Yesterday, the ocean was quite calm which is not great for surfing but it is fantastic for snorkeling.  So, I grabbed my wetsuit and snorkel mask and went for a snorkel in Cabbage Tree Bay.  The bay is a fantastic little aquatic reserve that has a surprising variety of sea life that changes throughout the seasons.   The water was cool and clear and the sunlight shown through illuminating the sea grass below which shown a striking bright green against the blue of the ocean.  Check out the video below!

Some scenes like the giant schools of fish or the clouds of jellyfish are best captured in video but I also wanted to share a few still frames.

Dusky Flathead

The Dusky Flathead, also known as the Dusky Lizardfish or Lizard Flathead, is a species of predatory fish found along the coastlines and estuaries of Australia.  With their excellent camouflage and ambush tactics, they patiently lie in wait, often partially buried in the sand and attack small fish or prawn from below.   They have an elongated body with a broad, flattened head and a large mouth.  Their eyes are on the top of their head making it easy for them to attack overhead prey.  Along their spine, they have a row of sharp, venomous spines that can cause intense pain, swelling, bleeding, and discoloration of the skin in the surrounding area.  The tails of Dusky Flatheads have a beautiful blue tint and a black spot which seems likely to be a distraction for larger predators.  I find the most enjoyment in spotting them and then watching them erupt from the sand in a cloud of dust.  

Sand Lizardfish

These small odd shaped fish are also bottom dwellers with spectacular camouflage.  Little is known about them other than that they generally live in shallow waters (with the exception of the deapsea lizardfish that lives beyond sunlight at 3,000 meters) and that their mouths are full of spiney teeth.  Apparently, they even have teeth on their tongues.   

Old Wife

These striking little fish have vertical black and silver bands like a zebra and their dorsal fins have boney spines.  There are conflicting accounts of whether or not the spines are venomous.  When these fish are caught, they grind their teeth making an unusual sound.  Apparently, this grinding sound is the reason they were given the name “Old Wife”.   Perhaps the most amazing fact about these fish is that there are fossils dating back 50 million years showing the same skeletal structure and even the capturing the zebra color pattern.   Apparently, they are the perfect specimen, requiring almost zero evolutionary adaptation or improvement.  

Comb Jellyfish

These gelatinous creatures can sometimes cluster in massive groups that are disturbing to swim through as you can see in the video.  Comb Jellyfish can grow up to 5 feet in length and are characterized by the combs or cilia (tiny threadlike arms) that line their bodies and which they use to control their movement in the water.  Interestingly, Comb Jellyfish do not have a brain or central nervous system.  Instead, they have what is called a nerve net which is like a spider web of neurons in their skin.  Even stranger, the neurons in the nerve net are actually fused together, having many nuclei within the same massive cell that composes the nerve net.  Comb jellyfish come in a wide variety of body forms so they may look fairly different.   When the combs or cilia move, they may diffract light creating a rainbow effect and some types of Comb Jellyfish are actually bioluminescent.  When attacked, some Comb Jellyfish can even secrete a bioluminescent ink.  That seems amazing to me for a creature that is supposedly very simple.