Dive at The Leap, Kurnell, NSW on Wednesday 3 October 2018

Dive Details

Location

Date

Wednesday 3 October 2018

Time

9:48am - 11:33am

Details

On today's dive, PJ, Garry, and Vanessa joined Mike and I at the start of our dive at The Leap. Vanessa was keen to see a weedy seadragon as she'd only seen one ever and that was in Jervis Bay. Conditions were relatively calm which would mean for easy entry and exit.

Mike, Vanessa and I jumped in from the low platform and swam out on the surface to meet with PJ and Garry. When we were all ready we descended and swam at around 30° towards the sand line. I was keen to find the pygmy pipehorses I'd found last Saturday. I looked on a number of rocks but did not recognise any as the rock I saw them on. We eventually made it to the sand line. I couldn't see Mike but the others were with me. Visibility was 5 to 10 metres with a lot of suspended matter. The water temperature was around 15°C. There wasn't much surge but the current was quite strong. We turned left and headed towards The Steps.

We swam along the sand line past Seahorse Rock and on to the flat rocks with sponges. I swam straight up to the overhang and saw Mike there. He'd just photographed the weedy seadragon under the overhang. I took some photographs, too, and went to find Vanessa who wasn't far behind me. I noticed another weedy seadragon on the sand below Vanessa. I tried to point it out to her but she didn't see it. As she went to the one under the overhang, I went to the one on the sand.

I swam to the rock above the gap between the two low flat rocks. I spotted one male pygmy pipehorse and then another. I looked for females but could not see any. I pointed the pygmy pipehorses out to Vanessa.

We swam on to Southern Cross Rock. Mike was there and pointed out a Volva volva cowrie he'd found. I took some photographs and and so did Vanessa.

We continued on to Seadragon Alley. At the start we saw a large green moray. Mike was already in Seadragon Alley ahead of us again. He'd found a weedy seadragon on the sand line. There was also a playful small giant cuttlefish. While we were there a juvenile weedy seadragon drifted through.

We swam on to the end of Seadragon Alley and I started looking for the red Stigmatopora pipefish. They weren't in the algae they were in on Saturday. I scoured the area. While I was looking, PJ indicated they were down to 100 bar and would continue on ahead of us. I kept looking. Mike then left. Eventually, I found one pipefish in the usual type of alga but farther along. As I was getting ready to photograph it, it swam off and I wasn't kick enough to follow. I kept looking and eventually found it (or another one) in a different alga. This time I managed to get some photographs.

I'd spent a lot of time looking for the pipefish so I then moved along the sand line quite quickly towards Big Rock. When I got close to Big Rock I looked for the orange red-fingered anglerfish that George had pointed out on Saturday. I found it.

I swam straight past Big Rock and on to the rock where the one-eyed seahorse lives. I was able to find her fairly quickly and continue on.

I swam on towards Diversity Rock and spotted Mike near the basket star. I had a look on Diversity Rock for pygmy pipehorses but found none. I looked for my juvenile painted anglerfish on the next rock but still couldn't find it. I looked in the kelp near the sand line for the male weedy seadragon with eggs. He was there and after taking photographs I pointed him out to Mike.

I had a quick look for pygmy pipehorses on the rock before Little Big Rock before swimming up to the rock behind Little Big Rock where the Nembrotha purpureolineata and Nembrotha sp. nudibranchs have been. They were both there.

I headed for the large rock behind Little Big Rock where the pygmy pipehorses have been and spotted the octopus on the way. It took me a while to find the pygmy pipehorses. I found the female low down on the rock and then the male a little higher.

I caught up to Mike again at the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish. We looked around for the salmon red-fingered anglerfish but couldn't find it. Mike left me at this point.

I swam on to the hole where the upside-down pipefish and sawtooth pipefish have been. I spotted the sawtooth pipefish and then both upside-down pipefish. While I was watching, one of the upside-down pipefish left the hole and swam up and to the left to a sort of depression in the rocks. It stayed there until I left.

I continued along the sand line to the rocks where the orange red-fingered anglerfish with the dark eyes and the male White's seahorse had been. I spotted the male White's seahorse from some way out on the lower clump of sea tulips. I looked all around the area for the orange red-fingered anglerfish but was not able to find it.

I headed for the boulders, ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. I wasn't far from Split Rock and stopped there to complete my safety stop. I then swam underwater to the exit which was easy.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

105 minutes

Maximum depth

20.3 m

Average depth

13.7 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

2:29am

1.20m

Low

8:09am

0.62m

High

2:45pm

1.59m

Low

9:41pm

0.44m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D7000

Lens

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

Housing

Ikelite 6801.70

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.