Simon Mustoe's Blog: Wildlife in the Balance, page 13

Save Ricketts Point & Quiet Corner Snorkel

There is a petition running to save Ricketts Point. If you have a moment to sign, it would be gratefully appreciated. The object is to petition the Minister for the Environment to demand better regulation of illegal fishing. The park is currently inundated with infringments and it threatens its values.

Good Friday Snorkel at Quiet Corner

But meanwhile, we had a nice snorkel at Quiet Corner this morning. The water is cooling down.

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Snorkel at teahouse Ricketts: sapsuckers, trevally, 17-18 March

This weekend we did a snorkel at teahouse Ricketts and fossil beach. Fossil beach was relatively clear water on the Saturday. Despite southeast afternoon winds blowing directly into here, the sediment seems to settle quite quickly. The currents to the north and south miss this area and flow further afield. After the rain this week though, it’s been a little bit dirty to the north. There was quite a lot of sediment in the water column at Ricketts Point on Sunday morning.

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Would you like to join me in Wakatobi for an exclusive winter break from 1-8 July?

Hi there : )

I’m leading a small group to Wakatobi this winter. I’m very excited about visiting and we’ve got a few people who come on my Indonesia trips tagging along. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I wanted to let you know in case you wished to join us. It’s a very easy trip to do, as we are picked up by a VIP service on arrival in Bali and the following morning, whisked to the island, on a private charter flight.

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Choosing a safe dive liveaboard: six important questions you can ask

Introduction

Last week we were anchored next to the Oceanic Liveboard. By the following night the ship was destroyed by a fire that began in the engineroom. Fortunately no-one was hurt but a marine investigation is ongoing. Choosing a safe dive liveaboard has always been important but passenger safety is part-and-parcel about how well a ship is run. While you can never say never, it’s abundantly clear for those inside the industry, that many ships are falling short of minimum standards.

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Southern Bobtail Squid at Quiet Corner, cute and sophisticated

We went out for a quick snorkel to look for Southern Bobtail Squid at Quiet Corner last night. The weather has been HOT, so it was still over 30 degrees at dusk. The water is about 23 degrees too. It turned out they were quite common. We found ten in all.

How to find Southern Bobtail Squid

The trick seems to be to look for sediment-filled depressions in shallow water just behind where the shallow bedrock begins.

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Raja Ampat Snorkel-Dive Trip: day two whales, frogfish and nudibranchs

It’s always a thrill to be leading another Raja Ampat Snorkel-Dive Trip. It amazes me how much we can see in a single day. We’ve already seen Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Bryde’s Whale and Pygmy Sperm Whales; a smattering of nudibranchs and abundant fish life including a lovely Sargassum Frogfish – one of the species that only the snorkellers are ever likely to see.

It’s what makes this place so unique. It’s a treasure-trove of wildlife that seems to rare yet is so abundant here.

Cont...

How whale song and human survival are connected

A new study on whale voice boxes shows how they can produce such complex sounds. But naturally, there are limitations to how loudly they can sing and the implications of this are vast for our own existence on Earth. How whale song and human survival are connected is a fascinating journey through the complexity of life that I cover in my book Wildlife in the Balance.

If we threaten the structural integrity of the soundscape it’s like moving the television into the office or the dishwasher into t...

Snorkelling Ricketts Point Beaumaris: Helmet Shield Slug, Dorid Nudibranch & Southern Eagle Rays

Another lovely weekend swimming snorkelling Ricketts Point Beaumaris and surrounds. Saturday's morning forecast was a little windier than expected. It made for a turbulent swim at Quiet Corner in Ricketts Point Marine park. But it was quite fun watching the shoals of Zebrafish clinging together beneath the crashing waves.

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Is life too short for predator conservation research?

Introduction

Colorado State University chose to begin the review of an important article on apex predators with this erroneous statement: ‘removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can create lasting changes that are not reversed after they return’. This is simply not true. Is life too short for predator conservation research? The study, which looked at the impact of predators over 40 years, has wide-reaching connotations. But it’s the inherently poor understanding of why animals are needed th...

Haeckel’s Jellyfish in Port Phillip Bay

Haeckel’s Jellyfish in Port Phillip Bay are most commonly seen seen between about October and March according to the records published on iNaturalist. While they have the potential to sting, they are not known for this. They are, perhaps, one of our most attractive jellies. For its name, as well as many early discoveries, we have to thank a German naturalist who had a lifelong love of jellyfish, inspired by their beauty.

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