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My Underwater Photos.
There are lots of images here so it takes some time to load them.
Please be patient.
I have taken all of these photos with a Nikonos III camera,
nearly an antique nowadays. I will add more photos when I have
time and access to a scanner.
Feel free to use these images as you like.
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This is a Tasmanian Blenny whose wonderful
visage I took under Edithburgh Jetty in South Australia. This
particular individual lived in the end of a piece of pipe that
sticks out of the sand by about 50cm. He had become used to being
fed by divers and would stick his head out when approached. |
| I photographed this Ornate Cowfish with my
second roll of film. Cowfish are poisonous when eaten and seem
to have very few predators. They swim slowly about and can be
easily caught by divers.
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This Striped Anenome (Anthothoe albocinta
lives under Glenelg Jetty along with a few hundred of his mates. These
guys split producing two new individuals. The species has many colour
forms, I have seen golden yellow ones at Semaphore Jetty and very green
ones at West Island |
| This scallop lives under Edithburgh Jetty
attached to a pylon. It is called the Doughboy Scallop or
Chlamys asperrima. The name Doughboy refers to the sponge
that covers the shell of most individuals. This sponge comes in
two colours, red and yellow, and seems to reduce predation by
sea stars. You can see his blue eyes along the edge of the shell.
In the background you can see a pink sponge and a colonial
Ascidian. The Ascidian is the same species that can be seen a few
photos down on the Sponge Crab.
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| The isopod sitting over the eye of this
Cowfish is sometimes seen attached to fish in South Australia.
I have seen one attached to a juvenile Leafy Seadragon. |
| An Eastern Stargazer. These fish are not
often seen by divers as they lie under the sand with only their
eyes sticking out waiting for their prey to move over them, then
they come out of the sand opening their very big mouth and sucking in their dinner.
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This Leafy Seadragon was photographed at Corny
Point. I have done some research that you can read about on my
Leafy Seadragon Page. |
| The bright colours of the juvenile Scalyfin
fade as it grows, leaving it a drab green-yellow adult. This one
was living in a small hole under Edithburgh Jetty. Scalyfins
lay ther eggs in a cave which they defend from other Scalyfins
and anybody else, including divers.
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| This crab is holding a colony of ascidians
over itself. When the crab changes its exoskeleton it puts the
shield aside, taking it up again after the operation. This
species is generally referred to as the Sponge Crab as it often
carries a sponge instead of an Ascidian.
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| This is a closeup of the eye of the Giant
Cuttlefish. These guys can grow to one meter in length.
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| This is a front on view of a Black Lipped
Abalone that has its head sticking out from its shell. I took
this photo at night under Edithburgh Jetty. Abalone eat algae and
are eaten by people (me!)
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| This is the Lined Cuttlefish, sometimes seen
at Edithburgh Jetty.
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This is the Biscuit Star, Tosia australis. These little starfish
come in a varitey of colours and patterns. I will add more photos
of these as time goes by.
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Naxia aurita one of the Spider Crabs, it lives in shallow seagrass areas. If you look closely you may see some algae growing on the shell. |
| This is the large spider crab Leptomithrax gaimardii.
The usually occur in deeper water but come inshore in spring to breed.
The males will grasp the females and carry them around and defend them
from other males. |
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I took this photo at West Island which is south of
Adelaide. In winter a number of young seals will arrive here from The
Pages, a pair of islands further west. The first couple of times that
you visit they are very cautious but become accustomed to your presence
and then will swim around you. I just love swimming with them. |
| This is a Spadesnouted Clingfish. I have only seen
a couple of them, they tend to cling to the undersides of seagrass
blades where they are well camouflaged waiting for prey to pass by.
Once I observed a Clingfish grab a little goby in the middle and fold
it in half before swallowing it. |
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This is a friend of mine, Tim. He is doing a PhD on
the photophysiology of three species of marine algae. To his right is
his best friend Grizelda, a machine that records the oxygen levels in
five chambers every 20 seconds. As well as this Grizzelda runs a
stirring propeller in each chamber and will flush the chambers with
ambient seawater for three minutes every fifteen minutes. Grizelda is a
very temperamental machine.
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| This fish is a male Pencilnosed Weed Whiting. |
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This is a colony of Zoanthus robustus that
were growing at Cape Jervis, about 120 km south of Adelaide. They have
chloroplasts from algae living symbiotically in them that probably
supply them with some of their food. |
| This is a photo of my friend Emma looking at a
jellyfish. She is in a tuna cage, if you look carefully you can see a
couple in the background. |
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This pencil urchin is from West Island where I am doing my honours project. |
| Pyura stolonifera is a solitary ascidian
that occurs in bunches on the seafloor around the southern half of
Australia. This bunch is in about 6 meters of water off Largs Bay,
Adelaide. |
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This is a closeup of the same colony, the ascidians are generally covered with this light purple sponge.
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