Off-Topic

[Agent M]

As the title says - I'm a newb at snorkelling but the few times I've been I've remembered every moment of it. Anyone can do it if you know how to float and get out of rips. My top experience so far was snorkelling at Tioman Island in Malaysia. Being a Melbourne girl, the water temp gave me no relief from the heat which was not something I expected or am used to and I'd just given up on following a turtle after about 20 minutes of following it at a snails pace. It had been a must-do thing that in reality was pretty boring once it had been seen and done, but I made myself stay with it as long as I could just to make the most of the experience.

The amount of colourful tropical fish in the water was crazy, never seen anything like it - I almost wished I could test the nitrates :p I even swam with some bright green fish which someone told me later were Barracuda and apparently dangerous? They didn't do anything other than be a bit skitty and not let me get close - they were one of my favourite fish appearance wise. I decided to let the waves take me back to shore. As soon as I stretched my arms out in front and got some speed, a whole bunch of small wrasses came to join the party and started weaving in between my arms, doing figure eights and having a great time. Other than feeling like some kind of large ocean creature with a cling fish on my side or something, it was such a rush and my favourite moment!

I'd love to hear more stories of diving and snorkelling experiences others have had, I'll hang on every word so please share!

Some pics:

Barracuda?? Is the ID right?

 

[Sam Parker]

Love this thread, please post some more pictures if you have them and anyone else who has some pictures. I'll go to facebook and find the shot my cousin got of an amazing clam at the great barrier reef recently!

 

[RobbieMVFC]

Barracuda?? Is the ID right?
View attachment 37144[/quote]
Looks like a Garfish to me .
P.S I haven't dived for a few years now . I had about 60 dives up.
You will be very surprised how much life there is in Victorian waters.
Not sure where your located but under Mornington Pier there is plenty of life . Old wives and there used to be one of the biggest stingrays I have everseen .
Rye pier has often sea horses , and Flinders has the sea dragons always fascinating to watch.
If you start diving there are tones of charters that will take you out to wrecks and walls that are great viewing.
I had taken plenty of crap photos. I will see if I can find them . they are/were the old film kind (thats how long I havent been )

 

[Sam Parker]

here are the pics I was talking about. The are actually stills from video he took with a GoPro on a boom. Pretty sweet!

 

[RobbieMVFC]

Just remembered I have a DVD somewhere when I dived the great barrier reef.

 

[Agent M]

Too beautiful to eat!

 

[Agent M]

Not sure where your located but under Mornington Pier there is plenty of life . Old wives and there used to be one of the biggest stingrays I have everseen .
Rye pier has often sea horses , and Flinders has the sea dragons always fascinating to watch.

Rye pier is the only other place I've snorkeled at a number of times now. I also did a night snorkel at Rosebud foreshore, didn't wear a wetsuit and had a large beetle sized sea lice attach itself to my leg, so that nearly had me back out of the water pretty fast (I screamed hysterically and flapped my arms like an idiot...) but stayed in, worked out not to let the torch shine on me if I wanted to be left alone by creepy things and saw some octopus, flathead and a stingray.

 

[RobbieMVFC]

Quick Frag that Acro b4 the crown of thorns eats it!

Mount Martha is another great spot 2 snorkel , there is a beach called Birdrock beach in Mount Martha (opposite Birdrock st funny enough ) If you can get passed the fact you have to walk down about 100 stairs its a fantastic spot.
P.S I will be there next week for a week and a bit .
Hope that bug thing stays away , I take the kids to rosebud beach all the time.

 

[Agent M]

Hope that bug thing stays away , I take the kids to rosebud beach all the time.

As long as you don't attract them to you with a torch I'm sure you'll all be safe.

I'll have to check out the beach at Mt Martha.

I was going to try to prank you into taking the family to Sunnyside Beach but just looked it up to confirm location and its in Mt Eliza, not Mt Martha (darn it) - not for childrens eyes there :eek

 

[Sam Parker]

thought that looked like a crown of thorns... How does one "kill" them?

 

[RobbieMVFC]

thought that looked like a crown of thorns... How does one "kill" them?

To be honest I have no Idea , just know they are a pest on the GBR

 

[RobbieMVFC]

As long as you don't attract them to you with a torch I'm sure you'll all be safe.

I'll have to check out the beach at Mt Martha.

I was going to try to prank you into taking the family to Sunnyside Beach but just looked it up to confirm location and its in Mt Eliza, not Mt Martha (darn it) - not for childrens eyes there :eek

lol , yeah thanks very much.
Once me and a few mates picked a random beach to go surf fishing at . turned out to be a nudist beach .
I never forget my mate was at his tackle box ( no not that one the real fishing one) .
he was sitting down putting on a new hook and some guy came to talk to him.
the guy had a t-shirt on and nothing else ...lol
when the other guys and i turned around from where we were all we could see was ....well it didn't look good .lol
sorry for the hijack

 

[Agent M]

thought that looked like a crown of thorns... How does one "kill" them?

With a bandaid solution ;)

 

[Agent M]

Once me and a few mates picked a random beach to go surf fishing at . turned out to be a nudist beach .

Hijack away, that was a good story, haha! Picking random beaches seems to be a bad idea, thats how I found out about Sunnyside Beach, I saw it on the map in the Melways and decided to invite a bunch of friends for a BBQ and a swim. Luckily one of my mates knew and alerted me.

 

[grimnir]

I went diving in the reef / snorkelling at Horse Shoe bay September 2013.
Just grabbed a couple of pics from my time in the water and attached them.
favourite moment was just floating in the water and turn my head being inches from a Gobby. just staring back at me and following a parrot fish around for a good hr or so.