Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 15 November 2018

Time

1:31pm - 2:57pm

Buddy

Steven Walsh, Mel Wu

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

85 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

13.5 m

Average depth

10.2 m

Water temperature

16°C

Dive Profile from Garmin Descent Mk1

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

2:38am

1.16m

Low

8:00am

0.77m

High

2:27pm

1.44m

Low

9:30pm

0.56m

Details

For our second dive, Steve, Mel, and I would get in at the small bay just the the south-east of the rocks on Sutherland Point. This would drop us on the slope near Seahorse Rock and it would be a short swim to the Valley of the Pygmies.

We waded out until it was deep enough to don our fins and then we swam out a bit before descending. We swam past Seahorse Rock and down to the slope. The visibility had dropped a bit from the previous dive and was now 5 to 10 metres. The water temperature was much the same.

It took me a few moments to find "Nia", the brown White's seahorse. She'd moved from the red plate sponge and was not out on the substrate. I pointed her out again to Steve and Mel.

We swam along the reef towards Sutherland Point. We hadn't gone very far past Split Rock when I spotted a tasslesnout flathead in gap in the rocks. I took some photographs and pointed it out to the others.

We stopped at the grey red-fingered anglerfish. It was in the same orientation as it had been on the previous dive.

We continued to the Valley of the Pygmies. I found the green and pink male first and then the reliable male and his partner. I started looking for more pygmies on the slope when I found a tiny pink juvenile. I pointed them all out to Steve and Mel. I then photographed the pair on the rock while Steve and Mel photographed the ones on the slope. I was convinced there would be more on the slope so I started searching. I was rewarded with a lovely pink female. That made 2 on the rock and 5 on the slope. We stayed for a little while longer before moving on.

We swam along the NW-SE Wall for a short distance before ascending the wall and cutting the corner to the eastern end of the East-West Wall. I looked for the large orange red-fingered anglerfish on the large Carijoa covered rock but couldn't find it.

We stopped at the shelf to look for the pygmy pipehorses. I had a good look for the pygmies but could not see a single one.

We headed west along the foot of the East-West Wall. I kept and eye out for the great seahorse as we swam. We stopped in the area where I usually see "Naomi", the yellowish White's seahorse. I looked around and found her in one of the many yellow finger sponges in the area. I pointed her out to Steve and Mel.

We continued along the base of the wall to the isolated rock with Mandy's pygmies. Both were there and I pointed them out to the others.

We ascended the wall and headed for the beach doing out safety stops along the way. We kept swimming until it was too shallow and then we waded out.