Wynyard - North Coast Bass Strait Islands Bicheno Hobart Tasman Peninsula
A good selection of shore dives are accessible off St Helens coast. Try Binalong Bay and Grants Point, where a wide variety of fish and invertebrates are found on the reefs making the entire area good for scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography.
In Georges Bay, some of the best scuba diving is on the local jetties.
The jetties shelter a multitude of invertebrate life, and make great night dives.
Neville at a Georges Bay jetty ( 1976) The jetties made fantastic night dives with stacks of species and extraordinary behavioural sequences of relatively unknown marine life.
Situated at the top end of Georges Bay, St Helens is a former mining town that now relies on the fishing industry and tourism for its existence. Visitors enjoy seafood meals, buy arts and crafts, explore the nearby National parks, and dive the unique marine world along the coastline.
In the bays and estuaries the sandy bottoms are inhabited by lots of Stingarees. Divers must be very careful during the day, and even more so at night, not to accidently kneel, or lay on one. The Banded Stingaree Urolophus cruciatus is very common and although not huge in size, can pack a nasty sting in its tail. Another lesson I learnt down south. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The diving off St Helens has only really opened up since the East Coast Scuba Centre began offering boat dives, and invaluable advice on the best shore diving sites in the area.
Although not always easy to find, sea spiders are really interesting 'critters'. The Ambiguous Sea Spider Pseudopallene ambigua feeds on bryozoans and can be found in Victoria and Tasmania.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Booker Rocks
Located 1 km off St Helens point, this site is also known locally as the Dough Boys. On the eastern side of the rocks, a brilliant reef drops from 10-26 m. The top of the reef has a thick blanket of kelp, which thins out further down the wall, to be replaced by colourful sponges, ascidians, bryozoans and zoanthids. The many caves and swim-throughs that cut deep into the wall are occupied by boarfish, rock lobsters, conger eels, bearded rock cod and globefish. In among the sponges are sea stars, nudibranchs, sea spiders, basket stars and other invertebrates. There are also several species of reef fish such as wrasse, leatherjackets, cowfish, morwong and perch.
Few dives in Tasmanias deeper waters would be made without the presence of schools. or groups of Butterfly Perch Caesioperca lepidoptera. They grow to 30 cm and feed directly on plankton picked from the water column.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Merrick Rock
Three kilometres east of St Helens Point is a submerged ref known as Merrick Rock, the top of which lies in 4 m. The sides drop into deep water, providing spectacular diving on pinnacles, walls, caves and gutters covered with sponge gardens, and abundant reef fish and invertebrates. Divers are usually surrounded by schools of butterfly perch, and many see draughtboard sharks, tuna, kingfish and other pelagics. This reef is visited by southern right whales and dolphins during winter.
Many other excellent boat diving sites can be explored off St Helens, including Sloop Rock, Elephant Rock and St Helens Island.
Diurnal of nature, the Fleshy Doriopsilla Doriopsilla carneola can be seen out in the open on reef, sand, or rubble and varies in colour from orange to yellow and may even be red. In many cases there are white patches, or spots , or specks present on the dorsal surface. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Shore Diving
A good selection of shore dives are accessible off St Helens coast. Try Binalong Bay and Grants Point, where a wide variety of fish and invertebrates are found on the reefs. In Georges Bay, some of the best diving is on the local jetties. These shelter a multitude of invertebrate life, and make great night dives.
An inhabitant of sandy, silty bays and estuaries the Estuary Catfish Cnidnoglanis macrocephalus grows to 60 cm and generally leads a nocturnal existance, hiding in holes in the bottom, in sea grass meadows and beneath ledges. It has 3 very venomous spines which are capable of causing extremely painful wounds.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Found all around southern Australia, the Giant Cuttlefish Sepia apama is the largest cuttlefish in the world, growing up to a metre in size. It feeds on fish and crabs, is attracted to anything shiny and has excellent eyesight.
( photo Neville Coleman)
Generally seen out in the open on coastal and offshore reefs, the Ambiguous Chromodoris Chromodoris ambigua grows to 30mm and feeds on several different sponges. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Prized by spearfishermen, the Boarfish Pentacerostris recurvirostris is easily approachable but not always easy to photograph due to its very shiny scales. This fish is another example of southern Australias unique fauna , as it is not found anywhere alse in the world. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Wynyard - North Coast Bass Strait Islands Bicheno Hobart Tasman Peninsula
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 around the St. Helens area.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
