Dive Details
Location
Date
Monday 5 October 2015
Time
10:34am - 11:51am
Details
The main purpose of this dive was to show the angler to Noel and pygmy pipehorses to Heather.
We jumped in at The Steps and descended to the sand line. We turned right and headed towards The Leap. As we swam past the kelp I was hoping to see some weedy seadragons but there were none to be seen. When we reached the rock where I originally saw "Big John", the red-fingered angler, we headed up from the sand line to the rock where "Di" and "Joseph" are. They were both on sponges near each other at one end of the rock. Once Noel and Heather had taken some photos we headed back to the sand line.
We continued along the sand line past Little Big Rock until we got to Diversity Rock. (I call it Diversity Rock because of the diverse collection of animals on it, including the angler, seahorses and pygmy pipehorses. In the same area there is the Miamira magnifica nudibranch, an eastern frogfish, and frequent weedy seadragon sightings.)
On Diversity Rock I found and pointed out: the orange form red-fingered angler, "Rosie" and "Noel" (pot-bellied seahorses) and the pair of pygmy pipehorses (IL2015091101 and IL2015091201). "Arnold", the pot-bellied seahorse, was on the rock behind Diversity Rock. The Miamira magnifica nudibranch was on a rock a few metres towards The Leap
After photographs had been taken, I took everyone along the sand line, past the basket star, to the rock with the other two pygmy pipehorses, (IL2015072601 and IL2015092701). Noel got some photos first before Heather moved in. While Heather was taking photos of the pygmies, Noel indicated he hadn't seen the angler so I swam back with him to Diversity Rock. Along the way I spotted 3 weedy seadragons but didn't stop to photograph them. After pointing out the angler to Noel I head back along the sand line to photograph the weedies. Before I'd found them all, John McKeon and Tim Walker swam by and asked my where the Miamira magnifica was, so I headed back to Diversity Rock to show them. I only found two of the weedies.
By this time Heather and Steve and Noel and Di and headed to the exit so I swam by "Di" and "Joseph" for a couple more photos before heading to the exit myself. I did my safety stop and got out at The Steps.
Buddy
Di and Noel Conlon, Heather Sutton, Steve Walsh
Seas
Slight
Visibility
10 metres
Duration
77 minutes
Maximum depth
14.4 m
Average depth
11.4 m
Water temperature
17.9°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
High
3:05am
1.20m
Low
8:46am
0.64m
High
3:16pm
1.52m
Low
10:12pm
0.51m
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.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Di"). 10.1 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Joseph"). 10.1 m.
Red-fingered angler, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.6 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Noel"). 12.5 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.1 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091101). 12.3 m.
Fermale Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091201). 12.3 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 13.1 m.
Nudibranch, Miamira magnifica. 13.5 m.
Nudibranch, Miamira magnifica. 13.2 m.
Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 13.1 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015092701). 12.1 m.
Fermale Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015072601). 12.1 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015072501). 13.8 m.
Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 14.1 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.2 m.
Fermale Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091201). 12.3 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Di"). 10.8 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Joseph"). 10.4 m.