The waters around Cape Conran are a chilly 12 degrees currently, how- ever local divers have not been deterred from the icy depths.
The murky green waters of recent years have finally cleared, allowing sunlight to reach the reefs, re-energising the kelp and algae species that form the basis of local marine ecosystems, and treat- ing divers to some fabulous visibility.
Beware Reef has had some great sightings of key reef species, with divers com- ing face-to-face with large schools of butterfly perch in the water column, and banded morwong, six-spined leather- jacket and a variety of wrasse species on the bottom.
CAPTION: Local diver, Holly Baird, recently photographed a male (left) and female weedy seadragon at Joiners Channel. She has submitted her photographs to Seadragon Search, a citizen science program, which collects data about the creatures.
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