Postcards Discoveries: Mornington Peninsula

Feather duster worm, but this is Mornington not Wonders of the the Barrier

diving’s under-world off Mornington coast deepBy PAUL HARDING ustralia is world-renowned in diving circles for the , but you don’t have Ato go that far to see some spectacular marine life. There’s a weird and wonderful underwater world right on our doorstep in Bay – and much of it is only a few metres below the surface.

Tiny Portsea, on the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, is ’s most diver-friendly spot, so this is where I head to begin some underwater exploration. Gary Grant, of Bayplay Adventure Tours, has been running guided dives and PADI courses here for 12 years and says shore diving in the temperate waters around Portsea comes as a Seahorse nestled in the surprise to those who have only experienced tropical waters. Sea dragon with eggs, captured in the lens, so exquisite coral, a burst of colour “I did two thousand dives in the tropics before I moved here,” says Gary, “But the one thing that got me here is how unusual the diving is — the weirdness and unique marine life. A sting ray the width of a tractor tyre glides below us along the sandy bottom - the stinger looks menacing but the ray just wants to move on. Mornington diver at Sometimes it’s actually more colourful than the reefs.” HMAS Camberra Much of this colour comes from , kelp, urchins and The shore dives along the peninsula range between five and 12 metres, anemones that cling to sea walls and pier pylons, attracting a so they’re not demanding and can be dived in almost any conditions, variety of sea creatures large and small. For this reason, Gary says but slack are better for visibility. Experienced divers looking for shallow shore dives from the piers at Portsea, Blairgowrie, Rye and deeper, more challenging sites should head out to the wreck of the Mornington are visually better than deeper water boat dives, especially HMAS Canberra, an old frigate sunk in about 30 metres of water and for beginners or divers not accustomed to temperate waters. opened as a dive site in 2009, the 30 metre-deep Portsea Hole and I join guide Liam and dive with tourist, Ruty, from Israel, on our first dozens more sites between Port Phillip heads. In the right conditions there’s some amazing diving off the peninsula’s back beaches too, as dive at Portsea pier. It’s only a short walk from the dive shop, so we Scuba Diver and Weedy Dragon totter over fully kitted up except for tanks and fins. This is renowned well as boat-based cray dives, night dives and trips to Boarfish Reef. as one of the few guaranteed habitats of the weedy sea dragon, a sort If you’ve never dived before, Portsea’s dive outfits offer Discover Scuba of elongated seahorse. The first thing I notice after taking the plunge courses (no certification), PADI or SSI Open Water courses and advanced off the pier is that the water is not as cold as I expect – the dual layer courses such as rescue and dive master. Bayplay also runs guided neoprene does the job. Visibility isn’t great today due to the sea kayaking trips, snorkelling and swims with dolphins and seals. ebbing and , but we spot globe fish or puffers, biscuit starfish, Gary and his crew are passionate about marine conservation, and ask and the star attraction – three sea dragons, swaying like ancient marine all divers and snorkelers to fill out a brief Reef Watch survey, noting plant dinosaurs, colourful and elegant with their flowing appendages. and marine life observed. This information goes to a database at the Our second dive, a short drive away at Blairgowrie, promises more Museum of Victoria, and can then be used for education and to better surprises. Again it’s from the pier, but here an underwater wall provides manage the marine environment. Although Gary says the bay is healthy, a home to a stupendously colourful garden of sponges, anemones and the impact of ongoing dredging on marine life is yet to be fully realised. sea grass - living organisms in bright orange, red, purple and green. Visibility is good and, dropping below the surface, we’re immersed in a At a Glance: “..dropping below the surface, silent world of astonishing wildlife. We immediately spot tiny pot-bellied bayplay.com.au seahorses grazing against the pylons, so odd and un-fish-like that it divevictoria.com.au we’re immersed in a silent world seems nature might have made some strange, but very cute, mistake. idcscuba.com.au We spot sea stars, urchins and neon nudibranchs which are sea slugs. reefwatchvic.asn.au of astonishing wildlife” 66 67 Postcards Magazine Autumn 2012 www.postcardsmagazine.com.au