Entries by Robert

The Horned Blenny, Parablennius intermedius, is a wonderful little critter which abounds in reef, pylons and other structure all around Australia.

I had a rest day from diving today so a group of us just went snorkelling at Port Noarlunga with the snapshot camera. This cheeky little guy kept us entertained for quite some time as they are real posers!

I will be teaching again over the next couple of weeks so the camera will have to stay dry for a while. Don't worry though, I have plenty more photos to post.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

Jennifer spotted this Blue Swallowtail SeaSlug Chelidonura hirundinina all of about 20mm in length while diving off Luadi in PNG.

Closely related to Nudibranchs, this Opsithobranch lacks the characteristic cephalic tentacles and branchial plume of its close Gastropod relative. It is however every bit as stunning. Have a look at SeaSlug.net for more info.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

The comet is getting dimmer as it moves further and further from the Earth so only a few more photo opportunities to go.

This photo was taken tonight at our local beach at around 10:30pm and it shows the comet near the horizon looking back onto Henley Beach Jetty.

I promise to start posting more aquatic photos again soon.

... Robert

Well perhaps it is a little farther away than just above the roof, some 140 million kms or so and receding.

I took this photo from my roof top in suburban Adelaide so it really does not do the comet justice.

For really great photos have a look at NightSky Hunter (Mc Naught Gallery)

also try Astronomical Society of South Australia if you want to learn more about this awesome cosmic visitor.

...Robert

The Wordsworx website has finally gone LIVE.

...Robert

This week's photo, a juvenile (baby) Leafy Seadragon, Phycodurus eques, was taken yesterday under the jetty at Rapid Bay. Many thanks to my dive buddy Serdar for spotting this little guy. Very embarrassing, as I was supposed to be the dive guide.

I regularly take international guests on 'Leafy Tours'. Even though Rapid Bay is a 'sure bet' I still breathe a sigh of relief when we find our first one. The rest are a bonus. Thanks to Julius (South Africa), Rick (USA) and Serdar (Sweden) for a great day's diving. Looking forward to seeing you all back again.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, a Polyclad Flatworm, Pseudobiceros bedfordi, was taken during a recent trip to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. These beautiful worms are one of the most sought after creatures by both photographers and genetic biologists alike.

Not to be mistaken for nudibranchs, flatworms do not posses external gills. They are however just as diverse and beautiful and posses the astounding property of full regeneration.

Cut of any body part and a new creature will grow and the worm will repair itself. Cut it into ten and you will get ten new worms. In addition, Polyclad Flatworms are hermaphrodites possessing both male and female reproductive organs.

Here is an excellent website to find out much, much more about these amazing creatures Wolfgang Seifarth's Flatworm Site

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

The Inceptu website is getting a bit of life breathed back into it. The old discussion forum was a great idea at the time but without a bit of coaxing it did not really take off.

Enter 'The Blog'! I don't like the word but blogs have really hit it off as a medium for sharing with like minded communities. So welcome to the Inceptu blog.

I will regularly post articles, insights, thoughts, observations and general musing on creativity and innovation. Feel free to visit and subscribe (RSS) if you want to hear more.

...Robert

This week's photo, as promised from last time, Mantis Shrimps in China.

Now as you might imagine, Shenzhen is not a dive travel destination on anyone's 'top 10'. However, it was here that I found the most amazing collection of marine life I have ever encountered in one location. At around 2am one morning while out strolling after a long working day I encountered a street absolutely alive and buzzing with people, stalls and restaurants. This was just an ordinary weekday!

There were eels, snakes, shrimp and prawns. There were dozens of varieties of molluscs, crabs, lobsters and octopus. There were reef fish and pelagics. There were fresh water species and salt water species. There were very eager Chinese ladies gesturing me to come in and partake of this diverse marine gastronomic offering!

Hungry as I may have been I simply satisfied my curiosity with a handful of photographs and made my way back to my hotel were I new that in the morning I could satisfy myself on toast, jam, orange juice and coffee.

Later that week I got to try deep friend Mantis Shrimps and they were delicious so maybe next time I'll be a little more adventurous.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, Mantis Shrimp, order stomatopoda, again from Milne Bay. Not the best photo in terms of "negative space" but a good example of matching the environment.

