Northern Suburbs Branch 22 March 2023

Seven members and five visitors from the nearby Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club began the morning with a walk along the beach on the northern side of the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club. Don immediately had a captured audience amongst the visitors as he explained the difference between seaweed and seagrass. It was the first time we held our annual Beachcombing and Snorkel event here.

The ghost crabs had obviously been very active during the night, as their tell-tale tracks and burrows were everywhere. A Rams Horn “shell‘‘ drew the usual question, is it some kind of tube worm or worm tube? The explanation that it was the buoyancy chamber of a small squid family member amazed the onlookers. A large fibre ball also had people suggesting many wrong origins.

The plants in the dunes provided Don with the opportunity to point out the difference between female and male Long-leafed Spinifex (Spinifex longifolius), explain the origin of the Genus name for Thick-leaved Scaevola (Scaevola crassifolia), why Coastal Bonefruit (Threkeldia diffusa) is sometimes referred to as the “mouse poo’’ plant and had people sniffing the aromatic Coastal Daisy (Olearia axillaris), as he told them it was among the plants collected by William Dampier in 1699.

Unfortunately, it was a case of “should have been here yesterday” when it came to snorkeling. The ocean on Tuesday morning was flat and clear; the temperature at 8:00 am was already 26 degrees. The waves were breaking on the beach and over the reefs on Wednesday morning, and visibility was poor due to the stirred-up sand. However, this did not stop five members and visitors from at least trying to do the impossible – spot the Leafy Seadragons known to inhabit the reefs. The best we could do through the clouds of sand was to see a few Woodward’s Pomfret as they characteristically hovered (can you hover in water?) around the rocks and the occasional Sea Sweep as it darted for cover amongst the mainly brown algae. In a few places where the water was clearer, we spotted small abalone clinging to rocks covered in encrusting coralline algae.

The poor visibility also hampered our search for the plaques which make up the dive trail: our score was one out of twenty.

Those who did not have pressing engagements finished the morning with coffee and cake at Finns, the kiosk attached to the Surf Club.

Don Poynton