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  • The Marine Life of Sydney

    Dive Filming

    Dive Filming

    Sydney’s aquatic reserves have been established to protect delicate or heavily used marine areas. Restrictions apply to fishing and other activities in these reserves.

    Beyond The Blue was shot entirely around the waters of Sydney during 1993 & 1994. BTS LDK 91 camera systems were used in underwater housings designed and developed by David Hannan, Milos Frohlich and Sea-title Designs.

    Sydney’s aquatic reserves have been established to protect delicate or heavily used marine areas. Restrictions apply to fishing and other activities in these reserves.

    Dive Filming

    Fat Fish

    Beyond The Blue was shot entirely around the waters of Sydney during 1993 & 1994. BTS LDK 91 camera systems were used in underwater housings designed and developed by David Hannan, Milos Frohlich and Sea-title Designs.

     
  • The Waters of Sydney

    The marine region of Sydney is influenced by both subtropical and temperate ocean currents and is home to thousands of species of marine creatures. Dolphins, sharks, rays, large schools of pelagic fish and many tropical fish species can be found. Molluscs such as cuttlefish and octopus as well as other invertebrates like sea urchins and seastars are commonly seen around the intertidal zone.

    Dragon

    WEEDY SEA DRAGON (Phyllopteryx taeniciolatus)

    Looking more like a mythical Chinese Dragon than a fish, the weedy sea dragons are found in water 10-50 metres deep. They occur along the edge of kelp-covered rocky reefs where they feed on small shrimp. During mating the female attaches eggs to the underside of the male’s tail where they remain until hatching.

    SeaHorse

    WHITE'S SEAHORSE (Hippocampus whitei)

    The marine region of Sydney is influenced by both subtropical and temperate ocean currents and is home to thousands of species of marine creatures. Dolphins, sharks, rays, large schools of pelagic fish and many tropical fish species can be found. Molluscs such as cuttlefish and octopus as well as other invertebrates like sea urchins and seastars are commonly seen around the intertidal zone. Looking more like a mythical Chinese Dragon than a fish, the weedy sea dragons are found in water 10-50 metres deep. They occur along the edge of kelp-covered rocky reefs where they feed on small shrimp. During mating the female attaches eggs to the underside of the male’s tail where they remain until hatching.

     
  • Beyond the Blue

    Ferries shuttling commuters from Harbour-side suburbs, white sails and multi-coloured spinnakers of week-end yachts, container vessels and ship of war are a familiar sight to all. However, within Sydney Harbour and along it’s adjacent shores there is an abundance of life and activity below the surface of which most are unaware. Forest of kelp wave their golden fronds, a seahorse clings by its tail to sea grass and dense shoals of fish shimmer in the dancing light rays of the sun.

    Groper

    BLUE GROPER (Achoerodus viridis)

    Sydney Harbour is regarded as one of the most beautiful waterways in the world. It is used for recreation, transport and also unfortunately as a garbage dump.
    A meeting point for the tropical currents sweeping south from the Coral Sea with the cooler waters of Southern Australia, the Sydney area is a mix of subtropical and temperate marine species. During the summer months the larvae and juveniles of certain tropical organisms settle here, and by April it is not unusual to come across colourful butterflyfish or even a banded coral shrimp living amoungst the kelp or around pier pylons. Few of these tropical visitors survive the cooler winter seawater temperatures.
    As the nightlights of Sydney Harbour reflect upon the water’s surface, life stirs below. Octopus, cuttlefish and squid. Alien creatures with green blood, three hearts, tentacles and the ability to change colour in the blink of an eye, move through the darkness in search of food.
    In the last fifty years there has been a marked decline in the diversity of our local marine environment. For example, every year millions of litres of oil pour into Sydney’s waterways, not the result of some massive oil spill but rather people pouring domestic oils down sinks and drains. The future is up to us. If we are to maintain and restore the diversity and beauty of Sydney’s underwater realm we must reduce the litter, sewage overflow and contaminants in the stormwater pollution entering our waterways.
     
