Today’s swim it was flat & glassy, warm and clear. Lots of fish and lots of slimy little brown bubbles. The bubbles are called SALP.
SALP’s are barrel shaped, planktonic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body. Slap is jet propelled and one of the most efficient movers in the animal kingdom. They are not jelly fish and they range in size from 1cm to 10cm. They are found in every ocean, but are most abundant in the Southern Ocean near Antartica where they feed off the phytoplankton.
The swimmers today all know that it feels like slimy bubbles and gets “down your cosies”. They are a relative of the sea squirt, and have invaded our little paradise that we like to swim in every day.
The fish life was amazing today.
This a a Wobby that I thought was a flat head when I took the shot.
Lots of little Rays today….. and I saw a small Hammer Head Shark, (too slow on the camera to get its photo) I was told that they feed on the little Rays. Makes sense….
A couple of the local’s Rainer and Derrick have a ball!
Lainey Loo and friends.
Our beautiful morning sunrise…
It was calm and glassy today, why wouldn’t you want to join I?
Have a great day Jen :))
Stats:
Swimmers 150
Water temp 23.3 C (!)
The Monthly Dinner is back – Guest Speaker!
The first B&B monthly dinner for the year will be on Tuesday 9th February at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker for the night will be our very own Michelle Sparkes. The title of her talk for the night is “Illuminating Anorexia and other eating issues”. Michelle, who has published a book on eating disorders, will talk generally about the subject and will share her personal experiences.
The cost of the dinner is only $25 a head and includes shared entrees, a selection of mains to choose (incl a vegetarian option), corkage (for byo wine only) and a little thank you for the staff. 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 HERE NOW,
Long Summer Swims
6km swim every Saturday and on 13 February there is a 10 km swim. There’s a badge for these.
If you want to do a VERY slow 10 km swim,there will be some slower swimmers at the back of the swim group on 13th Feb
Staying safe
Remember that there are no badges for scaring yourself silly! While it is great to extend your boundaries, it is important to know your limits. Also, if you have a bit more experience, keep an eye out for new swimmers who might need company. Do read these excellent tips on staying safe in the surf. To read, or even download, click here.
Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.
Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.
9 comments
Lips
02/02/2016 at 4:01 pm
Great salp report Jenny! Stunner morning.
Enjoyed swimming back with you. Even though Derek and I were barely able to keep up!
Good to hear the Partington Hammerhead is back in the bay. James must be chuffed.
Jenny :)
02/02/2016 at 4:28 pm
Thanks Rainer, it was fun swimming back with you guys, also good to research about those little critters. Had to was them out of my cosies!
Hammerhead Partington
02/02/2016 at 4:28 pm
Over the moon to see my Hammer shaped friend in the bay.
Shame there were no photo’s that would have really nailed it! 🙂
Shelley K
02/02/2016 at 4:30 pm
It was a fabulous swim this morning even with the salp, so much to see I didn’t even mind the pink clouds of itchy critters
Lisa B
02/02/2016 at 5:45 pm
Great swim. Jenny thanks for the very informative section on the salp. I love learning more and more about our beautiful bay and the huge variety of marine life that call it home
Lainey
02/02/2016 at 8:35 pm
Yes great to have all that info about the salp. Thanks Jenny. It is a bit off putting in places but is really attracting loads of fish which is great. They aren’t very photogenic critters though. I’ll have plenty on the blog tomorrow. Wish I’d seen the Hammerhead. Did see 2 Duskies.
LSA aka HKTQ
02/02/2016 at 9:20 pm
Love the way the blogs and swims are so different each day…..
Jenny, Derek & Lips….get used to swimming at a leisurely pace for when I return…..soon! xxx
Jenny Holmes
02/02/2016 at 10:06 pm
Our swim in the salpy sea to-day
was like swimming through rice
…not nice….
What I’d really like to know
Is where do they come from
and where do they go?
Great to be there despite unpleasant patches, and as usual there were many other rewards on a gloriouss Manly morning.
Nikki
02/02/2016 at 10:17 pm
Great report & thank for the investigative work on our little buddies, the Salp! I had a nice collection of them snuggling under my cosi! Great swim too :0)