A gloomy day and I'm off to work so a lot of this blog was pre-loaded and is about Cuttlefish! It was a few swimmers birthdays though. Four regular swimmers, Fiona McTackett, Clare Martin, Heather Washington and John Lehman celebrate their b'days today!
The photo above is of 2 Cuttlefish I thought I'd caught mating last week but later found out they were two males trying to stake out their territory. They were putting on an amazing display though as the photo above shows! Even more of a display than Jimmy and his mates ;-)
Jimmy and his friends this morning trying (and failing) to mimic Cuttlefish courting ;-)
This morning was surprisingly serene and quite flat with sets every 3 minutes according to Lesbubbs
The B&B welcoming committee. We were a bit thin on the ground today but water was still 20.2 and a beautiful swim was reported by all who dared...
It looked like this at 6am
Out of the 4 birthdays only Clare came down to swim today!
This is a photo of nearly all the swimmers at Shelly with Lesbubbs photobomb!
Thanks for the mermaid singlet Anne! Jon, Lane, Lainey and Kit
Happy Birthday to these 4 regular swimmers!
The Giant Cuttlefish
We are incredibly lucky to swim in this beautiful bay with such 'monsters of the deep' as the Giant Cuttlefish! Do you know they have green/blue blood and 3 hearts?? How weird is that?! And they are the largest of the world's 100 or so species of Cuttlefish. They can change colour and texture in split seconds. Small males also have a very sneaky way of mating...Find out below!
If you happen to come across them in shallow water and get quite close they are just stunning. I've been taking photos of them in Cabbage Tree Bay for 3 years now and get very excited when I see one as their displays are incredible to watch.
Using cells known as chromatours they can change colour in an instant and by raising parts of their skin they can change shape and texture to imitate rock, sand or seaweed.
They have 2 tentacles for feeding and if they are male 8 arms and if they are female 6. They have W shaped eyelids so they can see in front of them and behind at the same time!
Alyson with one a couple of years ago, trying to trick us in to thinking he was seaweed!
This beauty, has taken on a rock-like appearance on one side and seaweed colour on the other! They really are the 'chameleons of the sea'! Their spectacular displays are used for camouflage, mating or even hypnotising prey.
They belong to the family of cephalopods, the same as octopus and squid and are the most intelligent of all invertebrates! They can grow to about 1 metre long and weigh up to 10 kgs!
If you swim fast, 'wide' and away from the rocks and haven't see one, this might be why. Look how this Cuttlefish has changed colour and texture to imitate the sand as he speeds over it!
Now he's starting to look a bit more like the rocks!
As he approaches the weed he's changed again!
I took the above 4 photos in August 2013 and I'm sure they are of the same little fella' in many disguises!
Now the scene above is of their bizarre mating ritual. It involves a sneaky small male who pretends to be female. (The one on the right). Too small to fight for a female, a small male sidles up to a mating couple and pushes in 2 arms (remember females only have 6) to pretend to be female. The larger male thinks he's lucky to be getting two females but the small male moves in and mates with the female under the males tentacles!!
Click on the fantastic David Attenborough clip below to see a video of this sly way to get the ladies!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Australian_Giant_Cuttlefish#p005bpsl
And if you want to find out more about these weird captivating creatures another video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0NslgnSEtE
Couldn't resist 2 more photos. Aren't they just the weirdest and most alien-like creatures ever?!!! (Apart from Lips and Shauny of course ;-) )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDwOi7HpHtQ
Yellowtail a few days ago
Old Wives last Saturday
Dinner:
The Next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 11th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest on the night will be B&B Swimmer, Pam Greening, who has recently completed a climb to the Mt Everest Base Camp. Pam describes this adventure as the best experience of her life (apart from swimming with the B&B). Come along and hear about this exhilarating and life-changing experience. If this is on your bucket list, you will learn about the logistics, costs, accommodation and other details such as the best time to go, what clothes to take etc. Don’t miss it!
Please book early for this event as it is sure to be popular. The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each. Numbers are limited, so bookings are essential. To avoid disappointment and secure your spot please book at www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/bb-bluewater-monthly-dinner.html
Winter swimming
The B&B Winter swimming season starts on 1st June. Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility and no bluebottles. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a winter badge by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August. You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment), you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter without wetsuit). Start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify.
Signing off
Lainey
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