Mantis shrimps are in a class all of their own with two stunning claims to fame in the animal kingdom. The first is that the strike from a Mantis Shrimp is at least twice as fast as any other creature on the planet. The second is that some species have the most complex eye structures of any animal featuring up to 10 different pigment sensing types (compared to our three).

This little guy is the first and only one I have ever seen in the wild. One month later I encountered them again in the back streets of a Chinese city but that's a story for another post.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, Lionfish or Red Firefish, Pterois volitans, was taken during our recent trip to Milne Bay.

Common to the Indo-Pacific region, the Lionfish is considered every bit a part of our tropical waters as any other. Its new arrival in the U.S.A. however is not welcome at all since being introduced by the aquarium trade back in 1992. Having no natural predators in other parts of the world means this beautiful creature has become an introduced pest to our friends across the Pacific.

As for local photo's, well teaching again is leaving little time to get the camera wet so you will all have to put up with PNG photos for a little while longer. Sorry...

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

Today being the last Sunday in October heralds the beginning of "Daylight Savings Time" for us. With it brings all the mucking about in moving forward all things which have clocks in them. Once this used to be a bedside clock and a couple of watches but now includes all manner of gadgets and gear such as camera's, ovens, VCR's, radios, toys and so on and so on! At least with modern computers we are spared the angst as they mostly do this automatically.

As in the past I set the time on my new phone one hour forward before I went to bed last night. I also set the alarm for 7am as I needed to be up early. So it transpired that my new "Smart Phone" had come of age becoming "Daylight Savings Aware". It diligently moved itself one hour forward of its own accord in the wee small hours. A 6am Sunday morning rude awakening heralded the fact that my phone was now an hour ahead and smarter than I expected.

Being woken an hour early was no big deal really, but I wonder how many meetings, plane flights, appointments and deadlines will be missed 5 months from now when these new "Smart Phones" catch out the unaware by moving the time back again! At least I'll be ready.

This week's photo, Jennifer, Homo sapien extraordinarious, was taken during a recent trip to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. This would have to be one of those classic cliche silhouette shots that you will find in almost any underwater photography book. Here the clear water and the bright sunlight allow for a small aperture giving a beautiful crispness to all of the image. Those observant Underwater Hockey players out there might even recognise the classic Technisub fins just from the outline!

Sorry for the long break but work got the better of me and a couple weeks in China distracted me for a while. I promise that I'm back and the photo's will just keep coming!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, a pregnant male Leafy Seadragon, Phycodurus eques, was taken yesterday under the jetty at Rapid Bay. I've not been too spoiled by the warm northern waters of P.N.G. to jump back into the cold water again. of course, these magnificent creatures make it all worthwhile.

Notice that this guy has a clutch of eggs attached to his tail and is diligently looking after them as any good father would! That being said he will totally ignore them the moment they are born.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, a blue Christmas Tree Worm, Spirobranchus giganteus, was taken during a recent trip to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. These beautiful worms appear in a host of colours including reds, yellows, pinks and white. Normally the only visible part are the tentacles, which are used for feeding and respiration. When you get too close the tentacles are retracted and an 'operculum' closes the opening. These worms live in a calcerous tube that can be buried in coral or visible on rock.

It looks like you will see a host of PNG photos over the next few weeks as I go though my collection so look forward to more tropical beasties. I will jump back into our 12 degree water and take a few more locals just to keep things balanced!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

Peanut buttered cheese the seductive lure...

Tupperware bowl tripwired trap...

Caught but not a mouse bone broken...

Freedom but no more kitchen crumb nights...

This week's photo, a Porcelain Anemone Crab Neopetrolisthes ohshimai, was taken last week during a trip to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea ( are you green with envy yet! ). This beautiful crab is actually an imposter, not a true crab but a close relative to the lobster. Like the Clownfish, this crab has developed an immunity to anemone stings and is usually found within the stinging tentacles of a number of anemone species.

It was sheer bliss to spend a week diving the warm waters of Milne Bay aboard Mike Ball's Paradise Sport. The diving was stunning, the service was second to none, the food was superb and the accommodation excellent! Diving, diving, diving. Even after 5 days we still had no problem fronting bleary-eyed on the deck at 7am for the first dive of the day.

