Robert’s Ramblings

The very first time I dived Rapid Bay Jetty, more than thirty years ago now, I was blown away by the schools of pelagic fish that swim through the pylons.

Thirty years ago they were probably yellowfin whiting, today they are definitely yellowfin whiting.

What I did not see all those years ago was the school of salmon you see in the upper reaches of the pylon forest. They were a first for me on this dive. Perhaps the salmon have accompanied many of my dives, perhaps I just never looked up!

Today on this dive the yellowtail whiting and friends simply made my day! Thank you.


#rapidbay #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #yellowtail #whiting #pylons

Perhaps it’s unfair on the rest of the jetties that dot our coastline but I’d say that Rapid Bay is one of the best jetty dives for scuba divers in South Australia and probably in all Australia.

If you are into small critters, they are everywhere for divers to observe and photograph. If you are into larger pelagics then schools of whiting, salmon and kingfish coursing through the outermost forrest of deep pylons will take your breath away (hazardous for most divers).

From time to time the really big guys will come through just for a look. Regularly seen by the fisher’s on the jetty, rarely by divers (better that way).

I’d be remiss of course if I did not mention that Rapid Bay is home to leafy seadragons and a significant attraction. That being said even If you don’t find one, the incredible diversity of life here never disappoints.

Andy and I dived here yesterday and as expected we were not disappointed!

#rapidbay #jetty #aerial #sunset #scuba #diving #southaustralia #divesites

I can’t begin to describe how much joy I feel whenever I encounter a leafy seadragon on a dive. This was especially true last weekend as I had not seen any leafies at Edithburgh for quite some time.

In the last 30 years I have seen the rise of the leafy seadragon from curious local critter to the South Australian icon it is today. We now have yearly leafy namesake festivals, giant murals in Adelaide Airport and other important public centres, and magazine articles about leafies appear regularly in local and international publications.

A small industry in leafy seadragon tours has emerged and divers from all over the world come to South Australia just to see leafy seadragons in the wild and take away their own personal images and memories.

In a sense South Australia has become the ‘Leafy State’, and if this greater awareness helps protect and nurture these incredible and beautiful creatures, I’m on board with that.

I love living and diving in the Leafy State!

#Edithburgh #scuba #diving #leafyseadragon #leafy #seadragon #Phycoduruseques #critters #SouthAustralia #marine #leafystate

I photographed Miros here in the idyllic Sultana Bay of Edithburgh two years ago. At the time it looked a little run down but still quite serviceable.

Two years later she does not seemed to have moved. Moreover the amount of guano cementing the base of the jib suggests that Miro’s current seafowl residents have be here for quite some time.

It seems that Miros has new residents and they seem happy to stay.


#birdlife #cormorant #seagulls #aerial #boats #edithburgh #miros #ocean #sailing #saltanabay #sea #yacht

The beautiful fan worm Sabellastarte australiensis looks all the world like a miniature palm tree in an exquisite coral and ascidian garden.

Just a tiny part of the greater landscape under Edithburgh Jetty.


#diving #featherduster #macro #ocean #edithburgh #edithburghjetty #sabellastarteaustraliensis #scuba #sea #southaustralia #underwater #worm

When you play the game ‘what critter is that?’ long enough you eventually start talking Latin. It’s not by choice but most critters that live on the ocean floor are only known by Latin names.

This little guy, Tylodina corticalis, is a primitive notaspid (more Latin) or more commonly a ‘side gilled slug’ (finally some English!).

Languages aside, I was caught unprepared when Andy found this beautiful yellow critter bearing its tiny excuse for a half shell, Ninja Turtle style. I was set up with my wide angle lens and tiny critters were not on my image agenda.

This style of image is called close focus wide angle and unlike common macro images provides great environmental context with the critter just millimetres away from my lens.

Perfect for putting Latin in it’s place or in English, a half shelled side gilled Ninja slug under Edithburgh Jetty.


#Edithburgh #jetty #tylodinacorticalis #mollusc #critters #southaustralia #scuba #diving

We’ve just returned home from a weekend away in the small coastal town of ‘Edithburgh’ on South Australia’s ‘York Peninsula’ and we enjoyed every moment there.

Edithburgh is one of my ‘happy places’. In once place you can find a slow paced idyllic country town, one the best jetties for benthic marine life in Australia and a gateway to some of South Australia’s most incredible off-shore diving.

There is some big water out from here when the seas are rough but those welcoming outstretched arms of stone will be there waiting when back from a day out on or under the water.

Today we dived two of my all time favourite South Australian locations. Worth every inch of the twenty five nautical mile round trip.

Images and locations to follow in the coming days.


#Edithburgh #breakwater #boatramp #shelter #aerial #southaustralia

Today I was lucky enough to photograph this beautiful chunk of specimen gold in quartz.

Here with my watch placed on top for scale is 2.6 kilograms of gold in a 4.6 kilogram nugget specimen. A lucky strike indeed for a very lucky amateur prospector who found this gorgeous rock last month in central Victoria.

Thank you Darren and Leanne for bringing ‘Lucky Strike’ into the office today.

#luckystrike #gold #specimen #nugget #minelab #equinox800 #victoria, #yema #watch

Out there, to the west, silhouette by a shrouded sunset, four ships make their way south.

I have no idea what cargo they carry, the souls on board or the nations they herald from.

Life at sea is not as hard as it once was and a little part of me anchored to dry land wishes it were somewhere out on that horizon.


#semaphore #horizon #ships #aerial #sunset #goldenhour #southaustralia #ocean #seascape #silhouette

When it comes to creating a moody image you just can’t beat that time of the evening known as the ‘Golden Hour’. I should add that there’s Golden Hour in the morning as well that most often goes unnoticed.

As those last rays of sunlight are bent through out atmosphere they are stripped of violet, indigo, and blue and cast this beautiful golden hue on the world, creating a mood unlike any other time of the day.

It’s just after 7pm in the evening, the sun is setting on the Semaphore Palais and the world is bathed in gold.


#semaphore #palaishotel #semaphorepalais #aerial #sunset #goldenhour #southastraila #urbanlife