Divers: Deon, Rebekah, Barb, Mark, Louis, Leo, Peter, Tracey, Youri, Puspendu, Carlos, Stuart, Keith, Ian, Jenann, Luke, Rick, Mark, Vikki
Surface Crew: Denis, Susie, Sue, Mick,

Visibility: 10m Water Temperature: 11 Degrees

From Pier to Pub
To my surprise I was greeted by 20 divers kitting up as I swung into the car park at Rye last Saturday. At the briefing our divemasters reminded us of the correct torch and hand signal etiquette for night diving. Unfortunately for the night sea-life no such subtlety was to apply as they were subjected to 20 divers combined torch and strobe power.
We trudged down the pier past the crab fishermen who, strangely, were putting perfectly good calamari in their pots so they could catch undersized crabs and other creature such as baby Port Jackson's. (I think I might have a word with Fisheries). Finally we were ready to leap into the black water with a frisson borne of a little danger, the cold and the expectation of what is to be found below.
While there were no large fish to be found Rye Pier still managed to provide new sightings. A number of potbelly sea horses were on display who were either dazzled into a frozen state or they didn't mind the paparrazzi's flashes and lights. I guess every horse has its day. Despite their patience I didn't manage a decent shot, as there was a lot of backscatter from tiny krill-like organisms in the water. Next my dive buddy, Luke, found the mystery fish of the day. I managed a photo of it body but not its head so I have included the photo with this report for scientific purposes not for photographic bragging. At the end of the jetty there were a couple of short nosed worm eels fossicking in the sand which led us to sweet little southern dumpling squid who also had its day in the spot light.
After an hour of exploring, the divers returned to shore and the warmth of the Rye Pier dining room where friends joined them. The only disappointment from a good Saturday night was having to rinse my gear when I got home instead of going straight to my cosy bed.
Stuart Garrow

Thanks to Mark, Youri, Stuart and Vikki for the photos.