Meet Henry

Andy Heath & Angela Heath · Issue 9, Oct/Nov 2002 · pp. 30–34

Products mentioned: Nikon F90X, Nexus housing, YS30 strobes, YS120 strobes, Velvia, Provia

Henry, a rather handsome Phycodorus eques, or leafy seadragon to you and me, lives around the wreckage of a collapsed ladder under Rapid bay jetty in South Australia. Recognised by his unique facial markings, he can normally be found in the same vicinty, doing what leafy seadragons do best. That is, trying to blend in with the surrounding seaweed, feeding, and probably doing his darnedest to avoid the attentions of underwater photographers like myself. We’re not sure if Henry realised it, but it was him and his sort that had brought Angela and myself here from Melbourne. After living there for the past six months we’d seen the local weedy seadragons around Port Phillip bay as well as in Sydney. But leafys only occur over a narrow range, from Portland in the west of Victoria to Lancelin in West Australia. Smack in between lies South Australia and a famous dive site known as Rapid bay jett…