David Muirhead took some phone photos at Second Valley before a BSAC dive there this month.
As for the dive itself, David says that the viz was poor on entry (1-2m) but peaked at 5+m around the point. There was an outgoing tide, which was almost out by the end of this 83-minute dive from the jetty to the point and back.
No Syngnathids (seadragons, pipefish, etc..) were seen by any of the four divers, but they saw a nice Bight Redfish, Centroberyx gerrardi, and the usual Southern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops meleagris.
Bight Redfish, Centroberyx gerrardi and Southern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops meleagris
Two of the divers saw a Harlequin Fish, Othos dentex. David didn’t see it, but he saw a nice green weedfish, however, possibly a Kuiters Weedfish, Heteroclinus kuiteri.
(The suspected Kuiter’s weedfish was actually a very green Adelaide Weedfish, as iNaturalist was able to establish.)
David took lots of photos, most of which have been posted to iNaturalist.
David says that, “Overall, the habitat continues to gradually improve following the (recent/ongoing) algal bloom, but there is still some way to go!”
These few photos by David show the water at the edge of the beach: –
The suspected Kuiter’s weedfish was actually a very green Adelaide Weedfish, as inaturalist was able to establish.