One of the all-time great movie lines inspired this series, "We’re gonna need a bigger boat!" If only my geo-wife and my bank manager would let me buy one…
One of my favourite past times is to take my little tinny out on Lake Macquarie and spend some time swimming around the sand islands, having a fish at the drop-over, or just putting around enjoying the sun with the geo-family.
The 1st May 2002 marked a big day for the lake, with the cessation of commercial fishing licences. In slightly more than a decade, the fish stocks have increased, and some of the apex predators are starting to return in more numbers to this environment. In some circles, this has caused hysteria, as every fisherman with a smartphone can now upload footage of the sharks they see. It is well known however that the Newcastle/Stockton/Port Stephens region is a nursery for sharks, and it should be no surprise that they are here in the lake too.
This series is dedicated to a range of creatures you might find in the lake if you spend enough time here. I’ve met most of them in recent years, although haven’t come face to face with the two largest… yet! We have lost the odd fish over the years to some cheeky seals though!
The caches in this series are not found at the listed coordinates. I have instead attempted to develop a lake based piece of geo-art.
We’re gonna need a bigger boat #2 – Blue Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena_lunulata)
These cheeky little buggers were once thought not to be residents of the Lake, but I have first-hand (or left-hand maybe) and recent experience that they are in here. Be incredibly careful picking up open mussel shells or overturning rocks in the shallows, as they can fit into very small spaces. I hand one in my hand only a few weeks before publishing this cache (thankfully it remained inside the shell I picked it up in, and I was able to place it back in the water without needing emergency medical attention). They are so beautiful – but so dangerous!
The blue-ringed octopuses (genus Hapalochlaena) are three (or perhaps four) octopus species that live in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia. Their primary habitat is around southern New South Wales, South Australia, and northern Western Australia. They are recognized as one of the world's most venomous marine animals. Despite their small size, 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in), and relatively docile nature, they are dangerous to humans if provoked and handled, because their venom is powerful enough to kill humans.
They can be identified by their characteristic blue and black rings, and yellowish skin. When the octopus is agitated, the brown patches darken dramatically, iridescent blue rings, or clumps of rings, appear and pulsate within the maculae. Typically, 50–60 blue rings cover the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the mantle.
The octopus produces venom containing tetrodotoxin, histamine, tryptamine, octopamine, taurine, acetylcholine, and dopamine. The venom can result in nausea, respiratory arrest, heart failure, severe and sometimes total paralysis, blindness, and can lead to death within minutes if not treated. Death, if it occurs, is usually from suffocation due to paralysis of the diaphragm.
The major neurotoxin component of the blue-ringed octopus is a compound that was originally known as maculotoxin but was later found to be identical to tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin also found in pufferfish, and in some poison dart frogs. Tetrodotoxin is 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide. Tetrodotoxin blocks sodium channels, causing motor paralysis, and respiratory arrest within minutes of exposure. The tetrodotoxin is produced by bacteria in the salivary glands of the octopus.
Given that I had one of these things in my hand, and it flashed its rings at me, I feel pretty damn lucky!
Information sourced from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-ringed_octopus
So where’s the cache? A little puzzle should help you get there.
The cache is located at S32 59.ABC E151 38.DEF, where:
ABC = (2 x How many times more deadly than cyanide a tetradotoxin is / 3) - bag limit of bream - Bag limit of black Marlin
DEF = Legal size of rubber lip morwong + bag limit of aussie bass (per person)
Please note that these sizing/limits were all correct as of November 2015 (I will try and keep them updated as NSW DPI inevitably edit their bag limits).
Enjoy the walk along here – it’s a lovely spot. Please also ensure the cache retains some cover in its hiding place, as it is a muggle friendly area.
If you are in the area, why not try and connect with some of the local area geocachers? Check out HAVOC on Facebook - the Hunter Area Victims of Caching!
Background image: Colossal octopus by Pierre Denys de Montfort († 1820) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons