Sir David Attenborough did more with his documentary BLUE PLANET II to put Melbourne on the Scuba diving map than anyone else has ever done when he documented the annual Spider Crab migration.  This event went global and instantaneously created unprecedented interest in our own back yard like never before.  A pivotal individual behind the ongoing research in this amazing nature event is Dr. Elodie Camprasse and she will be our guest speaker at our March 17 Dive Club event.

Spider Crabs – Great Southern Reef wonders – solving mysteries behind one of the world’s most iconic marine invertebrate aggregations

Every winter, in the heart of Port Phillip Bay and parts of the Great Southern Reef, a truly amazing natural phenomenon unravels: the gathering of thousands and thousands of great spider crabs. Those crabs come to the shallows together to seek safety in numbers and they are on a mission. In order to grow, they need to shed their hard shells and expand their soft flesh before hardening a new, bigger and shinier shell. Dodging hungry predators on the hunt for a soft crab at that time of year is tricky business – the best place to be is in the middle of a pile, protected by other crabs!
The spider crabs and their aggregations have been captivating people locally and internationally – Sir David Attenborough himself featured this natural wonder which happens nowhere else in the world in BBC Blue Planet II.

Would you believe that despite all this attention, we know very little about spider crab biology and ecology? Dr Elodie Camprasse and her team at Deakin University are here to change that and are using a mix of traditional and citizen science to study spider crab aggregations. Come hear what is being done to solve spider crab mysteries and how you can get involved in the research.
This is a MEMBERS ONLY event 

A new date for the forecast evening with John Lippmann is set to be announced due to John having to travel overseas.

Please Shoot Us An RSVP.