Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Sunday 28 February 2016

Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 28 February 2016

Time

9:35am - 11:16am

Details

I got in on the northern side of the island just to the east of the "swimming pool" and descedned to the sand. Visibiltiy was maybe 5 metres but as I swam past the outboard motor and over the ledge it dropped to around 3 metres.

I headed down the slope and stopped at the rock with the purple sponge. I was able to find the male pygmy pipehorse (IL2016012703) but not the female.

I went further down the slope to the rock with the pink sea tulips. I found the female (IL2015121901) on the side of the 2nd rock but could not find any others.

I continued down the slope to the rock where the upside-down pipefish have been seen. I found the female (IL2016020203) and male (IL2016020204) pygmies close to each other. I looked for the other pair but could only find the male (IL2016022405).

I swam to the rock where the white pygmies used to be but found no pygmies there. I continued on to New Pygmy Rock and after much searching only managed to find one female pygmy (IL2016022403). I looked around there area and did not find any more.

I headed back up the slope and before I got to rock where the white pygmies used to be I found a new female pygmy (IL2016022801). I looked for a male but could not find one.

I continued on to the upside-down pipefish rock and was still only able to find the three pygmies. I headed up the slope to the rock with the purple sponge hoping to find the female but only the male was visible to me.

I swam to the top of the slope and then ascended to 5 metres and did my safety stop as I swam to the exit. I got out just to the west of the ramp.

Seas

Surgy

Visibility

3 ot 5 metres

Duration

101 minutes

Maximum depth

14.1 m

Average depth

10.7 m

Water temperature

20.8°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.

High

12:28am

1.48m

Low

6:38am

0.58m

High

12:39pm

1.41m

Low

6:45pm

0.55m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D300

Lens

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D

Housing

Ikelite 6812.3

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.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012703). 8.4 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.7 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.6 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020203). 11.7 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020204). 11.6 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016022405). 11.5 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016022403). 13.6 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016022801). 13.3 m.

Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 13.2 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020203). 11.7 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020204). 11.7 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016022405). 11.6 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012703). 8.9 m.