Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 3 October 2015
Time
9:49am - 11:17am
Details
Conditions looked good again at The Leap. After the cold of yesterday I was back to the drysuit today even though it was a very hot day. I slid down the wall next to the low platform and on the surface the visibility looked at least 5 metres. I descended and headed at 60° to the sand line arriving near Pygmy Rock. I didn't bother looking for pygmies at Pygmy Rock and just started on my way to The Steps.
I came across two weedy seadragons before I reached Seahorse Rock. The first one I don't believe I have seen before (PT2015100301) had eggs. The second one (PT2015060601) also had eggs.
Just past Seahorse Rock I came across the large juvenile (PT2015081601) that has been around of late. I found PT2013122201 just before Seadragon Alley. In Seadragon Alley I saw only the one weedy (PT2014030803).
After Seadragon Alley I saw the same male weedy (PT2015052601) with eggs and no second appendage that I saw yesterday. It was in the same place and then I was buzzed by the salmon again. This time I took some video.
A little further along, near Big Rock, I found another male with eggs (PT2014091301).
I moved up from the sand line to check out the pygmy pipehorses. I found both (IL2015072601 and IL2015092701) pretty much in the same spots as yesterday.
I headed back to the sand line and past the basket star to Diversity Rock. On Diversity Rock I found the red-fingered angler, the two pygmy pipehorses (IL2015091101 and IL2015091201) and "Noel", the pot-bellied seahorse. "Arnold" was on the rock behind Diversity Rock. I initially couldn't see "Rosie" and while I was looking for her I found another weedy seadragon (PT2015061401). I eventually found "Rosie" on the sand between 2 rocks. I then spotted yet another weedy (PT2015072501) on the sand line.
I swam on to "Di" and "Joseph" and found "Joseph" on one sponge and "Di" on another sponge nearby. I swam to the boulders, found my safety spot location and after completing my safety stop exited at The Steps.
Seas
Slight
Visibility
5 to 10 metres
Duration
88 minutes
Maximum depth
21.9 m
Average depth
14.1 m
Water temperature
17.5°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEST
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
Low
5:48am
0.46m
High
12:13pm
1.68m
Low
6:56pm
0.40m
Video
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.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015060601). 21.4 m.
Eggs on the tail of male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015060601). 21.6 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015060601). 21.4 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2013122201). 18.6 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030803). 17.7 m.
Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 14.7 m.
Eggs on the tail of male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 15.2 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 15 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015092701). 12.5 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015092701). 12.5 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015092701). 12.5 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015072601). 12.7 m.
Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 13.2 m.
Pygmy leatherjacket, Brachaluteres jacksonianus. 14.1 m.
Red-fingered angler, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.3 m.
Male pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Noel"). 13.2 m.
Male pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.5 m.
Male pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.6 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091101). 12.9 m.
Female pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 13.9 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091201). 12.7 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015072501). 13.8 m.
Pygmy leatherjacket, Brachaluteres jacksonianus. 12.2 m.
Male pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Joseph"). 11. m.
Female pot-belied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Di"). 11.4 m.