Robert's Ramblings

Every diver who has spent any time under the Rapid Bay Jetty’s ‘T-Section’, or lately as I’ve heard it called, ‘The Aquarium’, will recognise this spot.

And almost always perched at the top if this broken piece of pylon will be a magpie perch. You could be forgiven thinking it’s the same magpie perch every time.

This spot is a cleaning station and magpie perch wait their turn to sit here and have tiny little wrasse cleaner fish scour their bodies for parasites. The tiny ones even swim in via the mouth and out via the gills cleaning anything inside as well.

When the jobs done this guy will swim off only to be replaced with the next in line. When another magpie will be perched.


#Pseudogoniistiusnigripes #magpieperch #rapidbay #jetty #southaustralia #scuba #diving #sealife #critters

Lady in red, she’s dancing with me beneath the waves, on the dance floor of the sea.

Our giant cuttlefish are beautiful, gentle and curious creatures. When diving with them you never know how an encounter will go. Sometimes they retreat under a ledge or into some hideaway. Sometimes they linger just out of reach. Sometimes you will be completely ignored and other times they will play and interact in the most amazing of ways.

I have had them try to pull off my mask, or breath through my regulator. On one occasion I am convinced I was challenged to dual of rock-paper-scissors. The cuttlefish won!

On this dive in the shadow of Rapid Bay Jetty, this lady in red just wanted to dance with me.


#Sepiaapama #giantcuttlefish #cuttlefish #mollusc #rapidbay #jetty #southaustralia #scuba #diving #sealife #critters

Noticing a run of salmon cruising through the upper realm of the pylon forest of Rapid Bay Jetty I gently rose into their midst.

This stunning school cruised through and around me before disappearing into the open water gloom. A little patience paid off and they came back through again for a second run.

Then I noticed the impostor, the masked bandit amid the crowd. Of all places, here under the waves I could hear that childhood Sesame Street song, ‘One of These Things’.

To be fair that solitary kingfish swam like the salmon, was shaped like the salmon and probably believed itself to be a salmon. Who am I to judge if a kingfish chooses to be identified as a salmon.

Just another amazing experience under Rapid Bay Jetty.


#Rapidbay #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #pylons #salmon #kingfish #wideangle

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

More often than not when you want to capture an image of some particular critter they have other ideas. That’s how it usually is with Shaw’s Cowfish, (Arcana aurita).

I have countless images of cowfish where as get my camera into position they turn adding yet more backsides to my collection.

I was expecting things to go the same way again on my last Rapid Bay night dive. Just to rub it in this little guy joined me almost as soon as I got in the water.

I tried an initial few shots and was immediately rewarded with more backsides. At that early snub I lost patience and proceeded on my dive to the jetty’s T-section. Several times this little guy kept swimming in front of me and I refused to make even an attempt! On I went.

On reaching the T-section I turned on my red lights, started hunting for photo opportunities and discovered I’d been followed all the way to the end. This time the little cowfish was happy to swim in circles in front of my camera and I finally captured that cute little face.

I am glad she had more patience than I did.


#Aracanaaurita #Cowfish #Critters #Fish #Jetty #Paintedboxfish #Rapidbay #Scuba #Diving #Shawscowfish #Southaustralia #Underwater #Photography #night #macro

Diving under the old Rapid Bay Jetty is often just like catching up with old friends, mostly good fun but sometimes leading to unexpected and beautiful surprises.

Normally divers avoid currents, the biggest risk being swept off a dive plan and getting lost. Diving with a reference like a reef line or jetty pylons can restore safety in even moderate currents although you have to work for it. So it was last Thursday evening as I entered the water and was quickly carried by the current from the new jetty to the old where I began my dive – and that’s when the magic started.

The water was alive with light! There was so much light I didn’t even have to turn on my torch. From the sea floor to the surface every jetty pylon was flashing with fairy sparkles. It was like walking one Christmas evening through a suburban street where all the houses were competing for Christmas-light bragging rights.

That supernatural underwater light show was produced by large quantities of bio-luminescent algae from the nutrient-rich gulf waters being swept out with the ebbing tide. As they jostled and swirled around pylons and other structures they sparkled with tiny outbursts of light.

As I swam under the jetty northward every object twinkled. Every pylon shimmered with flashes of mostly white mingled with yellows and the occasional reds. Streams of fairy dust swirled off the pylons and streamed in the current.

Even my own progress through the water was showered in this magic – specks of light erupted all around my camera, flowed up my arms and swirled around my mask before disappearing behind me.

This was the most amazing display of marine bio-luminescence I have ever experienced. What a pity I was only prepared for macro photography and could not capture the spectacle. So it was I arrived at the jetty’s T-section, reluctantly turned on my torch and banished the fairy lights into the darkness.