Ok, back to reality and some cold water again but the planning to venture north again has begun!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, a Mosaic Leatherjacket, was taken last time I was in Edithburgh (yes I spend a lot of time there!). This beautiful fish is so amusing believing for all the world that no one can see it!

Even though I am almost always teaching on these weekends I make sure I get in a couple of dives for myself no matter how cold. Gee, looking forward to that warmer water of late Spring again!!!!

As per last week I am keeping with the larger format as the feedback has been much better. For the record, all photos on my site have been taken with either natural light or the internal camera flash so it just goes to show you do not need to spend a lot to get some great photos. Just buy yourself a cheap digital and start taking photos!!!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo, an Ornate Cowfish, was taken today at yet again my favourite shore dive, Edithburgh Jetty. Aracana ornata, inhabits shallow protected waters of the Eastern Indian Ocean including Australian waters from Western Australia to Western Victoria and Tasmania. When feeding, they often blow a jet of water out of their mouths into the sediment to uncover hidden prey.

Today I think we counted at leat 8 of these beautiful creatures ranging in size from 2cm through to 6cm. All appeared to be females which is hardly suprising as only during mating periods does one of the females change into a male...

From now on I've decided to post BIGGER photos! Partly to see if I actually get any comments from anyone and partly because I reckon they are not half bad! Please let me know what you think!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

So, you want to grab some "Tube" do you?!!

Look for...
"/player2.swf?video_id=FPejYdBM11I&l=241&t=OEgsToPDskLx8rDtCBpSJsXwHO3kFeM2&nc=6724044"

Then use...
http://www.youtube.com/get_video?video_id=prolonged_video_identification_code

so you get...
http://www.youtube.com/get_video?video_id=FPejYdBM11I&l=241&t=OEgsToPDskLx8rDtCBpSJsXwHO3kFeM2&nc=6724044

This week's photo, Sabella spallanzanii, commonly known as the European Fan Worm, was taken yesterday on the wreck of "The Norma" off of North Haven. This animal is an invader to Australian waters! First found here in 1965 in Albany Harbour in WA, it is now a wide spread pest throughout Australia's southern coastal waters.

More information about this local invader can be found at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/IMPMarine/IMPMarinePage14a.php?0506

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This little story actually began more than two years ago when I purchased a gen03 Subaru. I was delighted in everything about the vehicle, well almost everything. The poor excuse for a car battery that Subaru saw fit to include looked like it was going to cause grief, ... and it proved me right!

During a recent dive trip to the East Coast I was required to work with my laptop from the car. Twice I drained the battery with inverter to the point of not being able to crank the engine. I'm sure I was on-line for less than a couple hours each time!

The last straw was during a recent Beta Test of a new "in-car" product. All worked very well for a time until the prototype developed a fault in its power management and continued drawing significant current with the ignition off. A better battery would have held its own but the poor little 48Ah battery was stone cold dead two mornings in a row.

So, armed with frustration and the desire to FIX IT FOR GOOD, I set off to my local auto spares shop and began sizing up the alternatives. Thanks to patient but bewildered shop staff who helped me try successively bigger and bigger batteries I finally found one that nearly filled up all the empty space under the bonnet. Shaking their heads in disbelief I headed home with an Exide PDIN66, nearly double the previous battery in all aspects! Aside from a little bit of battery terminal re-engineering the new battery fit like the proverbial glove.

Here's a quick comparison of the "Factory" battery compared to my new powersource.

Battery: P305C -> PDIN66
Cold Cranking Amps: 305A -> 600A
Reserve Capacity: 48Ah -> 110Ah
Weight With Acid: 13Kg -> 23Kg

So now I have joules to burn and the confidence to use all my gadgets without fear of being stranded,...for now!!

This week's photo, a simple jetty pylon, was taken last month again at my favourite shore dive, Edithburgh Jetty. You can easily spend an entire dive here just on a single jetty pylon. Countless varieties of ascidians, algeas, hard corals, soft corals, crabs, shrimp, scallops, fish and even the odd black cowrie will reward your patience and observation skills. A perfect opportunity for macro photography!

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

This week's photo of the week, a Horned Blenny, was taken this last Saturday at my favorite shore dive, Edithburgh Jetty. The water was a chilly 11 degrees but this little fellow made it all worthwhile. After an hour and a half in a wetsuit I was looking forward to a warm shower and a good thaw but this little guy had other ideas.

