Weybourne July 04


The inshore diving at Weybourne is so close to shore it sometimes seems too easy! It can be very weather dependant but although the summer took a day off the sea behaved well with only a slight swell making its way in from the rough stuff way offshore, which made the Holt boat abort their plans for the day. A drift along the gullies went down well - lots of life and a brisk current - and we observed that slack on the Rosalie is about 2 hours after high tide and made the most of the photo opportunities. P.S. We found a sure fire way of locating the Rosalie, swim out and tie a rope to it the night before. Very effective.

It sometimes seems there isn't enough space for them all
IMG_7424.JPG 		Norfolk is lobster central - note dismantled velvet crab in foreground
IMG_7497.JPG 		The Rosalie is always well decorated
IMG_7415.JPG 		Anemones of all sizes stud the metalwork of the wreck
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The 'petals' are the convoluted edge of a disc
IMG_7425.JPG 		Decorator crabs have near perfect disguise against the growth on the wreck - not so good on a hand
IMG_7433.JPG 		These Flabbelina Pedata nudibranches are very common off Weybourne
IMG_7436.JPG 		Lemon lightbulb tunicates
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These large anemones look like amazing marbled cake
IMG_7445.JPG 		Flabbelinas are probably more common here than abroard - they are a relatively rare sight in Gozo for example
IMG_7449.JPG 		These two are getting quite involved - which probably explains why they are so numerous.
IMG_7450.JPG 		The translucent arms of the amenones were mobile enough to be overpowering large jelly fish on the wreck - even though they're little more than water.
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Close up into an anemone
IMG_7455.JPG 		Interesting banding on this one, and it has a sponge to protect it
IMG_7456.JPG 		This one seems to have garters on its arms
IMG_7459.JPG 		This depressed flat fish might be a flounder or a very young halibut
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The polyps of this little soft coral colony are each like a tiny, glassy amenone
IMG_7462.JPG 		I hadn't seen these big prawns off Norfolk before
IMG_7469.JPG 		I'd like to think this was an Onchidoris inconspicua but since that's rare thats just say its almost certainly an Onchidorid of some kind
IMG_7473.JPG 		At least the Flabelinas are easy to identify
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Although they hang around in the current and are always folded up... when you take a picture
IMG_7482.JPG 		Last time we went there were more of these Janolus Cristata - they were larger then too
IMG_7483.JPG 		These are around 15mm long
IMG_7484.JPG 		These sponges have sprung up too
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The water was relatively clear - so perhaps the anemones were still hungry
IMG_7489.JPG 		For most visitors to the Rosalie its the amenones which they remember most
IMG_7490.JPG 		If you were a prawn your memories might not be so fond
IMG_7492.JPG 		This one is raspberry ripple!
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Velvet swimming crabs always look either guilty or angry
IMG_7499.JPG 		This Flabellina is just passing a tiny tubeworm's tube - I didn't get any pictures of them
IMG_7500.JPG 		See what I mean about them not holding still?
IMG_7504.JPG 		There were a lot of one clawed crabs about, these two have got lucky and can have a proper fight!
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Rob Spray.