Robert's Ramblings

Unlike a bulldozer the nudibranch (sea slug) Ceratosoma brevicaudatum eats its way through its path rather than pushes it.

This little guy would have to be one of the most common nudibranchs seen be divers along our southern coastline. A regular on both Edithburgh and Rapid Bay jetties, Ceratosoma brevicaudatum is both large at 5-10cm in length and colourful making it easily spotted by divers not skilled in finding its smaller cousins.

This nudibranch at Rapid Bay Jetty today looks to be feeding on a pink/purple sponge making a striking contrast with it own colours!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 669, Sponge Dozer', 1/40s f11 ISO320 100mm+20mmEXT

Sometimes you do not even need a tripod and simply resting the camera on the ground will suffice.

Having a camera at ground level does however have its risks. I had to pluck the camera to safety a moment after I captured this image as that wave washed over the foreground pebbles. Better they get salted than my camera.

Yet again another image of Rapid Bay but one from a vantage I have never tried before.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 666, Salty Pebbles', 1/160s f22 ISO100 17mm

I never tire of these beautiful, mystical creatures.

With my recent increased level of diving Rapid Bay I have become familiar with a pair of Leafy Seadragons, one with eggs and I assume the other its female partner. Conditions for photography over the last few weeks have been really bad with surgy, turbid water but at least I can extract a few decent images by getting as close as possible with macro photography.

This dragon is my most recent find and her portrait just beautiful.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 657, Mystical Portrait', 1/50s f/9.0 ISO320 100mm

There is something in the water down there at Rapid Bay. Everything seems to be pregnant!

Well this Leafy Seadragon is not exactly pregnant. In fact it's not even a girl but a male expressing its fatherly love.

The male Leafy Seadragon takes care of the eggs immediately after they are fertilized for the entire term until hatching. In fact, once the female lays her eggs she plays no further part in child rearing and is free to go off and do what female seadragons do.

By the look of his eggs and how clean they are I'd say these were freshly hatched. Very soon they will be covered in a green algae so they become less conspicuous. I am looking forward to watching their progress.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 650, Fatherly Love', 1/50s f/10 ISO320 40mm +2

Rapid Bay is finally starting to clear up again after a few weeks of northerly swell turning the water into milky white.

This dive was very late in the day and as much as I would have not thought there was an undersea equivalent to 'the golden hour'. Well now I know there is! The soft subdued light still had the quality of a sunlit day with all its specular highlights from the surface and below but the water itself did light up with the diffuse scattering normally associated with turbid water. Note to self, 'dive this time of day more often'.

A young spider crab checks me out as I swim past and I can almost guess what he is thinking.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 649, My Turf', 1/50s f/8 ISO320 40mm +2

This guy was sitting perched atop a structure of sponge and ascidian encrusted twisted jetty wreckage.

Like many of our wrasses the brownspotted wrasse (Notolabrus parilus) behaves around divers with a mix of curiosity and timidity. Not one to anthropomorphise our local critters I still can not help see the resemblance to human traits.

Anther bad visibility day at Rapid Bay Jetty and having a 100mm macro lens fitted made this image look all washed out. The monochrome rendering really brought it back to life.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 644, Brownspotted Wrasse', 1/160s f/10 ISO320 100mm

Whenever I see these on jetty pylons or on reef I think of flowers and bluebells.

In reality these little critters are ascidians or seasquirts and anything but bluebells. These are Blue Throat Ascidians (Clavelina australis) and live in compound clusters. Most interesting is they are chordates, the same phylum as us! Even though they don't really have a backbone and ribs, though it looks like it through their transparent bodies, they do have a long nerve running the length of their body in the same way our spinal column does.

This image was captured at Rapid Bay, South Australia, where they were attached to a metal stake driven into the sea floor.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 634, Blue Throat Ascidians' 1/160s f/10 ISO320 100mm

On my last dive at Rapid Bay a few days ago I discovered a brooding Tasseled Anglerfish (Rhycherus filamentosus) with a clutch of eggs.

Now a few days later I decided to see how they were going. I am not sure I can make out much of a difference just yet so perhaps I will space out the visits a little more from next time.

The Tasseled Anglerfish is very protective of its eggs and guards them well. In this image they have not been abandoned, you can just see the parent's dorsal fin running along the bottom edge of the frame.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 632, Frogfish Caviar' 1/160s f/16 ISO640 100mm

Of all our amazing local critters, this Tasselled Anglerfish, Rhycherus filamentosus, at Rapid Bay would be one of the most difficult to spot.

Plenty of patience (which means plenty of air) is part of finding these in the algae and sponges. The other part is a willingness to see past the obvious. The technique I have found most useful is to look around for a likely habitat and then carefully work my way over every bit of rock, weed, sponge and algae and at each interesting feature try and imagine I am looking at an anglerfish. It's a little bit like staring at the patterns in the clouds trying to find an elephant or a giraffe. With a little patience and of course with a little luck, one might just magically appear before your eyes.

