Great Australian Bight Esperance Albany - Denmark Albany Best in the SW
Augusta - Cape Naturalist Busselton - Geographe Bay Fremantle - Cockburn
Sound Rottnest Island Jurien Bay - Geraldton Shark Bay
Ningaloo Reef - Exmouth Port Hedland Dampier Broome - Cape Levique
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Christmas Island Diving
Situated 60 km west of Geraldton, the Houtman Abrolhos consists of 100 islands and numerous reefs stacked with tropical marine life.
The coral reefs found here are some of the southern-most in the Indian Ocean and are perfect places for scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography.
They survive because of the warm Leeuwin Current which flows down the coast of Western Australia each winter.
Barbara La Praik with one of the cannons of the "Batavia" wrecked in 1629. They were still lying in the lagoon behind the reef when we got there in 1971. With such a terrifying history of violence and murder on Beacon Isand which precluded the sinking, there was a lot of history in the time we spent there assisting in the survey.( photo: Neville Coleman)
Discovered in 1617 by Dutch mariner Frederick Houtman, the low-lying islands and reefs of the Houtman Abrolhos became notorious after the sinking of the Batavia in 1629. The Dutch East Indian ship was bound for Batavia (Jakarta), when it ran aground at dawn. Most of the 316 people on board survived to reach Beacon Island, but few survived the mutiny that followed.
The Batavia was relocated in 1963, and today is one of the most important shipwrecks in Australia. Excavation of the wreck was undertaken by the Western Australian Maritime Museum, and many artefacts and parts of the hull can be seen on display at the museum in Fremantle.
The reefs at the Houtman Abrolhos off Geraldton produce the largest catch of rock lobsters in Australia and have been doing so for many years.
In the early days, the only way to get out to the islands was to join a spearfishing group on their charter boat and hope that there would be something left to take pictures of?
I am not kidding, WA spearos are ledgendary. I have had them shoot the fish out from in front of my camera at 20 metres, just to show me they could.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Situated 60 km west of Geraldton, the Houtman Abrolhos consists of 100 islands and numerous reefs. The coral reefs found here are some of the southern-most in the Indian Ocean, and survive because of the warm Leeuwin Current which flows through the area each winter. These reefs produce the biggest catch of rock lobsters in Australia around 200 fishermen work in the area between March and June. Fishermen have built small shacks on many of the islands, but the marine environment is still largely intact.
A modern day beachcomber, historical adventurer and author, Hugh Edwards was our host for a very interesting experience in the Abrolhos Islands on our Australian Coastal Marine Expedition in 1971.( photo: Neville Coleman)
The islands of the Houtman Abrolhos are divided into three sections: the Pelsaert, Easter and Wallaby Groups, all of which offer great live-aboard diving. Dive sites around the islands are extremely varied, with shallow reefs, drop-offs, caves, gutters and an unusual mixture of corals and kelp. While the tropical species are common, many temperate species are also abundant. Even Australian sea lions are occasionally seen here.
A number of live-aboard boats, operating out of Geraldton, run regular trips to the Houtman Abrolhos. These vary in length from weekenders to week-long exploration trips. Diving can be good at any time of the year, however the best diving conditions are experienced in autumn and spring.
Spangled Emperors lethrinus nebulosus were just as popular with fishermen and spearfishermen on the west coast as they were on the east coast. However, they left a few on both coasts for me to get good shots of. Must admit that on the trip around Australia ...we did actually eat a couple, so and I can understand why they are such a popular a fish on the menu. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Halfmoon Reef
On and around Halfmoon Reef, divers will find spectacular fish life morwong, jewfish, coral trout, gropers, kingfish, silver drummer, mackerel, tuna, trevally, samsonfish, yellowtail and sometimes a reef shark. Scattered across the reef are the remains of the Zeewyk (1727) and the Windsor (1908). The wreckage of the Windsor is the most interesting.
The Common Lionfish Pterois volitans was even more common in central Western Australia and around the reefs of the Houtman Abrolhos as I ever remembered them on the Great Barrier Reef. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Pelsaert Island
A brilliant drop-off is found on the eastern side of Pelsaert Island. Try a drift dive from 5-25 m to see the wonderful variety of corals that flourish along the wall. On the reef you can easily find rock lobsters (which cannot be removed from the area), moray eels, wrasse, parrotfish, lionfish, gropers, butterflyfish, trevally and a wide range of invertebrate species.
