Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 23 April 2017

Time

3:53pm - 5:20pm

Details

We jumped in at The Leap and swam out. The surface visibility was around 3 metres but we hoped it would improve as we got deeper. When we were ready we descended and headed to the sand line. I headed at around 45° but ended up losing John and Scott before we got to the sand line as they veered to the right. I knew they'd catch up so I went slowly along the sand line towards The Steps. Visibility was around 5 metres, water temperature was around 18°C and there was some surge.

I arrived at the rock where Ian's pygmy pipehorses had been and found the red male immediately. I looked around for a short time and found a small female but wasn't able to find any others. While I was there John and Scott caught up and I pointed out the pygmies to them. They then swam off.

I continued along the sand line and again caught up to John and Scott at Seahorse Rock. We swam together until I found a weedy seadragon behind the large rock where the tine painted angler had been last year. I stopped to photograph it while the others swam on. I found a second weedy seadragon close by and then a third just below Bent Stick Rock.

At Southern Cross Rock I found the two pygmies on the side of the rock which I'd seen last week. They weren't easy to photograph on the vertical side of the rock.

I was running short of bottom time due to the earlier dive even though I was diving on nitrox so I swam through Seadragon Alley quite quickly to get a bit shallower. I caught up to John and Scott again at Big Rock. I looked around the low rocks after Big Rock, including Hand Rock for pygmies but found none. I did find the light female pygmy pipehorse a few metres on. This was the one I first found 3 weeks ago. I looked on the same rock and found a male. I showed them to John and Scott and then they left me again.

I checked a few more rocks where I have previously seen pygmy pipehorses but could not find any. I got to Miamira rock but found no nudibranchs. The basket star was in its usual spot.

I swam on to Diversity Rock and was surprised to see a gorgeous red male pygmy pipehorse. It's been months since there was a pygmy pipehorse on Diversity Rock.

I checked the large rock to the north of Diversity Rock and found the female pygmy pipehorse I found a few weeks ago. At Little Big Rock I looked for pygmy pipehorses but found none.

I then headed for the boulders. At the base of the boulders I spotted an eastern blue devil. I don't know if that is the one others have talked about. I then swam up to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop at Split Rock and then exited at The Steps. It was an easy exit.

Buddy

John Farrant, Scot Burgoyne

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

3 to 8 metres

Duration

87 minutes

Maximum depth

21.6 m

Average depth

15.2 m

Water temperature

17.9°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

5:27am

1.63m

Low

11:54am

0.42m

High

6:09pm

1.56m