So back to macro photography and old friends, this nudibranch (Ceratosoma brevicaudatum), a Rapid Bay regular, appeared right on queue for our regular catch-up.

Wow, what an amazing evening. One I will never forget.


#nudibranch #seaslugs #Ceratosomabrevicaudatum #bioluminescense #creatures #critters #scuba #diving #rapidbay #night #ocean #southaustralia #underwater

The European Featherduster Worm (Sabella spallanzani) is an unwanted and feral guest in our South Australian waters. For the most part they are quite unattractive, living in silty conditions and lacking the vibrant rich orange fans of its native local cousin.

Anyone who has dived recently in Westlakes waterways would attest to the ugly mess they have made. Here however in the free flowing currents under Rapid Bay jetty they do not seem to have become too prolific and this one almost looks attractive in the night time strobe light.

Still I would rather this guest gone and our native featherduster in its place.


#Scuba #Diving #featherduster #worm #Sabellaspallanzani #feral #RapidBay #Jetty #Macro #Nightdive #Ocean #Underwater #Photography

It has been way too long since I have been diving. What with work, the weather, too cold, too wet, reluctant dive buddies and any other number of reasons it just simply has not happened since July!

Last Thursday night I needed to travel south for non diving reasons and decided that since I was more than half way to one of South Australia’s best jetty dives, Rapid Bay, I’d pack my gear and invite my usual dive buddies for a mid week night dive.

It rained all day along with an unseasonable cold wind blowing from the South. Things were looking grim, … again.

To cut a very long story short I finally got wet again (fresh water first from the rain) and once again found myself amid the familiar pylons of the old Rapid Bay Jetty.

Despite the strong southerly winds this was one of the most gentle dives I’ve experienced here. The visibility was amazing, at least 10 meters, there was no current and the rain created beautiful reflections from the surface above in the torchlight.

Even with the gentle conditions there was not a lot to photograph. My highlight of the evening was a chance encounter with an old friend Doriopsilla carneola who I’ve not seen in more than six years. We exchanged hellos, posed for photographs and then went on our ways.

The moral of this story is there is never really an excuse not to go diving! Even if it means a very, very late night!


#Diving #Doriopsillacarneola #RapidBay #Jetty #Hunting #Macro #Nightdive #Nudibranch #Ocean #Photography #Scuba #Sea #Seaslug #Underwater

Here’s another biscuit star from Sunday’s dive at Rapid Bay.

This little guy was as obvious as a red giant in a dark sky. Its bright orange stood out from the edge of my vision only to become so much more vivid in the white light of my strobe.

Not much colour variation here, just and lots and lots of orange!

#Rapidbay #starfish #seastar #critters #biscuitstar #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography

The number of and variety of seastars we saw at Rapid Bay on Sunday was just wonderful. The biscuit stars alone were both numerous and incredibly varied in their colours and patterns.

This little biscuit star perched atop an old pylon stump could not have found a better place to get its portrait taken while munching on lunch.

#Rapidbay #starfish #seastar #critters #biscuitstar #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography

After a week of cold, overcast skies and rain the sun finally came out and made our trip to Rapid Bay Jetty to dive with Jess and Andy all the more delightful.

The visibility was pretty good in that milky non-committal way that we all know and love about Rapid Bay. Here rough weather will leave gypsum particulates suspended for days making the visibility look tantalisingly good from the shore only to discover the real state once in the water.

Still, four meters of visibility is not bad and was plenty good enough to enjoy the dive and all the amazing fish and critters we encountered.

I’d captured a few shots of ‘Shaw’s Cowfish’ before Jess unexpectedly rounded the pylon so, photo bombed or not, I decided to go with this one.

#Rapidbay #jetty #shawscowfish #fish #critters #cowfish #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography #Aracanaaurita #paintedboxfish

This little critter is one of my most favourite animals in the sea and we are so lucky here in South Australia to share our part of the world with such an extraordinary creature.

Leafy seadragons are both common and elusive. I dived for years before ever seeing my first leafy. Even knowing how to find them I still sometimes come up from a dive disappointed.

I captured this leafy a couple of weeks ago at ‘The Bluff’ near Victor Harbour. The Bluff is my ‘go to’ place when Rapid Bay is being hit with northerlies and I am hanging out for my dragon fix. It’s not the most pleasant place to dive when there is any hint of a swell. Strong surge and poor visibility are the norm here most days.

Still it’s always worth it just to spend some time with one of my most favourite animals in the sea.

#Leafyseadragon #Victorharbor #thebluff #scuba #diving #underwater #critters #fish #photography #southaustralia #dragons

Like a forest in decay the old Rapid Bay jetty lingers on and on and on. Year by year planking that once felt footsteps, then seagulls, fall in storms and are washed away. Pylons decay and fall to the ocean floor.

Eventually the old jetty will fall completely into the sea but this forest will remain a haven for the life below and above for many, many years to come.

