Port Macdonnell Mount Gambier Victor Harbour Adelaide
Kangaroo Island Spencer Gulf Port Lincoln
Eyre Peninsula - Great Australian Bight
Built in 1873, Edithburgh Jetty is 170 m long and 12 m wide, and is easily the most popular dive on the Yorke Peninsula providing unlimed scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography.
The depth under the pier is only 5-7 m, and each pylon is encrusted with sponges, ascidians, tube worms, bryozoans and soft corals. Among this mass of sessile marine life are nudibranchs, sea stars, spider crabs, shrimp and molluscs.
Octopus, cuttlefish, squid, anglerfish, drummer, globefish, cowfish, sea horses, pipefish, goblinfish, leafy sea dragons and many more species inhabit the area underneath the jetty, a hive of activity that will delight any photographer.
Edithburgh Jetty is but one of a number of brilliant shore and boat dives available around the Yorke Peninsula.
Built in 1873, Edithburgh Jetty is 170 m long and 12 m wide, and is easily the most popular dive on the Yorke Peninsula. The depth under the pier is only 5-7 m, and each pylon is encrusted with sponges, ascidians, tube worms, bryozoans and soft corals.( photo; Neville Coleman)
Among this mass of sessile marine life are nudibranchs, sea stars, spider crabs, shrimp and molluscs. Octopi, cuttlefish, squid, anglerfish, drummer, globefish, cowfish, sea horses, pipefish, goblinfish, leafy sea dragons and many more species inhabit the area underneath the jetty, a hive of activity that will delight any photographer. Edithburgh Jetty is but one of a number of brilliant shore and boat dives available around the Yorke Peninsula. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Very difficult to see when buried into its host sponge Darwinella sp., Vercos Verconia Verconia verconis only grows to 15 mm and is only found in South Australia and south Western Australia. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Rastons Box jelly, or Jimble, Carybdea rastoni is found in the coastal waters from southern New South Wales around to south Western Australia. They have quite a painful sting resulting in red lumps and blistering. It appears that this species feeds on small fish. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
At Edithburg Jetty, entire bottoms of pylons can be covered in hundreds of multi -coloured, sponge covered Doughboy Scallops Mimachlamys asperimera. The commensal sponge protects the scallops from fish predation. The scallops have bright blue eyes and long sentive tendrils. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
A popular destination with holidaymakers, the rather dry and barren peninsula has many wonderful beaches and small towns along its length. Charter boats and compressed air are available in a few locations on this rugged strip of land
Port Giles Jetty
This is another wonderful jetty dive with masses of colour on each pylon, and even more fish than the Edithburgh Jetty. Commonly seen are boarfish, trevally, perch, morwong, bullseyes, yellowtail, sea horses and leafy sea dragons.
One of the most spectacular fish to be seen around the pylons on many Jetties in South Australia is the Mosiac leatherjacket Eubalichthys mosaicus. This attractive leatherjacket is an Australian endemic found from southern Queensland, south, to south Western Australia. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The battered remains of the Clan Ranald which sank in 1909 now lie at 20 m. Many fish and invertebrates shelter in and around the wreckage.
Port Hughes Jetty
Half way up the peninsula, Port Hughes Jetty ( behind this shore scene), is a brilliant dive site with extroardinary creatures, some of which are undescribed. Hundreds and hundreds of pylons covered in a wealth of sponges, soft corals and ascidians.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Endemic to Victoria and South Australia the Tasselled Anglerfish Rhycherus filamentosus is often found around and beneath jetties. The female lays an egg mass containing around 5000 eggs which she guards by shielding them with her body. The species has a very well - developed double fringed lure.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Left: The Port Hughes jetty has an ideal system of ramp steps allowing divers easy access to the wonderful underwater world below. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Right: Dense masses of the spectacular soft coral Carijoa sp. often cover many of the pylons on South Australian jetties. These octocorals have 8 fringed tentacles that are extended in the shade, or at night when they feed on plankton.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
A new undescribed species of cuttlefish, these Port Hughes Cuttlefish Sepia sp. appear to be endemic to South Australia. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Very common along the southern coast of Australia, Gaimards Spider Crab Leptomithrax gaimardi has been found feeding on a dead boxfish. It appears the boxfishes toxic flesh has no effect on the crab. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The Gap
There are a number of interesting caves on this boulder reef, including one over 50 m long. Take a torch to reveal the colourful sponges, gorgonians and ascidians on the walls of the cave, and the resident boarfish, bullseyes, blue devilfish, morwong and wobbegongs.
Known from Victoria and South Australia, the Paroan Discodoris Discodoris paroa is generally found beneath rocks. The pattern on its back is subject to variation, but the colour remains orange. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Althorpe Island
A trip out to Althorpe Island can be very rewarding when the weather allows. The rocky reefs around the island drop into 25 m of water, with many caves and gutters. Reef fish and invertebrates are abundant, and the occasional seal is seen.
Inhabiting sandy bottom and sea grass meadows from southern Queensland, south to north Western Australia, the Tasmanian Bobtail Squid Euprymna tasmanica buries in the sand during the day and comes out at night to hunt shrimps.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Wardang Island
The remains of nine shipwrecks have been located around the island in depths ranging from 2-8 m. The Moorara, which sank in 1975, is the most complete. You can also explore rocky reefs and visit a sea lion colony at White Rock, at the northern end.
Endemic to South Australia where it can be found feeding on the sponge Clathria (Dendrocia) sp. the South Australian Taringa Taringa merria lays yellow egg ribbons directly onto browsed areas of its food sponge. ( Photo: Neville Coleman)
Port Macdonnell Mount Gambier Victor Harbour Adelaide
Kangaroo Island Spencer Gulf Port Lincoln
Eyre Peninsula - Great Australian Bight
Neville Coleman's diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Coleman's expertise in marine life identification extends to the identification of Algae, Sea Grass, Forams, Sponges, Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Sea Anemones, Sea Jellies, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Black Corals, Flatworms, Segmented Worms, Crustaceans, Barnacles, Shrimps, Rock Lobsters, Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters, Molluscs, Chitons, Univalves, Bivalves, Cephalopods, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Opisthobranchs, Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs, Bryozoans, Sea Mosses, Echinoderms, Sea Stars, Feather Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Ascidians/Sea Squirts, Marine Fish, Sharks and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters along the coastal reefs and jetties around Yorke Peninsula.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