Tasselled Anglerfish are not great swimmers and prefer to sit lying in ambush for a test morsel to swim past. The yellow worm crawling amongst the tassels is the angler's lure. When it attracts a passing fish to investigate just a little too closely that partially open moth snaps up dinner in the blink of an eye.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 630, Tasselled Anglerfish' 1/160s f/10 ISO320 100mm

This old structure is not long for this world as it slowly rusts away.

The old Rapid Bay Jetty is mostly a structure of steel having once been protected from corrosion through electrification and galvanic protection. The day the power got turn off it was like turning off it's life support.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 611, Under The Boardwalk' 1/13s f/7.1 ISO100 15mm

The first time I ever dived Rapid Bat Jetty I was blown away with the diverse and prolific sea life here.

Even today this place remains in my top 5 South Australian jetty dives. Well perhaps not today as all you can see is green milk! The milky green water is due to gypsum crystals stirred up from the sea floor due to a long northerly fetch and corresponding northerly swell. The gypsum is from loading spill over the many years the jetty was an operational loading and shipping facility for the local gypsum quarries. Today all the quarried gypsum is trucked out and as can be seen here the old jetty, no longer accessible, is being reclaimed by the sea. The new jetty built parallel and to the east of the old one is now both a recreational fishing drawcard and our normal means to access the diving site of the old jetty.

With a north facing aspect Rapid Bay Jetty can be dived in nearly all weather conditions except a prolong period of northerly winds. No point in diving today, with less than 1m visibility and a strong surge there was little chance of capturing anything visible underwater so we resorted to topside photography only.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 609, Rapid Bay Jetties' 1/640s f/7.1 ISO100 15mm

This view of the The Lamson Rapid Wire System shows both its simplicity and complexity.

To send the cart the clerk would pull down slowly on the pull-chord until the the launching frame was held under stretched elastic against a stop. On release the the launcher would send the cart flying along the wire to its receiving station where a similar mechanism was ready to initiate the return journey.

I have not seen how the packages would have been attached or removed from the carts but can imagine something equally as imaginative.

Next time you are strolling down Rundle Street and have a moment to spare, come up to The Writer's Centre in the Malcolm Reid building, take your mind back 100 years and imagine would it would have been like.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 516, The Lamson Rapid Wire System II' 1/160s f/2.8 ISO1600 70mm

There is a strange device hanging from the ceiling of the top floor of Adelaide's Malcolm Reid building.

In 1885 Robert McCarty patented a system of carrying packages on a wire and his invention was licensed to the Rapid Service Store Railway Company of Detroit. In 1887 Lamsons took control of this company and marketed the system under the name "Rapid". The Rapid Wire system was born and so it came to pass that the Lamson Rapid Wire system was installed in the Malcolm Reid building of Rundle Street.

I've since learned more about how this amazing contraption transformed the retail experience for countless shoppers over the decades allowing them to complete their transaction with the sales person and not with a back office clerk. Perhaps this heralded the beginning of the 'ideal retail experience'.

I've not yet discovered when the Lamson Rapid Wire system was installed here in the Malcolm Reid building so please let me know if you know more about its history.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 511, The Lamson Rapid Wire System' 6s f/11 ISO100 15mm

The Undulate Volute, Amoria undulata is a regular sight on any night dive at Rapid Bay.

They are strikingly beautiful and move quite swiftly over the sand hunting other molluscs. Volutes in general have gorgeous shell and body markings but what I really love about this one is how well they are matched. At a glance it is difficult to tell where the shell ends and the extended body begins.

I like photographing sand dwelling creatures such as this volute as the un-sensitive sandy bottom make it easier to get down really low.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 477, Amoria undulata’ 1/100s f/8.0 ISO320 100mm

Nearly a year ago I met the amazing marine scientist Ashley Miskelly on a dive trip to the outer parts of the Great Barrier Reef. He changed forever my perspective of the word 'urchin'.

By the end of that trip he had us all ignoring the stunning corals, the beautiful tropical reef fish and the magnificent oceanic pelagics and instead grovelling in the sandy bottom and broken coral debris for sea urchins.
If Ashley had been on this dive back here at Rapid Bay he'd have named this species, described its habitat, its mating habits, its life-cycle and distribution all before we had walked back to our cars. Not only that but he'd have done it in such a captivating way that would leave you wondering what treasure we had just witnessed.

Sadly I can't be sure which species this is (it could be Amblypneustes pallidus, I know I've been told) so I will just have to let the image speak for itself. Oh, and bonus points to anyone who spots a pair of little red eyes in there!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 475, Mister Urchin' 1/100s f/8.0 ISO100 100mm

Friday night's dive with Alexius, Ken, Damian and Alistair was sensational!

More than two hours underwater down at Rapid Bay presented so many photo opportunities. The only problem was being stuck with one lens configuration, a 100mm macro. During this dive I could have used a wide angle 15mm fish eye or perhaps a 24mm prime on any number of subjects from eagle rays to congregating spider crabs.

