Yes, it is possible that someday we might find clown anemonefish like 'Nemo' in Port Stephens.

Although there haven't been any known records of anemonefish in the Bay yet, divers are always on the lookout for special tropical underwater visitors.

With the projected strengthening of the East Australian Current (EAC) due to climatic changes that are occurring, we are already seeing some species in the Bay that you would typically find in coral reef habitats.

From summer through to autumn, eddies of warm water from the EAC often deliver fish and invertebrates that we wouldn't typically find in Port Stephens.

Creatures such as Ornate Ghost Pipefish, a rare find even in the tropics due to their mastery of camouflage, have been sighted at dive sites near Nelson Bay, and are a treat for underwater photographers to find with their bizarre spiky bodies and variable colourations.

Angelfish, such as the Merediths and Watanabei Angelfish, which usually seek refuge amongst coral heads on reefs can be seen darting between the sponges in our rocky reef habitats.

An anemone, like those that clown anemonefish hide within, was a resident organism near Fly Point for a time.

Whilst no anemonefish like Nemo visited that anemone, a commensal shrimp did manage to locate it.

Some people may be surprised to hear that there are colonies of hard coral on the Nelson Bay Marina breakwall - a sign that someday, more coral species may decide to call Port Stephens home.

There are also a few whip corals thriving in our waters, and amazingly, gobies and shrimp that can only survive on these corals have managed to find them.

Last week, a Thorny Seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) which usually calls the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific home was spotted at Little Beach, sheltering within a gorgonian coral.

According to marine scientist Dr Dave Harasti, this was the fourth time this species has been sighted in the Bay.

During previous summers, famous species of nudibranchs that you might hope to find when diving in Bali have been seen here, as well as many different fishes such as tropical butterflyfish, wrasses, sweetlips, and basslets.

So, while divers have yet to witness many members of the Finding Nemo cast in the bay to-date, it is an extra exciting time to dive and snorkel in our waters.

You never know which creatures may pop in from the EAC for a visit.

Meryl Larkin is a Port Stephens marine scientist and PhD researcher at Southern Cross University.

To showcase the Port's incredible underwater world the Examiner is collaborating with divers, marine scientists and photographers on a new series that explores life Beneath the Surface.