Beyond the Pool

Good afternoon, my fishy friends!

Hit the beach at 9am. Strangely, the water was packed with other people! There must have been about 20 other snorkellers there. Clearly, people have been reading my Blog and are venturing out to try this extreme sport for themselves! Well done to everybody there.

Anyway, I used this as an excuse to snorkel somewhere new. I entered the water about 25m further along the beach, away from the families and the sounds of laughter. I gazed at the incoming swell, the 6-inch high breakers, and the jagged rocks of the open ocean -- and I swam. Before I knew it, I was about 100m away from land. It was like a different world!

The bottom was, in places, 5m below me, and strange rock formations formed loops and bridges, covered in seaweed which pulsed with the swell of the ocean. The Blowfish, so deadly and threatening in the shallow pool, was nowhere to be found. Presumably they prefer the easier hunting grounds of the shallow water. This had allowed all sorts of other fish to flourish, and I saw at least 2 new species (which I haven't yet identified).

Underwater forest! As seen from the surface. (c) Freephoto.com

I moved parallel to the beach and back towards the pool. I found myself flailing over razor-sharp rocks, some only inches from the surface, and each capable of slicing through my femal arteries. Finally, I passed over this barrier and discovered a sea-floor covered in "kelp". This is a type of seaweed which flourishes in deeper water. It is relatively harmless to humans. Here is a photo of a "kelp forest", as seen from the surface.

One day I'll have a decent underwater camera happening. That should liven up this blog ...

I also spotted some strange fish, schooling in their hundreds in the shade of a huge rock formation. For want of any actual information, I will assume that these fish are descended from the domestic Goldfish, or "goldin aqua domestica", in Latin. (further reading here ).

Mon cherie! Francoise takes a break from shell-making

Finally, I managed to collect a couple of interesting shells. Shells (more info here ) are actually made by French dock-women, who use them to fashion necklaces, for selling at markets. They are made in a way similar to clay pottery. These shells invariably end up washed into the ocean, where they are carried around the world by the California Current. I have included a photo of a French shell-maker, Francoise, who is taking a break from her work to sample some delicious grapes from her Father's vineyard.

Finally, I saw my beloved Bumblebee Fish for the second time! He was out past the rock wall, obviously driven there by the aggressive Blowfish. But he seemed happy! Bless him.

Today has made me feel like I have evolved from a "pool explorer" to a fully-fledged "open water explorer". I am now truly ready to tackle Rottnest Island, which will be on Tuesday!

May you never sneeze with your mask on!

- Gray, Certified Open-Water Explorer, unassisted, level 2 licence. 

EDIT: If you scroll down you can see a representation of these "wild Goldfish". The yellow one is our friend, "Bumblebee Fish"! Click to feed the little guys.