My Recent Snorkels at Haycock Point & Dunny Block Reef

I did several solo snorkels at Carrickalinga recently, including one at Dunny Block Reef during March. The other 3 snorkels were at Haycock Point. Haycock Point is highlighted in yellow in the distance: –

This is the entry and exit point for all three snorkels at Haycock Point: –

There was lots of this Codium in the shallows at Haycock Point: –

It is probably Codium fragile, the introduced Dead man’s fingers, but it is impossible to know without having microscopic views of it.

The fucoids are regenerating in the shallows, now that the HAB is inactive in Yankalilla Bay: –

I can’t tell what species they are because these are early/basal/ new growth short broad leaves, but I’m confident that they’re Cystophora and Caulocystis babies, not Sargassum genus.

This is Sea nymph atop high rock seen during my snorkel at Dunny Block Reef’s inshore rocks: –

I saw this Brown-spotted Wrasse female at Dunny Block Reef’s inshore rocks: –

These photos show the before and during swell set at Dunny Block Reef’s inshore rocks: –

This is Common Kelp seen at Dunny Block Reef’s inshore rocks: –

I saw this male Six-spine Leatherjacket at Dunny Block Reef’s inshore rocks on 19th March: –

I also saw several Cystophora species (C. moniliformis definitely, and C. monilifera I think). I also saw some Zoanthus robustus and some Sea Rimu algae (both were common and healthy on the three snorkels at Haycock Point). All of these were only recorded on video.

I saw many large and medium adult Bream milling about in only 1.5 to 3m depth at Haycock Point. Again, these were only recorded on video. Later, on the same snorkel, I glimpsed some small adult Western Australian Salmon but got no video of them.

Not much was happening fish-wise at dunny block on 19th March, but I enjoyed using the old Nexus housing with dome port and 10-20mm lens on the old Nikon D200 , all natural light as per iNat uploads (I used the same camera rig for the Haycock Point snorkel on 21st or 22nd March, again natural light only, also available via iNat).