Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 17 October 2015
Time
12:17pm - 1:33pm
Details
We jumped in next to the ramp and descended to the sand line. It was quite warm, around 19°C and the visibility was around 5 metres. We followed the sand line to the outboard motor and up over the shelf. We followed the boulders around to the top of the slope. I had a quick look for Little Miss Bouncy (IL2015081401), the pygmy pipehorse we often see bouncing over the rocks, but instead found a male (IL2015101701) which I assume is her mate. Sally spotted a red indianfish right next to the male pygmy.
We headed down the slope and past the rocks with the pink sea tulips. I had a quick look for the pygmy pipehorses on the side of the rock but could not see any.
We continued down the slope to the rock just above Pygmy Rock. On the way we saw a large lion's mane jellyfish. At the rock just above Pygmy Rock I found the male pygmy pipehorse (IL2015073104) pretty quickly and Sheree spotted the female (IL2015101401).
We went further down the slope to where the two white pygmies have been. They were both there, the female (IL2015081402), and the male (IL2015081403).
We swam on to the caves and had a quick look for the eastern blue devil but did not see it so we continued around the corner. The visibility improved to 10-15 metres around the corner but the temperature dropped to around 17°. We went right around the corner and along the reef towards deep wall. We then turned and came back the way we'd gone. On the south west corner we came across a huge female Port Jackson shark. She'd have to be one of the biggest if not the biggest I've seen. She had a tag around her tail.
We came back around the corner and up the slope passing the pygmies we'd seen on the way back down. I had another look for Little Miss Bouncy but only found the male.
We exited near the ramp.
Buddy
Sheree Rose, Sally Glen
Seas
Slight
Visibility
3 to 15 metres
Duration
75 minutes
Maximum depth
16.0 m
Average depth
10.3 m
Water temperature
16.8°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
Low
5:11am
0.50m
High
11:37am
1.62m
Low
6:08pm
0.45m
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.
Painted stinkfish, Eocallionymus papilio. 5.6 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101701). 8.7 m.
Red indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 8.8 m.
Mourning cuttlefish, Sepia plangon. 9.6 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073104). 11.1 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101402). 10.8 m.
Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 12.3 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 13 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081402). 13.1 m.
Mosaic leatherjacket, Eubalichthys mosaicus. 14.5 m.
Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 13.9 m.
Nudibranchs, Gymnodoris sp. (above), Hypselodoris bennetti. 13 m.
Nudibranch, Gymnodoris sp. 12.9 m.
Nudibranch, Chromodoris tasmaniensis. 12.4 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 12.9 m.
Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 10.5 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101402). 10.8 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101402). 10.6 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073104). 10.8 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101701). 8.4 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101701). 8.5 m.