It was meant to be a bigger north easterly swell today than yesterday but it looked about the same at The Leap. The tide was too high to use the low platform so I slid down the wall next to the platform. Visibilty at the entry point was pretty poor. I descended and headed at 60° to the sand line. I must have gone taken off course a bit as I ended up at the end of the wall. The visibility was around 10 metres at the sand line.
I swam north west to the edge of the amphitheatre and found the white male pygmy pipehorses in its usual spot. I then swam over the sponge covered rock next to it and down to the low rock where I found the pink pygmy pipehorse yesterday. I scoured the area I saw it as well as making a circuit of the rock but did not find it.
I then swam west to the rock with the pink male pygmy pipehorse that I have been watching for a few weeks. I found it pretty quickly and took some photographs. I didn't spend too long in the area this time as I wanted to spend some more time further along.
I swam on to Seahorse Rock and found "Rosie" on the rock behind as usual. She's looking mighty fine. I couldn't find any other seahorses on her rock.
On my way to the other two seahorses I found a weedy seadragon. I have seen this one at least 2 times previously and last time was in October.
I found "Southern Cross" and "Pierre" immediately. "Pierre" was hanging on to the exact same sponge as yesterday.
As I swam through Seadragon Alley I found two weedy seadragons: one I'd seen in the same area yesterday and a number of times since April; and the other was a male with eggs that I have seen a number of times with and without eggs since September.
I swam up to the top of the reef and made my way slowly along the reef looking for interesting things but found nothing of note. I hit the boulders not far from the Plesiastrea colonies, did my safety stop and exited at The Steps. |
