Summer Solstice
We headed out on a fairly yucky morning and ended up in South Harbour with most of the other dive boats out that day - sometimes we all have to get cosy! The first dive along the channel saw plenty of Snapper swimming around and short tail rays hiding in the kelp - a couple of eagle rays swam by too. Towards the end of the channel the current picked up and we drifted back to the boat, watching a few morays lying on the rocks. After lunch the current died down and we headed over to Magic Wall. As usual we were greeted by the Porae on the sand and rays in the kelp - the wall was covered with Verco's Tambjas and as pretty as ever.
Next morning we started at Northern Arch - stuffed full of Golden Snapper again and a lonely ray checking out the archway. Over in Cave Bay we ventured down the wall (again full of nudis) and at the end found a few Coral Banded Shrimp looking out of their crack. A school of Pink Maomao circled above us - we joined them for a moment until we had to go shallower into the bay. Lurking under a rock was one of those LARGE crays that seem to live at the Knights (stay here son and you'll be safe!). Anchoring in Mororo Bay we had a dusky dive into Big Eye Cave and it lived up to its name - jammed full of juveniles and adults with a carpet of tiny shrimp dancing around the rocks.
Landing Bay Pinnacle started off uneventful enough - landing on a Tambja Morosa straight away always bodes well. Round the pinnacle a way we came across a pair of Longfin Boarfish and in my attempt to signal it to the other divers lost track of them, but spotted a spiny porcupine fish below. Trying to head it off I dived lower, through the thermocline (14 degress, brrrr) and looking up for the photo, but he had turned and shot up the wall and into the next outcrop - oh well no photo today! We worked up the pinnacle and spotted a huge school of Blue and Pink Maomao, being closely watched by 12 or more Kingfish - we hung in the middle of them for ages just watching them swirl around us.
Outside Matt'a Crack we saw a carpet shark with its head buried into a rock - seemed quite happy there, so we moved into the crack and ventures into the dark clear waters and into a small school of Demoiselles. For our last dive we ventures to the Pinnacles and Tie Dye Arch. A huge school of Trevally were working the channel and it showed how much life was about. In the Arch there were Golden Snapper, Snapper, Porae, Blue Maomao, Demoiselles and about a dozen stingrays just cruising up and down, in and out and round and round. We sat in the archway and just the spectacle unfold. Some dives remind you of the wonders that we can see and how lucky we are - this was one of those dives!!