We only found the leafy seadragons near the very end of our time underwater, three all together in fact. At that stage we were all getting rather cold but it is amazing how getting excited over a new photo opportunity can warm you up again, at least for a while. Having a macro lens I took the opportunity to go for the head shot!

I love diving at night. It's great to see so much life down there and I am looking forward to the next one already.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 420, Leafy Seadragon Up Close and Personal' 1/100s f/8.0 ISO320 100mm + 2x strobes

There's a bit of action down at Rapid Bay at the moment.

It seems that spider crabs are pairing off to do their thing. This pair of majid spider crabs ,Leptomithrax gaimadii seem happy enough to make a spectacle of themselves though I am not sure that the smaller female has any say in things the way he has her in his pincer like grasp!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 416, She's Mine so Back Off' 1/200s f/10 ISO640 15mm

Sunday was hot, very hot and at 39 degrees C in the shade being underwater was one of the best places to escape.

The visibility was not too bad and the warm 23 degree C water was like being in the bath, I could have stayed under all day if I could have made my air last. Here my dive buddy Alexius captures my lens in his down at Rapid Bay.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 414, Underwater Respite' 1/400s f/10 ISO320 15mm

The Bluespotted Goatfish, Upeneichthys vlamingii is a common fish through all our coastal areas and we personally include it in our list of 'usual suspects' when ask what we saw on any typical local dive.

It's not the prettiest of fish but many are striking colourful and this one looks right at home nestled in a broken jetty pylon at Rapid Bay.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 380, One Colourful Goatfish' 1/30s f/7.1 ISO200 15mm

I don't know how long this part of the Rapid Bay Jetty has been underwater but by the amount of algae covering the platform it must be quite some time now.

This was my first dive for the year and even though it was a grey rainy day and the viability was poor it was wonderful being under the water again.

This collapsed section of the jetty has created a wonderful little habitat for the critters that hang under ledges and in the shadows. I am looking forward to keeping an eye on this to see how it develops.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 379, Broken and Forgotten' 1/100s f/7.1 ISO200 15mm

I have just had the pleasure of spending the last two days diving with my new Japanese friends, Yuko, Hiroko and Masashi, who all made a special trip to Adelaide in South Australia to see our wonderful Leafy Seadragons.

Two things that always go through your mind when organising to dive somewhere are that you hope that the weather will be nice, and you hope that you get to see or do what you are planning.

The same goes for those who host such dives. We always want to show off South Australian diving in its best possible light. I had been very stressed in the days leading up to these dives as South Australia had just experienced some of its worst weather in years. Our beautiful waters had turned into silty chaos and the sea was looking decidedly uninviting. As luck would have it, the two days we had planned turned out to be the calm between two storms. We at least got blue sky and gentle seas, but the visibility would be a challenge.

We spent a day at Rapid Bay and a day at Victor Harbor. Although visibility ranged from 1-3 metres both days, that did not stop Yuko and Masashi from going camera crazy and being the cause of future Leafy cataracts with their strobes. I do not envy them the backscatter they will have to peer through when they get home. Hiroko was happy to just look on; I'm sure I heard her squeal with delight on more than one occasion.

Thirteen beautiful Leafy Seadragons and one stunning Weedy Seadragon; result, three ecstatic Japanese guests taking photos and stories home.

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

Photo: Robert Rath C7070 1/90s at f/2.8 ISO200 Inon UWL100-28AD Lens, Natural Light

Well the new Rapid Bay Jetty has been open now for a few weeks and I can honestly say it is worth the wait and worth the cost.

I have been diving Rapid Bay Jetty for more years than I care to remember. I remember the long walk to the old T-section and the original diver's platform. Back then you would cart your day's diving gear out in the morning, set up camp and dive and enjoy surface intervals right there where you jumped in the water. All that came to an end with the closure of the old jetty some years back.

For many years now diving the jetty has meant an ankle twisting rocky shore entry and exit and a very long swim out and back leaving little strength or enthusiasm for multiple dives. That has all changed now with the opening of the new jetty along side the old one.

The new jetty runs parallel to the old one and for about half the original jetty's length providing a nice easy walk from the car park to the new divers platform. The divers platform has been staged so that there is 'walk in' access over quite a range of tide heights. On a really low tide you might need to use the ladder on the bottom platform. All this beats scrambling over an unstable rocky beach by far.

Rapid Bay Jetty is a wonderful dive and a photographer's dream when the visibility is good. It is famous as a haunt for Leafy Seadragons and attracts visitors from all over the world who come to see these fantastic creatures. With the new jetty they can now dive in safety and comfort.

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

Photo: Robert Rath C7070 1/125s at f/2.8 ISO100, Inon D2000 Strobe + Natural Light, Jetty - Courtesy ten.com.au

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 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 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!

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!