Redmap Australia

Fishers and divers can report sightings of species that are unusual or ‘out of range’ in a given area to Redmap (www.redmap.org.au). The project is now being developed Australia-wide. I attended the first planning workshop held in Tasmania for the National Steering Committee for Redmap Australia on November 22 and 23rd. I was there as the Australian scuba diving representative. Could any one please let us know if they have noticed any new or unusual species?

Jetty News - BLUFF JETTY

The jetty at the Bluff at Victor Harbor should now be repaired and open to the public and there should also be a ladder on the jetty. (It had been without a ladder for several years.)

Redmap

I have been appointed the dive representative on the National Steering Committee for Redmap Australia. Their first planning workshop is being held in Tasmania November 22 and 23rd. Fishers and divers can report sightings of species that are unusual or ‘out of range’ in a given area to Redmap. The project is being developed Australia-wide.
www.redmap.org.au
Could any one please let us know if they have noticed any new or unusual species?

SA weather for November

According to the Channel 9 Brenton Ragless Almanac for 2011, Adelaide’s weather in November is “mostly warm, although cooler periods can still occur. The maximum exceeds 30° C on the 6 hottest days and the minimum falls below 10°C on the 6 coldest nights.” Winds on ½ of days exceed 15km/h at 9am & 17km/h at 3pm. The main directions is SW. This is the most common time of the year for thunderstorms to occur.

Adelaide's weather in October

According to the Channel 9 Brenton Ragless Almanac for 2011, Adelaide’s weather in October is “mild to warm, with a few hot days and occasional windy conditions. The chance of rainfall decreases. The maximum is above 26° C on the 6 warmest days and the minimum falls below 8°C on the 6 coldest nights.” Winds on ½ of days exceed 16km/h at 9am & 18km/h at 3pm. Main directions are N to NE at 9am & SW at 3pm as sea breezes develop.

SA's weather in September

According to the Channel 9 Brenton Ragless Almanac for 2011, Adelaide’s weather in September is “On average . . . (the) windiest month. . . . Conditions are generally cool to mild, though a few warm days are experienced.” The maximum is above 22° C on the 6 warmest days and the minimum below 7°C on the 6 coldest nights. On average, frost occurs on 1 day. Winds on ½ of days exceed 15km/h at 9am & 18km/h at 3pm. Main directions are N at 9am & SW at 3pm as sea breezes begin to re-occur.

Prof. Bronwyn Gillanders awarded SA scholarship

Congratulations to Professor Bronwyn Gillanders. She was one of six ladies recently awarded $15,000 State Government scholarships. Science Minister Jay Weatherill presented the ladies with their scholarship awards at the Women In Science Symposium on 22^nd August at the RiAus Science Exchange.

SECOND VALLEY JETTY

The Second Valley jetty will be closed for repairs until 30/10. Further damage had occurred to the jetty during a storm on 20th June, resulting with the jetty requiring extensive repairs. The earlier work being done on the jetty was suspended until 5th September due to risks associated with weather during July and August. Works recommenced on 5th September and they were estimated to continue until the end of October, including reinstating the stairs. The jetty was to be reclosed to the public during these works. It will be good to have the jetty fully repaired and have stairs available once more. An article about the jetty and stairs can be found at http://www.mlssa.asn.au/cgi-bin/Newsletters.cgi?year=2011&nl=MLSSA_NL_384_August_2011.htm .

Facebook cause for Whyalla's cuttlefish

I know that it's been 9 weeks between blogs, but that's mostly due to problems posting to my site rather than a lack of things to blog about. I want to tell everyone about the Facebook cause for Whyalla's cuttlefish. Visit the site at

http://www.causes.com/causes/629861-save-a-species-whyalla-cuttlefish. Please join the cause & become involved. There are links to videos, photos and a petition.

Adelaide's weather in July

According to the Channel 9 Brenton Ragless Almanac for 2011, Adelaide’s weather in July is “On average . . . the coldest … of the year. . . Significant showers are common. The maximum is above 17° C on the 6 warmest days and the minimum below 5°C on the 6 coldest nights. On average, frost occurs on 3 nights. Winds on ½ of days exceed 12km/h at 9am & 16km/h at 3pm. Main directions are N-NE at 9am & SW to NW at 3pm”.

