Comb Jelly feeding frenzy!

Bolinopsis comb jellyfish aggregation

Eagle ray

Juvenile Weedy Sea-dragon

Tube Anemone

Bolinopsis comb jellies

An aggregation of ctenophore (comb jellyfish) has arrived in the bay following the recent calmer conditions, providing a plentiful feeding opportunity for the large shoals of blackfish. There are many fish shoals around the reef areas, silver batfish, eastern hulafish,  one spot puller, and sergeant major damselfish.

Eagle rays abound on the sandy sections close to the reef and a highlight today was finding a small juvenile weedy sea dragon. These fish stress easily as they are less able to swim away so I only stopped to take a few photos then watched it “disappear” into a nearby clump of seaweed. The appendages on the body provide ideal camouflage.

Water temperatures are cooling again, with lows recorded at 20 degrees today