Dive at The Leap, Kurnell, NSW on Saturday 18 August 2018

Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 18 August 2018

Time

9:46am - 11:34am

Details

Today was my only opportunity to dive this weekend (and the week) due to work and other commitments. I wanted to make the most of it and dive The Leap. Conditions were calm and the tides were right.

I got it from the low platform and swam out on the surface, The visibility was well over 5 metres at the surface. I descended and swam at around 30° towards the sand line. I swam through the amphitheatre and hit the sand line near Bob and Lucy Rock. The visibility was 10 to 15 metres and the water temperature was around 15°C. There was not much current or surge. I turned left and headed for The Steps.

Just before Ian's Pygmy Rock I found a weedy seadragon on the sand. I found another just after that rock.

I swam past Seahorse Rock and on to the flat rocks with sponges. I found a male weedy seadragon with eggs under the overhang. There was another nearby on the sand between the two rocks. I swam up to the cowrie and pygmy pipehorses as Roney and Mark swam by. I found the cowrie and both pygmy pipehorses (IL2018080101, IL2018080102) and pointed them out to Mark.

I continued along the sand line past Southern Cross Rock and on to Seadragon Alley. I found a female weedy seadragon and then the male with eggs. A lot of his eggs were gone but I couldn't tell if they'd hatched or had been eaten. I then found the juvenile weedy seadragon. It has grown so much since I first saw it in March.

Just after the end of Seadragon Alley I looked for the pair of red Stigmatopora pipefish. They weren't in their usual algae. I looked a little farther along the rock and found them together in the next alga. There was a bit of surge and they were moving around a lot.

As I finished photographing the pipefish and started on my way towards Big Rock a 1.5-2 metre female grey nurse shark was swimming towards me. I must have spooked her as she slowly turned and swam away. She was not swimming all that quickly and it took a while before she was out of sight.

I swam along the sand line to Big Rock. I looked around after Big Rock for the pygmy pipehorse Roney told me about but I wasn't able to find it. There were just too many rocks that fitted his description.

I headed up to the rock with the one-eyed seahorse and found her on the northern face of the rock.

I swam along the reef looking for anglerfishes, past the basket star and on to Diversity Rock. Just below Diversity Rock I spotted a male weedy seadragon with eggs. I think it is the same one that was between Diversity Rock and Little Big Rock. I looked on Diversity Rock for the young male pygmy pipehorse (IL2018062701) and found him in the snot algae. I found my juvenile painted anglerfish on the adjacent rock.

I swam along the sand line to Little Big Rock. I looked on the rock before Little Big Rock for the pygmy pipehorses. I found the male (IL2018072501) first and after a bit of searching I found the female (IL2018072502).

I searched all around Little Big Rock and up to the rocks behind it looking for the salmon and yellow red-fingered anglerfish. I found neither. On the big rock behind Little Big Rock I found the two pygmy pipehorses. I found the male (IL2018072002) first. The female (IL2018072001) was a little harder to find but I found her.

As I was swimming towards Di's Rock I spotted another weedy seadragon. This was the ninth for the dive.

I looked on the rock near Di's Rock for the pygmy pipehorses. I found the female (IL2018061401) in the same spot I saw it last weekend. I had a quick look for the male but couldn't find it. There's so much snot algae over everything.

I swam on to the orange red-fingered anglerfish which was still in its usual spot. I then headed for the boulders. I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10 to 15 metres

Duration

108 minutes

Maximum depth

21.3 m

Average depth

14.1 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.

High

1:17am

1.34m

Low

7:30am

0.55m

High

2:02pm

1.49m

Low

8:31pm

0.65m

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.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 20.9 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 20.6 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 20 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 19.8 m.

Spindle cowrie, Phenacovolva sp. 18 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018080101). 18 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018080102). 18 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 17.4 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 17.5 m.

Eggs on the tail of a male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 17.7 m.

Juvenile weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 17.6 m.

Juvenile weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 17.4 m.

Red wide-body pipefish, Stigmatopora sp. 16.5 m.

Female White's seahorse, Hippocampus whitei. 11.9 m.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 11.8 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.6 m.

Eggs on the tail of a male weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.8 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018062701). 12.9 m.

Juvenile painted anglerfish, Antennarius pictus. 12.5 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072501). 13.3 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072502). 13.4 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072002). 11.6 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072001). 11.9 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 11.3 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018061401). 11.5 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018061401). 11.6 m.

Red-fingered anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.4 m.