Divers see waterspouts at Adelaide wreck site

On 30^th May, up to 4 waterspouts were seen near Avoca Beach, on NSW's central coast. Visit
http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/australia-waterspout-videos-storms-nsw-coast-2795735.html#ixzz1O1VBO1ss for details. Dive industry veteran Les Graham was in a boat at the site of the ex-HMAS Adelaide when 2 waterspouts could be seen approaching them. Divers that were in the water at the time were quickly retrieved. The group was able to film the 2 waterspouts and footage was featured on our 6pm news service. Les was interviewed by the TV channel. It was good to see him on TV. The boat apparently went further out to sea, where the 2 waterspouts could be watched from a distance.

Ex-HMAS Adelaide update

The decommissioned frigate, the ex-HMAS Adelaide was sunk off Avoca Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast to become a dive wreck on 13^th April. More than 10,000 spectators watched the sinking of the Adelaide. It took 2 minutes for her to sink after 16 separate explosive devices were detonated.

A good photo can be seen at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/buoys-removed-from-hmas-adelaide-site/story-e6freuy9-1226059476081 .

Early photos of divers visiting the wreck, taken by Robb Westerdyk, can be seen at http://www.news.com.au/pictures/gallery-e6frflv9-1226040842380 . Within 1 month of the Adelaide’s scuttling, 2 navigational buoys had been sabotaged at the site. The police said that the offenders removed the buoys sometime between May 1 and May 13. Read more at http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/buoys-removed-from-hmas-adelaide-site/story-e6frfku0-1226059460977#ixzz1O1KajQQg. According to the web page found at http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/its-just-a-dive-but-shipwreck-worth-78/story-fn6bqvxz-1226050147723 , “Divers will pay a minimum of $78 for a look at the wreck of the former HMAS Adelaide . . . . Divers with their own boat and gear will pay $18 per head and a $60 mooring fee. Commercial operators are expected to charge $80 for divers with gear or $140 for those requiring equipment. . . All divers must make a booking with accredited dive operators or Central Coast Tourism to obtain a permit.”

Adelaide's weather for June according to Ch.9 Brenton Ragless Almanac

According to the Channel 9 Brenton Ragless Almanac for 2011, Adelaide’s weather for June is usually cold, wet & windy – “On average (it) is the wettest month of the year . . . . Wind speeds on ½ of the days exceed 11km/h at 9am &14km/h at 3pm . . .Prevailing directions are NE at 9am & SW to NW at 3pm”.

New ladder at Port Noarlunga jetty

There has, ofcourse, been a new ladder for the divers steps on Port Noarlunga jetty for some weeks now.

Temporary Closure of Second Valley Jetty

Peter Fowler from the Yankalilla Council advises that:

To undertake repair work on the Second Valley Jetty,Including the driving of new piles and the reestablishment of the stairway, will require the closure of the jetty to public access The work is scheduled to commence in the week starting the 17th May 2011 and take approximately 8 weeks to complete. The jetty will be closed to the public during this period. For further information on details of the work or the jetty closure please call Councils Manager Operations Mr Graeme Francis on 8558 0200.

Movie "The Reef" now showing in South Australia

The new 'diving' movie "The Reef" (rated M) starts showing in South Australia from Thursday 17th March. The basic plot is 4 people being thrown in to the water when their yacht capsizes. They spend the next 1 1/2 hrs of the movie fighting for survival and trying to avoid being attacked by sharks.

New posting of Marine Life Beachcombing Guide

The 1st link for the Marine Life Beachcombing Guide through Windows Live only allowed downloading of the document before viewing it, so I have now posted the Guide in my SA Scuba Diving website. The Guide can be accessed via https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzYXNjdWJhZGl2aW5nc2l0ZXxneDo2N2MyNGViOTg3Y2U4ZTE3&pli=1 . If that doesn't work for some reason, try going to my SA Scuba Diving Site via the link in "My Links".

Smelly, slimy seas for snorkellers & scuba divers

Giffordia?

Some of Adelaide's metropolitan beaches have become smelly & slimy spots to snorkel & scuba dive. The source of the smelly slime is said to be rotting carpets of posidonia seagrass seeds floating ashore. It is a seasonal event brought on by hot weather. This is also the season for the proliferation of Giffordia, a slimy alga which adds to the smelly odour on our beaches. The alga also causes low visibility in the water where it occurrs. 10 or 11 years ago, I was told that the outbreak of it was caused by sewage/sewerage effluent entering the sea. A government marine biologist said at the time that it was non-toxic and harmless to humans. She said that it was usually found attached to rocks offshore, but that it grew quickly in certain warm weather conditions, broke free and drifted ashore. I have posted a marine life beachcombing guide in Windows Live. See the link to the Guide in "My Links" on this blog. The 3.5mb Guide can be downloaded from Live.