Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group | Community organisation

Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group

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24.01.2022 We're in the paper!

24.01.2022 As promised, here are a few images of some of the charismatic sea slugs in local rock pools at the moment. Hopefully, they'll stick around for the Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census from 29-31 January.

21.01.2022 Rate this camouflage from 1-10! : Maeve Plouffe Watch as this cuttlefish moves back and forth in the water column to mimic the movement, coloration, and text...ure of the leaves. Cuttlefish have the highest DPI of any cephalopod. Which means they have more chromatophores per square inch on their skin than ANY squid or octopus. It’s almost like having a TV screen as skin! The Cuttlefish has a fin around their body resembling a short, color-changing skirt. Their muscular fin undulates & can maneuver the cuttlefish in nearly any direction: backward, forward, even in circles. When needing to make a quick getaway, cuttlefish morph their tentacles, arms, & body into a sleek looking car-shape and use jet-propulsion to blast away. Another quick fact while we have your attention, Cuttlefish have the CraZy ability to control their buoyancy by adjusting the levels of gas in their cuttlebone, a porous internal shell- that's how they float so effortlessly in the water. Caption from the From the videographer @maeveplouffe Cephalopod camouflage never ceases to amaze me! Cephalopods have the remarkable ability to alter both the colour and texture of their skin to blend seamlessly with their surrounding habitat. Under the skin, chromatophores contain pigment sacs, while iridophores and leucophores reflect and scatter light. The skin also has a muscular-hydrostatic system which raises papillae to make it appear bumpy or textured. Perhaps even more amazing is how quickly this all takes place. I managed to capture the exact moment that this cuttlefish morphed from camouflaging against seagrass, to being smooth and streamlined. I love how you can see all of these mechanisms interact to completely transform the animal. Which fact did you find the most surprising Nation? Let us know below! We hope you have a new appreciation for these squishy lightening rods #OctoNation #Scuba #cephalopod #discoverocean #diving #NationalGeographic #AnimalPlanet #oceanconservation #NatGeoWild #theellenshow #tidepools #blueplanet #uwphotography #underwaterphotography #UWMacro #divinglife #MissionBlue #hopespots #cuttlefish #australia

20.01.2022 Launching the Dive Quest boat at Arrawarra Beach. The tractor almost always makes it back to shore. #DiveCrawl2017

20.01.2022 A leopard Blemmy form today's North Solitary Dive! We did both south and north solitary, check the dive report to read more! https://jettydive.com.au/14th-january-2021-north-and-south/

19.01.2022 Thanks to Chris, John and Kate for the fantastic dives at North and North West Solitary last week. Great team and conditions.

17.01.2022 ... and here are a few more slugs found in rock pools over the last few days (Mullaway and Woolgoolga).

16.01.2022 Seahorse fry. I would rather they were called seafoals

15.01.2022 NOOSA LOCALS WATCHING FOR YOUNG WHALE SHARK Rangers and marine biologists say they’ll be keeping an eye out for a baby whale shark that beached itself on rock...s at Noosa yesterday. The juvenile whale entered shallow water at Noosa National Park but managed to make it back out to deeper water thanks to help from onlookers who got the whale off the rocks. Marine biologist Doctor Julian Pepperell says the animal may have been trying to escape predators. He says it’s rare to see a whale shark so close to shore. Carly Pan

10.01.2022 Zoom information meeting about the Sea Slug Census this coming Thursday evening, 28 January, via Zoom. Starts at 6:30 pm. Because some people have slow internet access at home, please turn OFF your video camera when you sign into the meeting. Most of your questions will be answered during the talks and the Chat function will be used if you have extra questions. Here's the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/94224848579 Meeting ID: 942 2484 8579 Passcode: 755117

01.01.2022 Thanks for 2 absolutely amazing dives yesterday. We will definitely be back!