Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 9 August 2018

Time

1:17pm - 2:58pm

Details

I didn't get to dive yesterday as I had planned so I was keen to dive today. The tides we inconvenient with low tide being around noon. I figured that getting in an hour after low tide would be sufficient. The water looked beautiful from the surface so I was quite happy with my decision to dive at this time.

I got in and swam out on the surface. The water felt a little cooler than it has been. Once I was ready, I descended and swam to the kelp/sand. The visibility was over 10 metres and there was not much surge. The water temperature was around 15°C. I turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

I swam along the sand line to the orange red-fingered anglerfish. It was in its usual spot on the rock. I took some photographs before moving on.

I followed the sand line to the rock with sea tulips where the pygmy pipehorses had been. As I reached the rock I noticed a weedy seadragon on the sand. I took photographs and then checked out the rock for the pygmy pipehorses. It had been over a week since I last saw them here so I didn't expect much. I looked in the usual spots but then looked on the other areas of the rocks. I suddenly spied the female, "Di" (IL2018061401), poking her head out from the algae. I was so pleased to find her again.

I swam past Di's Rock and checked out the rocks for anglerfishes along the way to the rocks behind Little Big Rock. I didn't find any. I looked on the large rock behind Little Big Rock and found both pygmy pipehorses (IL2018072001, IL2018072002).

I headed past that rock to the spot I'd seen the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish on Saturday. It wasn't there. I looked around the area but was not able to find it. I also looked for the salmon red-fingered anglerfish all the way down to Little Big Rock but was not able to find it.

I checked out the rock just past Little Big Rock and found both pygmy pipehorses (IL2018072501, IL2018072502) there.

As I was heading towards Diversity Rock I spotted the male weedy seadragon with eggs in the kelp. I hadn't seen him for a week or so but he was probably there but hiding in the kelp.

I spotted to juvenile orange painted anglerfish on its rock near Diversity Rock. It is still very small. I checked out Diversity Rock for pygmy pipehorses but it is still covered in snot algae so it is difficult to see anything.

I swam up to the basket start. As I was there I looked up and saw "Betty", the female grey nurse shark cruise by slowly near New Basket Star Rock. I didn't bother to video her as the visibility had dropped to only around 5 metres.

I looked around New Basket Star Rock for the grey red-fingered anglerfish and also in the red algae on the sand for red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish.

As I headed towards Sponge Hollow I noticed a lot of suspended algae in the water. It was making the visibility a lot worse than it should have been.

I found the one-eyed seahorse on her rock as soon as I swam up to the rock. I then headed towards the shore to look for anglerfishes. As I came back the seahorse's rock I spotted a large juvenile weedy seadragon. The poor thing had algae wrapped around it which I removed.

I came back via the basket star and checked out Diversity Rock again for pygmy pipehorses. I visited the juvenile painted anglerfish and the male weedy seadragon with eggs on my way to Little Big Rock.

I stopped just before Little Big Rock to look at the pygmy pipehorses again and I spotted a large dwarf lionfish on the adjacent rock. I found both pygmy pipehorses again.

I had a quick look for the salmon and yellow anglerfishes before visiting the pygmy pipehorses on the large rock behind Little Big Rock.

I swam quickly to the other pygmy pipehorse (on the rock with the sea tulips) before heading to the orange anglerfish and then to the boulders as I was running low on air. I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock, I waited out my safety stop at Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 15 metres

Duration

100 minutes

Maximum depth

13.6 m

Average depth

11.0 m

Water temperature

15°C

Dive Profile from Garmin Descent Mk1

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

12:16am

0.34m

High

6:12am

1.37m

Low

11:54am

0.42m

High

6:29pm

1.92m