Although this little sea star was common on the Great Barrier Reef, until I recorded one from the Houtman Abrolhos in 1972, the Multi - pore Sea Star Linckia multflora ( although common) had not been recorded from that area before.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Morley Island
A variety of interesting dive sites within the lagoon or along the drop-off make a visit to Morley Island worthwhile. In the lagoon macro-photographers will find plenty of subjects tube worms, cuttlefish, sea stars, sea urchins, flatworms, shrimp, crabs, anemonefish, lionfish and nudibranchs.
The only orange form of the Tessellated Halgerda halgerda tessellata I have ever encountered was found under a rock at low tide at the Houtman Abrolhos. Exquisite indeed, this rare form was a very exciting discovery at the time.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Rolland Passage
Flourishing at depths of 5-30 m pretty coral gardens cover the reefs in the Rolland Passage. Here butterflyfish, parrotfish, cuttlefish, angelfish, coral trout, gobies, anemonefish, damsels, rock cod, gropers and sweetlips are plentiful.
The Houtman Abrolhos, Indian Ocean colour form of the Spanish dancer Hexabranchus sanguineus just blew me away, and to think that I found it stranded on an intertidal reef, was even more surprising. Because I was not very confident in my hastily learnt photography ( by experience on the expedition) I shot many rolls of 12 frame films, just to make sure I captured the moment, and the species.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Eastern Islands
More exciting wall diving to 35 m can be enjoyed on the eastern side of the Eastern Islands. Baldchin gropers, kingfish, angelfish, snapper, stingrays, coral trout, sweetlips and many other species of reef and pelagic fish are regularly seen at this location.
Baldchin Gropers as these fish are known, are not ( of course) Gropers at all, but Balchin Wrasse Choerodon rubescens. This species grows to 90 cm, is very common and one of the main targets for spearfishermen going out on charter trips to the islands.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Batavia Shipwreck
The remains of the Batavia lie in 6 m of water. Cannons, anchors and the occasional artefact can still be seen. An interesting assortment of marine life lives on the surrounding reef.
My not so fondest memories of belonging to the Australian Malacological Society was the time that I had stood up at a meeting and reported that I had seen a Sand snail ( Natica sp.) carrying its prey wrapped up in pouch in the rear of its foot.
The Autralian Museum curator of Molluscs dissected a preserved ( dead ) sand snail and could find no such pouch, and next meeting reported it as such.
This shattered my confidence and added to my feelings of insecurity as I was seen as not being a competent naturalist, and shown up as such, to my peers.
It took me another 3 years to get images to show that some molluscs actually do carry their prey around in a pouch formed by their foot, as seen by this Southern Baler Shell Melo miltonis. Once I published the image, they wrote a scientific paper on it, but there were never any apologies, to me. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Morning Reef
Shallow coral gardens provide pleasant diving around Morning Reef. In depths from 6-10 m are plenty of hard corals, colourful reef fish and invertebrates.
Always a poser, the Blue Angelfish Pomacanthus semicirculatus occurs from the Houtman Abrolhos northwards along the Western Australian coast. It is rarely seen in inshore waters and seems to prefer the cleaner waters of offshore reefs.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Beacon Island
Lovely coral gardens are found around Beacon Island, with staghorn and plate corals, anemonefish, octopi, rock lobsters, shrimp, butterflyfish, scorpionfish, moral eels, morwong and many other species.
Found from Rottnest Island northwards the Green Moon Wrasse Thalassoma lutescens females generally swim around in small groups with one, or two males ( as pictured ) swimming around with them. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Long Island
One of the best wall dives in the area is found on the eastern side of Long Island. Here the wall drops to a depth of 40 m. Sharks and pelagic fish are usual dive companions.
My first experience of finding Leache's Sea Star Leiaster leachi was snorkeling through the white water on the reef edge at Houtman Abrolhos. A metre across the arms, it took over 30 minutes to extract its long arms, which were entertwined in the many holes in the wave torn reef it inhabited.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Great Australian Bight Esperance Albany - Denmark Albany Best in the SW
Augusta - Cape Naturalist Busselton - Geographe Bay Fremantle - Cockburn
Sound Rottnest Island Jurien Bay - Geraldton Shark Bay
Ningaloo Reef - Exmouth Port Hedland Dampier Broome - Cape Levique
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Christmas Island Diving
Neville Colemans diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Colemans 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, Marine Reptiles, and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters around the Houtman Abrolhos.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
