27/5/2006 - Best night dive yet!
Last weekend I logged my 50th dive, which I blogged about last entry, but I also did 2 awesome dives down at Pt Noarlunga. It was funny because I wasn't going to go originally - but it was a Reefwatch training dive and I thought I'd try and finish the course before I go to NZ. I also went out ten-pin bowling the night before, so I was feeling a little seedy in the morning!! Nevertheless I'd committed to it, and with some persuasion, took an extra tank in case it was good enough for a night dive after.
Well, I'm glad I went. The vis was stunning, and we had an excellent instructor, who didn't muck around so we got the Reefwatch-part of the dive done quickly. The rest of the time was ours. We headed South along the inside of the reef, where there are underwater trail markers. There were heaps of fish, and the vis just seemed endless in the 4-6m of water we were in. After we passed the 3rd concrete trail marker, one of the guys motioned us to come and see something. He had found what looked to me like a tiny turtle's head poking out of a boulder. As I got closer and focussed better, its body materialised out of camouflage and I realised it was some sort strange fish - a goblinfish to be exact! Very cool.  The sort of thing that inspires sci-fi films! We had planned for 60min dive, and it was getting to the 40min mark and I didn't want to get too cold or else I'd suffer on the night dive - there was no question we were coming back for seconds, with the vis this good and creatures like goblinfish around we just couldn't pass it up! So we headed back to the jetty. On the way, a senator wrasse was being quite bold, and when I stopped it came right up and kind of sat in front of me. Further along, it did again, and got quite agitated whenever we went near a scallop. It was then that I realised that this fish was waiting to be fed!! Usually I frown down upon feeding the wildlife, but I made an exception, and sure enough, that was what he (or she) was after!! Boy, we were its best friend after that, and it followed us right back to the first trail marker before it gave up on us. Sitting right at end of jetty and edge of reef was a small blue urn, the kind you kept people ashes in. My buddy motioned to open it and I made the sign of the cross - I didn't know what (who?!) was still inside, and didn't want to know!! Certainly would give a whole new meaning to "silting up"!  By this time it was late afternoon, and we had 2 min until the 60min mark so we floated around underneath the steps - "60" is a nice round figure to work with in your log book. I rolled on my back and gazed west towards the shards of light cutting through the water over the reef as the sun sank low. What a stunning afternoon!
We trekked back to the car park and doffed our gear ready to change tanks for the night dive. We took our time, had a hot Milo (I was patting myself on the back for thinking to pack the thermos) and got a generous serving of hot chips from the local fish 'n' chip shop. By this time it was almost completely dark, and we'd had an hour out of the water - time to get back in!! This time we had a camera, and we were hoping we would find that goblin fish again.
There no moon so the water was like ink. We dropped down and I was pleased I'd put a new set of batteries in my SL4. The vis was still excellent, and our lights cut through the darkness, finding the pilons and edge of the reef. Just near the jetty we spotted a small stingray come out to feed, and quite a common sight. Further down I found a globe fish hovering over the sand, and he obliged for a photo. A decorated crab was perched on a rock, looking bold and unconcerned that he was not-at-all camouflaged! There were many goatfish fast asleep under overhangs and on the sand. They looked very pink while they were sleeping, like they'd applied blush before they'd gone to bed. My buddy was pausing a lot to take photos, so I went see what was ahead. He flashed me with his torch to come back - another first sighting for me, he had found a sea mouse! Another very weird creature:
This dive was great! I love seeing things for the first time. It's easy to underestimate how good Pt Noarlunga can be, if you give it a chance, as it's dived so often during the day. It can be transformed at night! The beauty of this dive took my breath away, being underwater and weightless is a wondrous thing...distracted I forgot about my buddy momentarily until I turned around and realised he wasn't right there anymore. My heart fluttered and I stopped and looked back. Nothing. So I turned off my torch. It was DARK. Slowly my eyes adjusted, the reef turning into ominous black shapes. And then I saw his flash go off around the corner. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to check on him. Silently I scolded myself - one, for being a bad buddy and swimming off, and two, because I'm a cav/sink diver now so I shouldn't be afraid of the dark!!!!  
We pushed on, hoping we would find the goblinfish again, so some photographic evidence could be gathered. It's great being underwater, for me it's like meditating, finding inner peace or something. The requirement to interact with people is minimised, you can't talk, so you can focus on yourself, your thoughts, what's around you. And on this dive, for the first time, that I truly felt comfortable underwater. I realised this was what I'm about! Who needs drugs?!
We reached the 3rd trail marker, and started to search in earnest the boulders for this goblin fish. And we found it! They must be quite sedentary, and at a guess from their camouflage I'd say they're a sit-and-wait, ambush-type predator. Some time was spent making sure some photos of it, before we turned and headed for home.
This was a glorious dive, and definitely my best night dive... so far! 
Many thanks to GP for (AGAIN) letting me use his photos on my blog. 
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