Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 4 November 2017

Time

8:06am - 9:33am

Details

The tide was quite high when Mike and I jumped in and the entry was actually quite easy. We drifted a little way to the south east before descending and swimming to the sand line. The visibility was at least 10 metres, the water temperature was around 19°C and there was little surge. The incoming tidal current was almost non-existent. We swam along the sand line until I came on the pair of red widebody pipefish. I photographed them before moving on.

We found a male weedy seadragon with eggs on the sand below Little Big Rock. His eggs were quite new. I found a Nembrotha purpureolineata just south-east of Little Big Rock.

I got to Diversity Rock and looked for pygmy pipehorse but found none. I then swam along the sand line towards Big Rock. At the rock below Hand Rock I found the black angler but the white red-fingered angler was gone. I also couldn't find the male pygmy pipehorse that has been there or any other pygmy pipehorse for that matter.

On Big Rock I found my red male pygmy pipehorse and his partner at the sand line end. They were quite close together and I managed to get a couple of photographs with both of them. Mike caught up to me and I pointed them out to him. I went to the other side of Big Rock and found Roney's male pygmy and partner.

We then headed to the great seahorse. Mike arrived first but couldn't find her. I found her on a different rock from where she'd been last time. She was hanging on to a sponge. I then went down to the pair of red widebody pipefish. I swam on to the rock with the green sponges to find the pygmy pipehorses. They were both there. I hunted around for the grey red-fingered angler but couldn't find it. We turned and headed back towards Big Rock.

On the way back towards Big Rock I went to the rock where Roney had pointed out the male pygmy pipehorse on the last dive. It was in the same spot.

We swam along the top of the reef. I stopped at New Basket Star Rock along the way and then at Diversity Rock to look for pygmies, but found none.

We continued on to Little Big Rock and I lost Mike just as I spotted an orange painted angler in a brown sponge just behind Little Big Rock. I suspect it is the same one that Noel has been seeing.

I headed along the reef towards Di's Rock and spotted a Nembrotha along the way. I then swam to the boulders and ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. I caught up to Mike and he pointed out a huge ray lying on the rocks. I started my GoPro only to find the battery was flat - I still managed to get around 10 seconds of footage.

I finished my safety stop at Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit. I got out onto the shelf without too much difficulty.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10 to 15 metres

Duration

86 minutes

Maximum depth

17.2 m

Average depth

13.0 m

Water temperature

18.9°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

2:37am

0.25m

High

8:56am

1.81m

Low

3:15pm

0.22m

High

9:20pm

1.62m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D500

Lens

Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED

Housing

Ikelite 6812.5

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.

Two Sydney pygmy pipehorses, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri. 14.3 m.
 

Painted anglerfish, Antennarius pictus. 12.5 m.
 

Painted anglerfish, Antennarius pictus. 12.8 m.
 

Painted anglerfish, Antennarius pictus. 12.5 m.