#Rapidbay #jetty #aerial #photography #southaustralia #isolation #seagulls

Lying on the ocean floor staring up through the pylons of the old Rapid Bay Jetty I am struck by how much life abounds irrespective my being here.

The ocean abounds in light, and life and sound and though devoid of the smells of a terrestrial forest the salty taste more than makes up for it.

#Rapidbay #jetty #pylons #underwater #photography #scuba #diving #southaustralia #isolation

Under the ‘Tee’ of the old Rapid Bay Jetty is an old section of broken pylon jutting out from the sand at 45 degrees and every time I dive here there is either a blue throat wrasse or a magpie perch lazying on the top.

It seems that this time they were both sharing that little spot atop the broken pylon while a moonlighter swam round and round just wanting to join the party.

#Rapidbay #southaustralia #jetty #pylons #bluethroatwrasse #fish #wrasse #magpiepearch #moonlighter #underwater #seascape #underwaterphotography #scuba #diving #isolation

Broken, abandoned; left to crumble over time into the sea below. ‘The Tee’ of the old Rapid Bay Bay Jetty’ no longer holds fishers standing shoulder to shoulder.

Where once day picnicers had barbecues and jetty parties now only seabirds sit here to rest before moving on.

This place has fond memories for me. My forth ever scuba dive, an initiation into diving I will remember forever for the stunning fish life and beautiful setting. A location that thirty years on still enthrals me.

For us scuba divers; below the waterline; the ghosts are all banished and it is all beautiful.

#Rapidbay #jetty #pylons #ghosts #seascape #silhouette #aerial #isolation

I used to to take great delight in finding a leafy seadragon for other divers, then watching, waiting and counting how long it took them to separate creature from its environment.

Here in the sea grass you would think that they would be easy to spot compared to the yellow or brown algae. Actually I have been surprised just how long some divers have taken to separate the dragon from the detail.

There must have been at least thirty divers down at Rapid Bay last Sunday. I wonder just how many spotted this beautiful dragon feasting on tiny crustaceans out in the sea grass?


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Dragon Is In The Detail' 1/160s f/10 ISO320 14mm

Twas the Night before Christmas

By Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Night Before Christmas' 1/200s f/2.5 ISO800 50mm

Suspended in the milky blue haze of a less than ideal Rapid Bay this leafy seadragon seems unperturbed with my presence.

When I arrived at Rapid Bay for this dive I looked out at the milky gypsum-dust laden water and nearly left for another location.
I am glad I decided to stay and dive here despite less than 2m visibility.

Who needs great visibility when you can get so close to these gorgeous creatures.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Suspended', 1/80s f/8 ISO320 15mm

I never grow tired diving with these beautiful creatures and I still give a quiet yelp of delight when I find my first one on a dive.
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to see several of these gorgeous leafy seadragons during my dive at Rapid Bay.

This male is carrying a fresh batch of eggs which his female partner has left in his care while she goes off to do what ever females do when they don't have to nurture their young. He will protect them from predation while they develop but in a few weeks when they hatch they will emerge into a world where they will have to start fending for themselves and our male gets his leafy seadragon life back.

We are so lucky to live in a part of the world with such amazing critters as these.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Dragon Fruit', 1/80s f/8 ISO320 15mm

South Australian divers familiar with Rapid Bay Jetty will often talk about diving the 'T' Section.

This section of the old Rapid Bay Jetty has always been the jewel of marine life below the old jetty structure. Here the steel pylons grouped very close together provide cover for schools of reef fish while the complex bottom rubble supports a diverse benthic ecosystem.

I captured this under-over image today as the poor post weather fallout has left Rapid Bay a milky blue with only a few meters of visibility rendering the underwater scenery foggy and indistinct.

I'm looking forward to trying this image again when the conditions improve.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Diving The 'T' Section, 1/250s f/4 ISO320 8mm

Rapid Bay was a delight today with almost millpond seas, sunshine and blue skies. Even the water looked clear as we gazed out from the car park and began putting together our gear. A short while later we descended in the cold clear water under Rapid Bay Jetty.

We found our first young leafy seadragon a short while into the dive out in the sea grass. We had been told there were quite a few young adults around which was lovely to hear though we only found the one before heading on and out to the old jetty.

Then we found the squid, or perhaps they found us. Far out in the seagrass away from the jetties, the fishers and their squid jags, we came on a school of nearly 50 squid spread out over 20 square meters.

At first they were flighty as is typical for swimming squid but as we settled down into the grass they became curious enough to come over to us for a mutually beneficial closer look.

How amazingly crazy they look with their large bright eyes and those flapping wings. They seem to move in ways that bear no correlation to their body movements like backwards moonwalking through water.

