Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 23 July 2017

Time

8:24am - 9:47am

Details

The forecast was for a 2 metre south-easterly swell which is less than ideal for Kurnell. I checked out The Steps and while entry and exit looked possible, the visibility looked poor and I didn't want to risk not being able to exit if the swell came up. I opted for The Monument.

At The Monument the surface swell did not look all that bad with just a few larger waves breaking over Sutherland Point. I thought I'd play it safe and enter from inside the point where I'd be protected. I waded out and when deep enough surface swam out past the waves. I then descended and headed north until I got past the kelp. I reached the wall and descended. Visibility was only around a metre, perhaps 1.5 metres at best. Water temperature was 18°C. At the bottom of the wall there wasn't much swell.

I followed the wall to the east. Navigation was difficult with the poor visibility. I think I must have gone right around the outside of the reef as I was following the sand line. I ended up around the corner but had difficulty recognising landmarks until I reached Split Rock.

From Split Rock I swam up to look for Seahorse Rock but it was just too difficult with the poor visibility. I gave up and came down to the sand line.

I followed the sand line towards The Steps and came across the rock covered in Carijoa. I looked for the pink male pygmy pipehorse and found a cryptic female. Then I found the pink male. The surge was quite strong here.

I swam along the Deep Wall and looked for the black painted angler and then the large orange red-fingered angler but found neither.

After the wall I swam towards Block Rock looking for the rock where the small orange painted angler has been. I found the rock and then found the angler tucked away in the weed.

I turned and headed back towards The Monument. Going was tough with the outgoing tide and the surge. As I passed along the wall I looked for the anglers again but didn't find them.

I got to the end of the wall and looked for the rock covered in Carijoa but I couldn't find it. For a rock I've seen so many times before I was surprised how the surge and poor visibility could make it so difficult to find.

I swam on to Split Rock which I was able to find and from here I headed to shallower water and tried to find the wall. I kept heading west until I hit the rocks and then swam at around 5 metres in a westerly direction. Eventually, I found the kelp and kept swimming west. It was tough going due to the outgoing tide.

I got to about 2 metres and surfaced to check my progress. I was just past the corner so I descended again and headed south until I hit the rocks at just over a metre of depth. I surfaced and waded to the shore, getting out in front of the flagpoles.

Seas

Rough

Visibility

0.5 to 1.5 metres

Duration

82 minutes

Maximum depth

14.2 m

Average depth

9.7 m

Water temperature

17.4°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

2:06am

0.20m

High

8:03am

1.48m

Low

1:45pm

0.37m

High

8:16pm

2.05m