Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I still stand by my take it easy and learn slowly. You don't really want to be thrown in the deep end on this. heh! deep end... sometimes my unintentional poor wit surprises even me...

AFAIK in NSW you may take NOTHING on SCUBA
in Vic you can do almost whatever you like, within fishing regs. There are no regs to say you have to kill flathead once you've hooked them. Keeping fish alive after they've been taken is your prerogative. Only question is can you take them on scuba.

BTW I wouldn't want to mess with a cuttlefish... they're nasty little buggers if cornered.

the little dive knife is to stab your buddy with while you swim calmly and quickly in the other direction

or just to sever his LP hose

Every diver and many non-divers have heard of the crown of thorns. A nasty starfish that is eating the barrier reef, covered in poisonous spines.

Well here in Victoria and Tasmania (possibly in SA and NSW also) we have what is called the northern pacific sea star. A big evil guy who hitched a ride down from Japan or somewhere near by.

They eat whatever they happen to be on top of at the time. Alive or dead, they leave a trail of death behind them.
If an arm is severed, or the starfish is cut in half, unlike other starfish, this nasty little bugger will grow into TWO complete new starfish. If you happen to cut 2 legs off, then 3 will grow... (so don't cut em up, they don't die)
Many people know these as a threat, yet I was surprised at the number of people who couldn't identify them. So I thought I'd post some pics for us all to look at.

If you see these, put em in your bc, take em home for your tank (quite pretty) but whatever you do, DO NOT LEAVE THEM THERE, haul out as many as you can in your catch bag, use em to fertilise you garden, whatever.
As you can see in the following, they can become quite prolific, and they're destroying our bay and coastline.
[web]http://www.invasives.org.au/gallery/gallerya2.html[/web]
[web]http://www.scienceimage.csiro.au/index.cfm?event=site.image.detail&id=931[/web]
OK I'm done now... just don't forget, they deserve to die.

YOU REALLY ARE A DIVER!!!

Finally! A topic i know something about... though i haven't dove in years due to kids *sigh*

Just a fun thing that i still do when snorkling... I take a block of cheddar cheese (Not sure if they have it there?) but it's crumbly. Just float around breaking off chunks and let the reef fish come to you!

Steve, my experience was always that whatever group i went with they all seemed to need to swin off as fast as they could trying to look at everything. I'd go to the bottom and drift around. My air would at least twice as long as theirs. One of my first dives they thought my wife and i had drown. Everyone else was up in twenty minutes and we were down nearly an hour. Take it easy and enjoy!

Poppa

+1 for just drifting around.
Let the fish come to me and take pleasure seeing the submarine micro world. (Must be getting older..)
Unless I'm catching crayfish, now that's a different story...

Hehehehe and it took you 10 months to find it!!!!

Not diving sux... I need all my gear tested, and lack of funds is currently my issue... BYAP is too pricey and time consuming

Yep, must admit, I'm in the same boat.
I tend to spend any spare cash on AP. Does not leave much for getting the dive gear tested.

Speaking of boats, mine has spent the past twelve months in the rumpus room.

Mind you, it has been a rocket ship, racing car, submarine, fire engine, aeroplane, and A BIG TRUCK!
Yesterday we went to the moon, the zoo and an island!

cool that this thread has been resurected!

scotttt, glad to see that pic, wanted a "boat" for me and my bro to cruise out in with out all the "boat" transport issues.

poppa et.al., yep, i'm for the slow and easy style, is how i snorkle, pretty much go to an area and let the waves move me where they want, when i tire of the scenery i move to another place and do the same.

job for tonight is to find a local MD that can sign me off for the medical so i can get this show on the road for real.

All you people with you fancy clear water. You should try it out here, unblocking floodgates or trying to save that expensive lure. You get to look at the fish we are just happy if a large cod or carp does not try and taste you while your feeling around.

Fancy clear water? Ask my wife about the dive where she couldn't see her hands. All she could think about were sharks...

It did sork of suck, trying to hover inches off bottom the whole time.

Dad has air for one diver to 12mtrs on one of his boats. Next time I go sailing I'll have to have a go.

Steve have you gone and done the medical yet ? Don't let those dive credits expire.

Also watch out for the sadistic instructors in the course who let you have a big lunch and then tell you to get in the pool and do the 400 metre swim straight afterwards

Craig

hehehe fun times...
Yeah come on Steve... where's ya ticket?