Animal Farm of Jervis Bay, Australia
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SW: "Never seen a Weedy Seadragon before, is it easy to find?" This was the conversation between our operator and me, before we donned on our drysuits. I really hated these 5-mm suffocating hoods & studded gloves and the zillions pounds of lead dragging my butt down. Still a bit puzzled about what the operator said, we took a giant strike into the turquoise sea of Jervis Bay. The 13 degrees C chilled me all the way up my spine. Before coming to this part of Australia, Cairns was the place we visited. The water there was in happy 25 degrees C, and because of the luggage issue, we brought only drysuits. My buddy, Brandon, was laughing at us wearing these full metal jackets in the temperate zone off Cairns. Have to admit, Takako and I did look a bit silly, while others were simply having skin or 3mm suits. We sweated so much that I thought we were going to get skin rashes. Nonetheless, my drysuit still seemed frail in Jervis Bay's frigid water. We followed the anchor chain to the sea meadows, and the visibility was surprisingly good. Colorful fishes, such as Maori Wrasses, skirmished around, seemingly oblivious to divers. A couple of curious Magpie Morwong gave us the 'awe' look and continued on their businesses. The 60-centimeter tall sea grass mindlessly swayed with the placid current. Everything seemed idyllic, as on a Sunday afternoon in the park. A bell suddenly (we call u/w Hammerhead) broke the tranquility. At the end of the 8-meter visibility, I could see Takako signally on the sand patch. Acknowledging my approach, she messed around the strobes and aligned the camera. Flashes went off, as she delivered a shot. Hovering above the sand (and really at the edge of grass border), there was this weird-looking stick fish. Viola, a Weedy Seadragon! The colors on the animal were astounding. Orange and white spots dotted along its fluty snout, purplish bands reticulated around its throat and chest, whilst pearly specks twinkling on its girthy body. What a creation by God! The Seadragon was actually quite a large critter, about 30-centimeters in length. The maroon-colored appendages complemented the interesting shape of the body, making it one of the most beautiful animals that I have ever seen. Dodging a bit from the target light of my wife, the Weedy Seadragon twirled around and faced me. "Sorry, Little Guy!" I murmured. My strobes went off. The poor creature didn't like to be hot-spotted, and decided to head back into the grass fields. The animal really perfectly blended in the environment, as it swayed gently with the algal grass, mimicking a dead twig. I guess if without our torch lights, it would be difficult to see. 'Click, click, click', we snapped another few images before we left the Dragon alone. Moving along the edge of these 2 terrains, we did come across another handful of these wonderful animals. Like most Seahorse family members, these vibrant Seadragons would not like to head-posing for us. As our cameras edged close, the animals would simply turn one way or another, shying away, and showing us its stick-like behind. Methodically, they would hide themselves amongst the sea grass. Incidentally, most of the Dragons we located had parts or all of their weedy appendages bitten off by some wicked creature. I still have to find out what the culprit is. As we popped back on the dive boat, the operator casually asked, "Were they there?" With cold air streaming out, Takako replied how many we saw and how un-cooperated they were in photography, while I added how I almost wetted my inner fleece for warmth. "OK, next what? How about getting some PJs (Port Jackson Sharks)?" our ever laidback operator resumed.
SW: "Got some PJs in Aquariums before, never in the ocean. Are they easy to find?" Sounds Deja-vu, doesn't it? After finding our Port Jackson Shark, we requested the operator another treasure (or we were given another quest), the Giant Cuttlefish. With similar Q&A process, he again unfailingly delivered result. One of the Giant Cuttlefish we found was about one meter in length; just the body, without accounting for the webby tentacles already. This biggie was so friendly that it allowed our un-gloved hands to touch it, even between its large eyes. These cephalopods are awesomely psychedelic and possess incredible characters. In the next few days, we continued finding what we wished for. With our operator's help (this time he had to be in the water), we even encountered Angel Shark and Numb Ray. Deliberately looking for more challenging tasks for him next time, I already have started to dig into New South Wales critter literatures. Let's see whether our operator can again deliver these bizarre animals from his Animal Farm. Stephen Wong |