(By David Muirhead)
I have just had a nice dive with 2 BSAC buddies at Second Valley. It was the usual entry and exit via the jetty steps, followed by a swim across to the point, then around the outer slopes only about 2/3 of the way, then returning against outgoing tidal current (not a problem, just the usual).
I only saw about 6 weedy seadragons (still no leafies for me here, since the HAB),but good visibility again (+15m mostly, perhaps more at times).
I did not see any Pipefish or Centroberyx genus members. I also did not see any rays or other elasmobranchs. The little huddle of adult old wives mid-water was present, but the huddle was without other species (e.g. zebrafish or Moonlighter) close by (although we saw Moonlighter, zebrafish, Western Talma, etc.. on this dive, of course).
Andy Burnell’s (Crab e cam) photo of the huddle of old wives mid-water was present, but the huddle old wives & zebrafish taken at Second Valley
(See details at Moonlighters and Old Wives Seen Cleaning Magpie Perch, Sweep, Drummer & Zebrafish – Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.)
I did not see any Leatherjackets at all. I did see one Herring Cale, one Rainbow Cale, a few Castelnau’s wrasses, a few Bluethroat and Brownspotted Wrasse, moderate numbers of Blackspotted Wrasse, heaps of Magpie Perch (especially in that sandy-floored cave which also contains 3 Bullseye taxa (only Elongate absent, so 3 out of 4 ain’t bad) and several juvenile Southern Blue Devil.
I did not see any Boarfish, harlequin fish or banded seaperch (but I wasn’t able to search thoroughly due to the dive plan set by the leader, and the current, and my cylinder was a 10L, and that’s all fine. It was a good dive in good conditions, all said and done).
I took both my Canon G7X2 and G7X3 cameras, but mostly used the G7X3. I don’t usually take 2 rigs these days, but I wasn’t sure if the old battery in the G7X3 would do the distance. It did (only just!).
Other details for my dive were: –
Max depth 9.1m, duration 78 minutes, 230bar on entry, 50bar on exit.