Proudly perched on the steps at the exit point he strutted and posed and did everything he could to keep my shutter clicking. Horned Blennys abound around the jetty's steps and often put on a cheeky display if you have any reserves left at the end of your dive. So if they put on a show, float there, relax and stay as long as you air lasts...

From today I will continue posting one photo every week but will be looking for comments. At the end of the month I will choose one to be the photo of the month.

Until the next post, take care out there and keep diving ( if that's what you do! ) ...Robert

It is not often, well not often enough , that I buy new toys but when I do I have a knack for doing it well! I have just become the proud new owner of a Sony NW-E005F MP3 player.

The interesting thing about this cool new gadget is that I did something I said I would never do and that is to buy a DRM ( Digital Rights Managed ) mp3 player. Well, enough pro's finally outweighed the con's and it hit my performance sweet spot so I now own a Sony DRM based player!

Firstly it’s a USB flash key with 2GB to play with and finally enough to at least keep me happy. Secondly, I can still put all of my favorite MP3’s, both music and podcasts. Last and just as important, it is absolutely beautiful both in visual design and in the user interface.

Sure it has its con’s but for now I will put up with them because it ROCKS!!!!

Most mornings I ride the bus into the office rather than compete for road space, parking and sanity with all the other motorists out there. I find this a wonderful chance to read and respond to mail or to catch up on other documents I am required to read. Most of us know that to do this we need a mail client which downloads, ie pop mail. But what about blogs! It is all well and good to read your favorite blogs at their respective websites but not so good when you are "on-bus" and not “on-line”.

Welcome to RSS, or "Really Simple Syndication". Nearly all blogs and many websites now support a feature called RSS which allows you to subscribe to websites and blogs you are interested in. This in tern allows you to aggregate all of your RSS feeds into a single reader. This is pretty much like having your own custom news/magazine prepared for your every morning!!! Great for "on-bus" reading.

So go to Wikipedia and look up RSS and explore from there!!! .... oh and subscribe to my blog too!!

This week's photo was taken back in January under Rapid Bay Jetty. Same time as my last photo, in wonderfully warm summer!

Perhaps now best known as the home of the Leafy Sea Dragon, Rapid Bay Jetty is a wonderful dive all of its own. The tall close packed pylons create a deep forest feel within which hundreds of schooling Yellowtail, Olds Wives and other fishes meander.

The old jetty is falling down now but the marine life does not mind one bit. Rumor has it that a facelift of sorts is in the pipline so keep an eye out for future developments.

Get down there and see for yourself just how fantastic a dive site we have here!

Douglas Adams once wrote, "Cleanliness may be next to Godliness but
tidiness is the the result of an S.E.P. Field".

Creativity in the office often goes hand in hand with a noted lack of
tidiness. There will always be those who make it their responsibility to keep a
sense of order and tidiness, to other's, myself included, we are happy to make
it Someone Else's Problem. So what happens if you work in an office
lacking an S.E.P Field? "CHAOENTRAPY"... The place where both chaos
and entropy eventually turn the office into a non-functional tip of boxes,
paper and broken equipment...

So today's mission is to create a new office environment for everyone. One
which is not only functional, but self organising and regenerative. In short
the challenge is to embody the new space with its own S.E.P. Field so we can
all get back down to the business of being creative and messy again!

Sorry to all those who's internet connection crashed and burned today trying to read my website. I had the main page forwarding on to itself via remote proxy bla bla bla..... The end result was that it not only brought the client to its knees but crashed my router and bumped my IP address. All fixed now, but oh the joys of running your own site! ...Robert

This week's photo was taken back in January under Rapid Bay Jetty. Ah, remember way back when the water was a balmy 22degrees! Jennifer was almost in tears the very first time she met one of these beautiful creatures. They still take my breath away even now...

Leafy Sea Dragons are actually quite common along all of South Australia's more protected coastal waters. It's just that they are so good at blending in with their surrounds. In my first 14 years of diving I had only seen two of these amazing dragons. In my last two I have seen 50 or more.

Popular locations to see Leafy Sea Dragons include Rapid Bay Jetty, Edithburgh Jetty, Wool Bay Jetty and The Bluff at Victor Harbor. So brave the cold, open your eyes and behold one of natures most extraordinary creations!