the very early 1960’s. The bow of the ship near her bow belongs to the schooner “Coringle”, also engaged in the same…
Posted in Maritime History, Shipwrecks | By Steve Reynolds
March 23, 2017
The Oyster Blenny, Omobranchus anolius
When I recently snorkelled at the Ship’s Graveyard in the North Arm of the Port River, I saw lots of blennies disappearing into holes on the river bed. They were much too quick for me to be able to identify them at all. Some of them seemed to have long-flowing eel-like tails. I struck it lucky when I returned back to shore and a blenny posed on a rock for me. I was quite surprised by the colour, shape and…
Posted in Bony fishes, Dive Reports, Invasive species | By Steve Reynolds
March 16, 2017
Snorkelling at Ochre Point
We’ve done some recent snorkels at Ochre Point (midway between Moana South and Maslin Beach North). The area is magnificent. David Muirhead and I weren’t able to dive there the first time we visited the spot due to less than ideal conditions. David returned back to Ochre Point a little later on, this time with Graham Short and Alan Noble. They were able to do some snorkelling there on this occasion. I went back there with David again sometime later on…
Posted in Dive Reports | By Steve Reynolds
March 16, 2017
Snorkelling at Myponga Beach
David Muirhead and I have done some snorkelling at Myponga Beach recently. One of these trips involved us snorkelling in a large rock pool there whilst there were swells breaking outside the rock pool. It was interesting enough to maintain our interest for quite a while. David took this photo in the rock pool We also enjoyed the rock-hopping necessary to reach the rock pool and even some rock hopping around it. More recently, we launched my tandem kayak…
Posted in Dive Reports | By Steve Reynolds
March 3, 2017
Recollections of my first few dives
I did my basic scuba course test dive at Port Noarlunga jetty on 4th February 1978. It was the first time that I had used scuba in the sea. Wayne Farquhar was apparently one of the dive instructors on my course. I knew Wayne from my job at Harris Scarfe Ltd. Wayne heard that I kept marine aquaria and came to see them at my home. He told me about MARIA (SA) of which he was President and invited me…
Posted in Dive Reports | By Steve Reynolds