We stayed with these curious calamari until the cold drove us to swim off to warm up again. Perhaps they will still be there next time.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Curious Calamari', 1/100s f/11 ISO320 35mm

My experiences diving with Southern Eagle Rays (Myliobatis australis) have all been fleeting affairs.

Timid and never lingering they always seem to glide into view and the off into the distance with no real opportunity to get a feel for their beautiful form and grace. This ray under Rapid Bay jetty last weekend was not different.

It came from behind, swooping past my right shoulder, swam across my vision from right to left then swam out into the sea grass beds. I tried to follow but there did no seem any point as it almost disappeared into the gloom.

Then I noticed a sweeping dark shape head back under the jetty again and head back towards me.

I got one chance for an image as the eagle ray swam straight towards me, suddenly realised I was in its path and then shoot off again into the distance.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Lone Eagle', 1/125s f/14 ISO320 15mm

Summer might be over but the Rapid Bay afternoon sun still has enough sting to burn quite badly.

Out of the water there is not much shelter from the sun unless you know of places like this secret little grotto on the western side of the old jetty.

There's another one down the beach at the eastern end which heads so far into the hillside that both sight and sound are completely lost to the daylight world.

Exploring treasures like this reminds me that childhood adventures never actually need to come to an end.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Sheltered Treasure', 1/800s f/10 ISO100 15mm

Prowling the sandy bottom between the sea-grass beds of Rapid Bay, the carnivorous undulate volute, Amoria undulata is on the hunt for other mollusks.

Up close that beautiful spiral shell reminds me of cinnamon scrolls while from a distance a tiny Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Volutes were plentiful during our recent night dive under Rapid Bay Jetty and always easy to photograph. I chose this perspective because I love the repeating geometry of sea shells just as much as I love cinnamon scrolls


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Cinnamon Scroll' 1/160s f/18 ISO320 100mm

What a super cute way to herald in a New Year of diving; my first every sighting of a short-head seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps at Rapid Bay.

There is no reason why I should not have seen a seahorse under Rapid Bay Jetty in the hundreds of dives I have enjoyed here. I just haven't. Even my dive buddy Alexius had never seen a short-head seahorse here and he is one of the best critter spotters I know.

Actually this little guy was under the new Jetty which has a different kind of benthic structure. More seagrasses and less algaes so maybe that has something to do with it.

Perhaps I will spend a little more time exploring the new Jetty from now on. Who know what surprises await.

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Super Cute Surprise' 1/160s f/18 ISO320 100mm

Last night was my first night dive for 2017. In fact it was my first dive for the new year and the conditions were perfect.

The evening star and a waxing crescent moon shone down on the water as we slipped below the surface. To the fishers on Rapid Bay jetty above it must have seemed like some mini apocalypse with our dive lights blazing and strobes firing. To the critters we were diving with most seemed unperturbed by our roving light show though I'm sure we were asked once or twice to turn our lights down or stop shining them in faces!

Despite the lovely conditions we did not see much variety in critter life so it was a dive to mostly enjoy being underwater again. Hopefully just the first of many for 2017.

One critter I always like seeing and photographing is this feathery looking thing. It is actually a worm called the Southern fan worm Sabellastarte australiensis. As those soft feathery appendages wash around in the current and surge you can never be sure just what the camera might capture the instant those strobes fire.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Aquatic Feathers' 1/160s f/18 ISO320 100mm

Perceptions are everything when it comes to seeing the beauty in our undersea landscapes but as we are not aquatic creatures we have our limits.

The colonial ascidians in the foreground are centimeters from the camera while the sunburst through the jetty structure above is more then ten meters away at the surface.

As a diver an image like this is impossible to see and nearly impossible to visualize however though the fish's eye it just might be close to the mark.

It might not be possible to see the world beneath Rapid Bay Jetty as a fish might but at least we can try.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Through the Fish's Eye', 1/160s f/14 ISO160 8mm

No matter how many times I make the trip down to Rapid Bay Jetty, gear up and head out I never take for granted the joy of finding a dragon.

If and when I find one I experience a curious mix of excitement, of gratitude, of humility, of privilege, of wonder and of complete captivation.

The long drive to get here is forgotten.
The equipment needed to survive here is forgotten.
The burdened walk to the water is forgotten.
The biting cold of an extended winter is forgotten.
The cares of work, of the world and its demands are all forgotten.

With effortless grace they move with precision. It is almost impossible to see the tiny movements which push them through the water.
Spend time with them and you will discover moods and attitudes and personalities.
Take your eyes off them for just a moment, look back and like magic there is is only algae and water and the dappled light from above.

I don't always find a leafy seadragon when I dive here at Rapid Bay but when I do it makes all the effort of every dive I have ever done worthwhile.

Like some lifetime within a lifetime I will spend all the time my air allows to remain here and bear witness to this beautiful fragile creature.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Seduced by a Dragon' 1/160s f/13 ISO320 100m