Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 18 May 2018

Time

8:36am - 9:58am

Details

This was my first dive after the rough weather of the last few days and I was also testing the drysuit again. I wasn't sure whether things would have recovered from the big seas plus I didn't want a long dive as I was in my drysuit so I settled on The Steps. If conditions were poor I wouldn't have the large commitment that I have at The Leap.

I got in at The Steps where it was quite calm. The surface water looked clear. I swam out as I got my camera ready and then descended to the sand line. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the visibility was. It was at least 10 metres and close to 15. The water temperature was around 18°C and there was only a small amount of surge. I turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

I swam along the sand line into a bit of current from the incoming tide. I hadn't gone far when I spotted a weedy seadragon. I arrived at the rock where the yellow red-fingered anglerfish has been and was pleased to see it was still there despite the rough seas earlier in the week.

I swam on to Little Big Rock. I looked for the pygmy pipehorses on the two rocks behind Little Big Rock. I found a cryptic male but none of the others.

I continued along the sand line past Diversity Rock. I found a medium sized giant cuttlefish near Old Basket Star Rock. I looked around for the robust ghostpipefish but I'm sure it is gone.

As I approached Big Rock I looked on the rock below Hand Rock for the yellow/pink red-fingered anglerfish but it was no longer there. I also looked for the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch that had been in the area but I couldn't find it either.

I swam past Big Rock and on to the rock where the small orange red-fingered anglerfish that Mike found had been but it was no longer there. I looked around the surrounding rocks but could not see it.

I still had plenty of air, as I wasn't cold at all in my dry suit, so I continued on towards the end of Seadragon Alley. On the way I spotted a goatfish being cleaned by clingfish. I tried to get a photograph but the goatfish swam off leaving the clingfish behind.

As I approached the area where "Nina", the great seahorse, had been, I spotted a weedy seadragon. I then found the red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish in its alga. At least it wasn't affected by the seas.

I turned around and headed back towards The Steps. I tried to find the clingfish cleaning station on my way back but couldn't. I found a Guenther's butterflyfish. I checked for the orange anglerfish again but I still couldn't find it.

I swam past Big Rock and on to the rock with the one-eyed seahorse. I wasn't sure if she'd still be there but after circling her rock I found her on the south-eastern side.

I continued on past New Basket Star Rock and found the basket star on the red chimney sponge 5 metres farther along where it has been for the last few weeks.

By now I was desperate for a pee and so moved fairly quickly. I found a Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch between Little Big Rock and the yellow anglerfish and then I visited the anglerfish again before heading for the boulders.

I surface to 5 metres and did my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and swam to the exit. The exit was easy, except I dropped a fin which was taken out so I had to swim out to get it. Then I exited.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

81 minutes

Maximum depth

17.1 m

Average depth

12.4 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.

Low

4:30am

0.29m

High

10:34am

1.48m

Low

4:14pm

0.51m

High

10:42pm

1.98m