Planula - Digital underwater photography and videography in Byron Bay

PLANULA
- Digital Photography and Videography in Byron Bay -

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Underwater photo gallery

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Map of Julian Rocks

Articles on marine life

About PLANULA

Wandy & Tim Hochgrebe
PO Box 1753
Byron Bay NSW 2481
++61-2-6680 9134
0403 357 969
video@planula.com.au

We are using the Sony TRV 900 3 chip digital video for all our filming. A fully equipped non-linear editing studio is on-site.

Tim can go out diving with you and video your dive using the latest digital videographing technologies. Individual movies can be edited on-site to become an everlasting memory.

We have just released MARINE PASSIONS - an amazing new DVD with breathtaking underwater imagery from Byron Bay set to a seductive soundtrack by Bhakta and Disha. You can buy a copy of this awesome DVD on underwater.com.au.

Tim has also filmed and produced promotional videos and a selection of his digital images an video clips are used on several web sites. Click here for a more detailed list. If you want a promotional or personal video made please contact us for a quote or further information.

Check out some of the video clips below by clicking on the images. All movies were filmed by Tim at Julian Rocks, Byron Bay. The following movies are on-line at the moment:

- Byron SCUBAZoo

- Wobbegong NEW

- Batfish NEW

- Manta Ray NEW

- Trumpetfish NEW

- Anemonefish NEW

- Sea Urchin NEW

- Kingfish NEW

- Moray Eel NEW

- Smooth Stingray NEW

- Grey Nurse Shark

- Hawksbill Turtle

- Leopard Shark

- White-spotted Eagle Ray

- Octopus

Download Windows Media Player for free

If there are problems to watch the clips with Windows Media Player, download .wmv file by holding 'option' (Mac users) or 'shift' (PC users) when clicking on image and open the clip from within the program.

Octopus

BYRON SCUBA ZOO

Experience Byron Bay's fantastic underwater world and meet the locals. Go through the seasons and see it all. A short overview of the high diversity of marine life that Julian Rocks, Byron Bay has to offer.

Click on the image to have a look at this Byron SCUBA Zoo

Movie size: 4.6 MB Length of movie: 2 minutes 40 seconds

Octopus

WOBBEGONGS

At least two different species of Wobbegongs are sighted all year round at Julian Rocks: the Spotted Wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) and the Ornate Wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus)

Click on the image to have a look at these wobbegongs "frolicking" about.

Movie size: 1.4 MB Length of movie: 52 seconds

Octopus

TALL-FIN BATFISH
(Platax teira)

Schools of Tall-fin Batfish drift in and out at Julian Rocks. Most of the time the hover in schools, mid water. Great to look at during safety stops.

Click on the image to have a look at the Batfish at Julian Rocks.

Movie size: 1.1 MB Length of movie: 44 seconds

Octopus

MANTA RAY
(Manta birostris)

The Manta Rays that visit Julian Rocks come in all different wingspans and they seem to prefer the warm waters during late Summer, early Autumn. Those filterfeeders are completely harmless and are beautiful to watch while feeding or just swimming past.

Click on the image to have a look at some Manta Magic.

Movie size:1.9 MB Length of movie: 1 minute 15 seconds

Octopus

TRUMPTFISH, yellow colour variation
(Aulostomus chinesis)

This fish is very easily identified. Sometimes they hang vertically in the water, sneaking up on their prey of small fish. Although the yellow form is seen more often around Julian Rocks the normal form (brown with a spotted tail) can be found here too.

Click on the image to have a look at Trumpetfish showing off.

Movie size: 990kB Length of movie: 35 seconds

Octopus

ANEMONEFISH
(Amphiprion sp.)

Those little fish can be seen darting in and out of their anemone. Sometimes they are sharing their home with other little creatures such as porcelain crabs and in summer they hide their orange egg mass nearby. Several different species are found at Julian Rocks.