  • Lizard Island Research Station

    The Lizard Island Research Station, located on the northern portion of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is one of the most important coral reef scientific and educational facilities in the world. Each year, over 150 scientists and members of educational groups visit the station to learn more about coral reefs. About 60 research projects are conducted annually by scientists from all over the world. A major focus of research at the Station is on fish and hard corals. Many projects conducted on these groups have major implications for management of the reef.

    Diver working

    Researcher working

    The Research Station, which has been operated by the Australian Museum since 1974, provides facilities that enable scientists to make significant contributions to our knowledge of the Reef: over 400 scientific papers have been published on work carried out at Lizard Island. The Lizard Island Research Station also provides unique educational opportunities. Visits by Australian educational groups are encouraged and subsidised, giving young people the opportunity to learn about this magnificent environment.
    The Station’s mission is to increase understanding and knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef by fostering high quality scientific reasearch. Providing superior research facilities is central to the achievement of the mission. Apollo has been instrumental in helping the Station achieve its mission through its generous donation of diving and snorkelling equipment in 1991 and subsequent free maintenance of this equipment in the intervening years. Apollo’s donation consisted of twenty five sets of masks, snorkels, fins, and boots; six complete sets of scuba diving equipment including a range of accessories; and two scooters.
    The equipment donated by Apollo has been of tremendous benefit to the Station. The diving equipment has been in heavy use buy Station staff and researchers while the snorkelling equipment is primarily used by educational groups. The underwater scooters have been particularly useful to rearchers for doing reconnaisance surveys of large areas and for quickly transporting divers from one study site to another. Many research scientists claim they can accomplish twice as much work on a dive when using a scooter since their swimming time is minimized. An important benefit of the donation to the Station was Apollo’s offer to service the equipment at no cost. After four years of heavy use of the Apollo equipment it is still in very good condition and serviceable for many more years to come. The Lizard Island Research Station is grateful for Apollo’s generous donation and for it’s assistance in helping us learn more about the world’s largest coral reef.

    The Lizard Island Research Station, located on the northern portion of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is one of the most important coral reef scientific and educational facilities in the world. Each year, over 150 scientists and members of educational groups visit the station to learn more about coral reefs. About 60 research projects are conducted annually by scientists from all over the world. A major focus of research at the Station is on fish and hard corals. Many projects conducted on these groups have major implications for management of the reef.
    The Research Station, which has been operated by the Australian Museum since 1974, provides facilities that enable scientists to make significant contributions to our knowledge of the Reef: over 400 scientific papers have been published on work carried out at Lizard Island. The Lizard Island Research Station also provides unique educational opportunities. Visits by Australian educational groups are encouraged and subsidised, giving young people the opportunity to learn about this magnificent environment.

    Diver working

    Diver working

    The Station’s mission is to increase understanding and knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef by fostering high quality scientific reasearch. Providing superior research facilities is central to the achievement of the mission. Apollo has been instrumental in helping the Station achieve its mission through its generous donation of diving and snorkelling equipment in 1991 and subsequent free maintenance of this equipment in the intervening years. Apollo’s donation consisted of twenty five sets of masks, snorkels, fins, and boots; six complete sets of scuba diving equipment including a range of accessories; and two scooters.
    The equipment donated by Apollo has been of tremendous benefit to the Station. The diving equipment has been in heavy use buy Station staff and researchers while the snorkelling equipment is primarily used by educational groups. The underwater scooters have been particularly useful to rearchers for doing reconnaisance surveys of large areas and for quickly transporting divers from one study site to another. Many research scientists claim they can accomplish twice as much work on a dive when using a scooter since their swimming time is minimized. An important benefit of the donation to the Station was Apollo’s offer to service the equipment at no cost. After four years of heavy use of the Apollo equipment it is still in very good condition and serviceable for many more years to come. The Lizard Island Research Station is grateful for Apollo’s generous donation and for it’s assistance in helping us learn more about the world’s largest coral reef.