Dive at The Steps, Kurnell, NSW on Saturday 13 September 2014

Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 13 September 2014

Time

10:50am - 12:12pm

Details

It was raining lightly as I got ready to get in the water for my second dive. A pod of dolphins swam past The Steps heading into the bay and I hoped I might get to see them at the end of the dive. I jumped in to the little bay without my fins being cafreful not to hurt my hamstring and put my fins on in the water.

I descended over the boulders to the kelp and headed towards The Leap. I initially stayed on top of the reef but dropped down to the sand line just before Little Big Rock. I followed the sand line until I was around 20 metres past Big Rock and then turned and headed back.

At Big Rock I stopped and looked for pygmy pipehorses and then stayed on top of the reef for the swim back to The Steps. I came across a large red rock cod with a cephalopod in its mouth. I believe it was probably a cuttlefish it had eaten. I normally root for the predator but I did feel a bit sorry for the cuttlefish.

I continued along the top of the reef checking out all the sponges and followed the reef all the way to the Plesiastrea covered boulders. I did my safety stop and looked up constantly in the hope of seeing the dolphins.

I exited at The Steps being careful with my hamstring.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10 metres

Duration

82 minutes

Maximum depth

15.4 m

Average depth

11.4 m

Water temperature

16.3°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.

Low

5:00am

0.34m

High

11:20am

1.68m

Low

5:44pm

0.38m

High

11:45pm

1.40m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D7000

Lens

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D

Housing

Ikelite 6801.70

Lens port

Ikelite Flat Port 5502.41

Strobe

2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161

Photographs

Depth information, where present, indicates the depth of the camera when the photograph was taken and can be used to approximate the depth of the subject.