Click on the image to have a look at this Byron SCUBA Zoo

Movie size: 1 MB Length of movie: 35 seconds

Octopus

SEA URCHINS

True, an unexpected close encounter with a sea urchin can be painful, but sea urchins are underappreciated. They keep our reef's algae under control and therefore play an importantecological role. Sea urchins are closely related to seastars and at least as beautiful. Different colours, their spikes short, long or none at all: have a closer look next time...

Click on the image to have a look at a selection of sea urchins have to offer.

Movie size: 844 kB Length of movie: 30 seconds

Octopus

YELLOW-TAIL KINGFISH
(Seriola lalandi)

Kingfish are fast pelagics that regularly hang out at Julian Rocks, generally in the deeper end at the Cod Hole. Sometimes they are hunting and divers see them zooming around in small schools, also in the shallows.

Click on the image to have a look at some Kingfish hunting

Movie size: 1.1 MB Length of movie: 45 seconds

Octopus

Moray Eels

Looking verocious when they approach with their mouths open and teeth hanging out, this is how a moray eel tries to catch your smell. They can't see very well. Julian Rocks must be offering a very comfortable place for morays as you can see different species on a single dive, sometimes even sharing a single liar.

Click on the image to have a look at five different species of moray eel.

Movie size: 1.4 MB Length of movie: 50 seconds

Octopus

Smooth Stingray
(Dasyatis brevicaudata)

Experience Byron Bay's fantastic underwater world and meet the locals. Go through the seasons and see it all. A short overview of the high diversity of marine life that Julian Rocks, Byron Bay has to offer.

Click on the image to have a look at this Byron SCUBA Zoo

Movie size: 1.7 MB Length of movie: 1 minute

Grey Nurse Shark

Grey Nurse Shark
(Carcharias taurus)

The grey nurse shark has a robust, fusiform shape. The colouring is light brown, with dark spots scattered over the body. Its ferocious appearance made people think the Grey Nurse was a maneater, with needless slaughter as a result. They are now considered harmless unless antagonised.
Grey nurse sharks visit Byron Bay from May until September.

Click on the image to see a Grey Nurse Shark swim around the Cod Hole.

Movie size: 320kB Length of movie: 24 seconds

Hawksbill Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Because of their special blood chemistry and the ability to store oxygen in blood and muscle tissue, hawksbill turtles can remain underwater for long periods of time. When they sleep they can stay under for up to two hours. Together with the loggerhead turtle and green turtles, hawksbill turtles are regularly seen at Julian Rocks.

Click on the image to see an Anemone Fish fighting a Hawksbill Turtle.

Movie size: 500kB Length of movie: 38 seconds

Hawksbill Turtle

Leopard Shark

Leopard Shark
(Stegastoma fasciatum)

The juveniles of this shark species have a distinct zebra-like banding pattern, hence its other common name : zebra shark. As the animals gets older the stripes change into dark spots. This shark has a long tailfin and can be seen around Julian Rocks in the summertime.

Click on the image on the left to watch the leopard shark swim around at Julian Rocks.

Movie size: 532kB Length of movie: 40 seconds

White-spotted Eagle Ray
(Aetobatus narinari)

White-spotted eaglerays can be seen around Julian Rocks all year round. Swimming slowly, their long tail trailing behind them. These rays are seen on their own or swimming in a small group. The spotted pattern on the pointy "wings" might vary in different individuals from spots all over to only a few spots on the wing-tips.

Click on the image on the left to see two eagle rays appearing from behind the Cod Hole.

Movie size: 452kB Length of movie: 41 seconds

eagleray

Octopus

Octopus

The octopus has, just like its Cephalopod family members the cuttle fish and the squid, an amazing ability to change colour with the help of chromatophores and so called reflector cells. Not only can they use this skill to blend in with the surroundings, it also plays an important role in communicating with other octopus and to intimidate predators.

Click on the image to have a look at this octopus' display, while hunting in the Nursery.

Movie size: 1 MB Length of movie: 1 minute 8 seconds

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