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| Cryptic Sponge Crab (Crytodromiosis spongiosa) |
Last Sunday I joined several divers from Ocean Divers International on a wreck dive. Since I started diving in 2002, The Haerlem, an SA Navy frigate scuttled in late November 1987, has been one of my favourite dive sites in Algoa Bay. I can't really say why - maybe it has something to do with the eary feeling I get when I look into the portholes. On the top of the deck the average depth is approximately 18 metres and 21 metres at the stern.
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| Square-mouthed Striped Anemone (Anthothoe sp) |
The wreck is home to a large number of leopard and pajama catsharks, soft corals and a variety of other fish, e.g. batfish.
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| A Leopard Catshark playing hide and seek.... |
The viz was particularly bad on the day of the dive - one metre at the most. I buddied with Juan Snyman, who is one of the best divemasters in Port Elizabeth. What I love most about diving with him is that he takes time in showing fellow divers all the little interesting sea creatures.
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Basket Star (Astrocladus euryale)
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My two favourite sea creatures, with the exception of dolphines and whales, are basket stars and nudibranchs. The basket star is a type of brittle star and often attaches itself to sea fans (see pic above).
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| Crowned Nudibranch (Polycera capensis) |
Most nudibranchs or sea slugs have flamboyant colour patterns - a warning to potential preditors that they are distasteful or even poisonous.
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| Variable dorid (Aphelodoris brunnea -1) |
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| Staghorn False Coral (Gigantopora polymorpha) |
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| Nippled Sea Fan (Eunicella papillosa) |
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| Black Nudibranch (Tambja Capensis) |
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| Scollaped Lacy False Coral (Reteporella lata) |
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Cobbled Starfish (Calliaster baccatus)
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