scuba diving

This week’s creatures – 9 August 2020 – Net Casting Spider Eyes!

Alex julian rocks, mount cootha, scuba diving

It’s been a reasonably slow couple of weeks due to the dry winter, with less bird life on Mount Cootha in the evenings. We have still be fortunate to see some pretty amazing spiders and were able to get a photo of the Net Casting Spider, with enormous eyes to allow for good vision to be able to aim its web (when it hurls it at unsuspecting victims.)

We were very fortunate to get down to Byron Bay for a dive at the end of July and see the Grey Nurse Sharks. We were able to hear the humpback whale song during the dive and we also managed to see a sea eagle hunting a fish – pretty spectacular! It seems that we may not be able to return to Julian Rocks for a little while as the New South Wales – Queensland border is shut. We are going to have to head back to Stradbroke Island again soon 🙂

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This week’s creatures: 3 June 2020 – Amazing visibility at Julian Rocks!

Alex julian rocks, scuba diving

Sundive was finally allowed to start running boats again to Julian Rocks on the weekend after three months of inactivity due to Coronavirus distancing rules. I was fortunate enough to be on the top of the list for diving.

It was an absolutely spectacular day with 30 metres visibility, four divers in the water, and nobody having dived at the rocks for three months. The shot of the Cod Hole below is quite rare given that it’s unusual to have this clarity in the water.

I saw… interesting things. The boat followed my bubbles back to the mooring line, which was really very nice of the skipper!

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This week’s creatures: 9 March 2020 – Leopard shark party and hungry turtles!

Alex mount cootha, scuba diving , , , , , , ,
Turtle descending from the heavens

It has been an interesting week with a lot of different creatures coming out to play. This is probably as a result of reasonably heavy rainfall throughout South East Queensland, and the insect life in the forest has jumped significantly (including mosquitos.)

The seas around Byron Bay have been spectacular with 26 degree water and 20 metres visibility, despite the rainfall. Leopard sharks and mantas have been hanging around Julian Rocks and the turtles have also been very excited by all the commotion.

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This week’s creatures – 3 January 2020 – Barking Owls, Bull Rays, My Python!

Alex mount cootha, Owls, scuba diving, Weekly updates , , , , , , ,
Butterfly chrysalis on Mount Cootha

We have been very fortunate to have had few fire problems this week (compared to the southern states.)

We have been in the forest and sea each day and have been lucky to see these awesome creatures. With a bit of luck the weather will be kind and let the firies do their work to save the creatures and forests (and their own homes.)

The snake is the Morelia spilota mcdowelli, McDowell’s Python. What a lovely name for such a lovely creature!

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