This will be my last Bayside post for a while. On Saturday, sixteen of us are heading off to the wilds of West Papua, to snorkel and dive between Raja Ampat and Kaimana. This is a part of the world that very few people have ever explored underwater. I’ll no doubt be issuing the odd update from there. Meanwhile, we did a lovely Valentine’s Day Black Rock snorkel last Saturday here in Melbourne that I have not had time to tell you about.
This is a site that I have grown to love. There aren’t many fish but it’s very interesting and beautiful habitat. The sponge diversity is enormous and I’ve included a couple of images of some particularly large specimens here. It’s quite a flat rocky area covered in low-growing Caulerpa with small outcrops of green coral and red seaweed.
The anemone is red-striped anemone Epiactis australiensis which usually has white and purple tendrils. Seemed fitting to find this red rose on Valentine’s Day.
The other nice surprise was the scaleworm Lepidonotus glaucus. Glaucus means blueish … so let’s call it blueish scale worm.
Future snorkel/dive trips
Here are upcoming trips. It’s always best to drop me a line as you never know what I can offer you. To find out more in general, visit https://wildiaries-travel.com/.
Raja Ampat April 2026
A quick heads up on forthcoming trips. I’ve still got two spots left for April in Raja Ampat. Everyone booked so far are return guests who’ve travelled with me 2-3 times before. We have a dedicated zodiac and guides for snorkelers, as well as diving opportunities. Here are some trip reports from previous years showing a similar route to this forthcoming trip: https://online.fliphtml5.com/psby/cdxy/index.html | https://online.fliphtml5.com/psby/tnmk/index.html.
Lembeh Strait, June/July 2026
We’ve still got a couple of spots on this trip departing in late June to early July. This area has the highest density of marine species almost anywhere in the world. Once again, 12 out of 13 people coming are return guests and many know each other.
Tonga Whale Swims August 2026
If you’re a photographer, two of my guests have asked me to book a whale swim in Tonga in the peak season in August. There are two spots available. This is for a group size of 4 from AU$7,178pp twin share. If you know anything about whale swim prices, you’ll often pay more than that for a group of 6-8. It’s ideal for photographers as there is plenty of room on board.
