Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 4 January 2019

Time

7:38am - 9:09am

Buddy

Ron Walsh

Seas

Slight current and surge

Visibility

2 to 3 metres

Duration

91 minutes

Surface interval

 2 days 21:54 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

15.1 m

Average depth

11.9 m

Water temperature

16.2°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

1:29am

0.51m

High

8:07am

1.72m

Low

2:48pm

0.42m

High

8:35pm

1.29m

Details

I hadn't bothered to dive for the last couple of days because the tides weren't great, the visibility hadn't been good and the temperature differential was too great (16°C in the water and >30°C in the air). Today high tide was late enough that I could jump in right on high tide or just before. I could also get ready in the shade and not get too hot in my drysuit before getting in the water.

Ron joined me for the dive. We jumped in at The Steps. I put my fins on in the water and we swam out on the surface. When we were ready we descended. It was not great. The water was very green and the visibility was only 2 to 3 metres. The water temperature was around 16°C. There wasn't any current as it was almost high tide but there was some surge.

We swam over the kelp to the sand line. I stopped at the little orange red-fingered anglerfish and pointed it out to Ron. I then looked for "Jodi" and "Stephen", the pot-bellied seahorses. I hadn't seen "Stephen" for a few weeks, but I'd seen "Jodi" just yesterday. We couldn't find either of them.

We swam along the sand line towards Little Big Rock. I looked in the hole with the pipefishes and spotted the male sawtooth pipefish with eggs. I didn't bother showing Ron as it was too hard to explain and we'd see the other pair soon.

We continued along the sand line ti Little Big Rock. I came to the Roney's rock with the sawtooth pipefish. I could only see the male with eggs and it was in the small cave. I took some photographs and then pointed them out to Ron.

We moved on to the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish. I took some photographs of it before pointing it out to Ron.

We headed up to the newer pot-bellied seahorses. I spotted "Petra" in the sea tulips but I could not see "David". I looked all around the area for "David" but I could not find him.

I headed to the sand line just ahead of Ron. I swam to Diversity Rock and found the male weedy seadragon in the kelp below Diversity Rock. I took some photographs as Ron caught up.

I continued along the sand line to the rock below Hand Rock. I looked for pygmy pipehorses and other organisms on the way. At the rock below Hand Rock I found the juvenile pygmy (IL2018122402) and then the male (IL2018111001). I looked around a bit and also found the female (IL2018102701). Ron had caught up to me by now (and told me later he'd found two other pygmies on the way). I pointed out the pygmies to him and then went and looked for the juvenile on Hand Rock. I wasn't able to find it.

I swam slowly towards Big Rock looking for pygmy pipehorses on the way. I spotted a Nembrotha sp. nudibranch and remembered I'd seen it there before (but keep forgetting to look for it). I caught up to Ron on Big Rock. He'd found a pair of pygmies there (IL2019010401, IL2019010402) and pointed them out to me. I have been looking on Big Rock for months for pygmies and this was Ron's first dive there in months. Ron said goodbye and headed back to The Steps.

I started back to The Steps but much more slowly than Ron. I spotted an Atagema intecta nudibranch not far from Big Rock. I have seen a few of these of late.

I stayed just up from the sand line as I swam back towards The Steps. I was looking for pygmy pipehorses and anglerfishes along the way. When I got to Diversity Rock I cut up to the basket star.

I swam on to Little Big Rock and then to the newer seahorses. "Petra" was still in the sea tulips and I still couldn't find "David".

I visited the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish and the sawtooth pipefish before continuing along the sand line.

I past the pipefishes hole and on to the older seahorses' rock. I looked all around the rock but was not able to find "Jodi". The kelp was covering most of the rock so perhaps she was in there.

I dropped down to the small orange red-fingered anglerfish and took some photographs before heading to the exit. I swam up to Split Rock and started my safety stop. Once I finished my safety stop I swam underwater to the exit and got out to find Ron waiting for me.