Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 10 October 2015
Time
1:55pm - 3:37pm
Details
It was close to low tide so we were able to get in from the low shelf, even though the swell was larger than forecast. We descended and swam at around 60° to the sand line, arriving in the amphitheatre near pygmy rock. Visibility was around 10 metres and there was a bit of surge.
We headed along the sand line towards The Steps. We came across one of the large juvenile weedy seadragons (PT2015062401) in the area behind seahorse rock.
In Seadragon Alley we saw 5 weedy seadragons: A large juvenile (PT2015081601), a female (PT2015011102), a male with eggs (PT2014030803), and two more large juveniles (PT2015091101, PT2015051001)
Just after Seadragon Alley, we saw the male that is missing it's second appendage (PT2015052601). He's now lost any evidence of his eggs. Before we got to Big Rock we found another male weedy with eggs (PT2014091301) and straight out from Big Rock on the sand we saw the female with the wavy body (PT2014030901). She's my favourite weedy seadragon
We swam up to the pygmy pipehorses. I found the female (IL2015072601) immediately as she was in a spots she's frequently in. It took me a little longer to find the male (IL2015092701) but I eventually saw him. The surge made photography a little difficult.
We headed back to the sand line and past the basket star where we saw another weedy seadragon (PT2015072501), the 10th for the dive. We also saw the Miamira magnifica nudibranch which has moved even further from Diversity Rock. The angler was still on the side of the rock 5 metres or so from Diversity Rock.
At Diversity Rock we found "Rosie", "Noel" and "Arnold", the pot-bellied seahorses. We'd missed "Arnold" on the previous dive. I guess he was hiding. The two pygmy pipehorses (IL2015091101 and IL2015091201) were still in the Carijoa colonies.
We swam on to "Di" and "Joseph". After swimming around their rock a few times, Chang-Le eventually spotted "Di" on the sponge under the rock. We couldn't find "Joseph". We then swam to the boulders and along to the spot adjacent to the exit where we finished our safety stop and exited at The Steps.
Buddy
Chang-Le Dong
Seas
Surgy
Visibility
10 metres
Duration
101 minutes
Maximum depth
20.6 m
Average depth
13.7 m
Water temperature
18.6°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
Low
1:28am
0.43m
High
7:38am
1.43m
Low
1:37pm
0.50m
High
7:45pm
1.52m
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, (PT2015062401). 19.6 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015062401). 19.7 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015081601). 17.2 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015081601). 17.1 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015011102). 16.5 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015011102). 16.4 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030803). 16.8 m.
Eggs on the tail of a male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030803). 16.8 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015091101). 16.1 m.
Chiton. 16.2 m.
Pygmy leatherjacket, Brachaluteres jacksonianus. 15.9 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015051001). 15.5 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015051001). 15.5 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015052601). 13.9 m.
The tail of a male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015052601) after eggs have gone. 13.9 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 14 m.
Eggs on the tail of a male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 14.1 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 14.4 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014091301). 14.1 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030901). 14.6 m.
Body of female weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030901) showing deformity. 14.5 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030901). 14.5 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2014030901). 14.6 m.
Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 14 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015092701). 11.8 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015072601). 11.7 m.
Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, (PT2015072501). 13.7 m.
Nudibranch. Miamira magnifica. 12.4 m.
Red-fingered angler, Porophryne erythrodactylus, ("Kim"). 11.7 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 12.7 m.
Very pregnant male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Noel"). 12.3 m.
Very pregnant male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Noel"). 12.3 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 12.5 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091201). 12 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015091101). 12.2 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.2 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 12.3 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Di"). 10.4 m.