Today I'd be on my own which was fine. I had planned to dive The Leap but with my strobes still not working correctly I settled for The Steps again. As I was getting ready, PJ and others were heading to The Leap. I figured I'd see them in the water somewhere.
As I had for the last 2 dives at The Steps, I jumped in without my fins and put them on in the water. I swam out on the surface and when I was ready I descended to the sand/kelp. The visibility was at least 10 metres and the water temperature between 19 and 20°C. There wasn't much surge.
I swam straight to the rocks in front of the exit and looked for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. I couldn't see it. I swam on to the large rock with sea tulips. Just like on Saturday, "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish was no in his usual spot. I checked and checked again but he was not there. I even swam away and came back to make sure I was looking at the correct rock. I was! I then looked carefully around the rock thinking that if he'd done this before he'd be nearby. I couldn't find him at all. I took photographs of his hole to prove to myself he wasn't there (in case he's there when I return).
I swam along the sand line to the pipefishes hole. On the way I spotted a juvenile Yellow Boxfish. I took some photographs but the strobes only fired a couple of times. At the pipefishes hole I could not see any pipefishes.
I looked for the juvenile Weedy Seadragon and found it in the kelp.
I headed up to the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish near Di's Rock. My strobes behaved themselves.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.2m.
I swam along the top of the reef to the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish. I looked for the white one on the way but couldn't find it.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.1m.
I continued to the seahorse's rock. The grey Red-fingered Anglerfish was in the middle of the top of the rock. "David", the Pot-bellied Seahorse, was on the side of the rock near the white honeycomb sponge.
I headed to the basket star as Nyrelle was photographing a dwarf lionfish just behind it. I pointed out the basket star to her.
I swam down to the rock near Diversity Rock where the white Red-fingered Anglerfish has been. It was pretty much on the same place as yesterday. I looked around for the cryptic anglerfish but could not see it. I signalled to Sue who was up near the basket star but she didn't see me.
I continued on to the pygmy pipehorses. The white male was in the same spot it has been for the last few dives, as was the pink male. I couldn't see the cryptic female.
I headed towards Big Rock and up to George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It was on the same rock but was on the sand line side of the rock. As I was there three divers who'd come from The Leap swam by. It was then I realised just how good the visibility was and it was up to 15 metres.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13m.
I checked Hand Rock and the rock below it for pygmy pipehorses but found none. That pygmy I found the other day seems to have gone.
I swam towards The Steps. It wasn't yet high tide so I wasn't swimming into current. I caught up with the three divers I'd seen pass me at Big Rock as I arrived back at the pygmy pipehorses. I looked for the cryptic female again but could not find her.
I next went to the white Red-fingered Anglerfish. I had another look for the cryptic anglerfish but could not see it.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.2m.
I swam up past the basket star and dwarf lionfish and as I was heading to the seahorse I spotted a small Giant Cuttlefish.
"David" was still at the base of the white honeycomb sponge and the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish was in the middle of the top of the rock.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.1m.
I continued on to the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish and looked around for the other white Red-fingered Anglerfish. I stopped at the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish near Di's Rock.
As I swam on to the large rock with sea tulips to look for "Raphael", I looked for more anglerfish but found none. I was hoping that "Raphael" would be back in his spot but he wasn't. I checked the main rock and couldn't see him. I then checked the nearby rocks and found him on the side of a rock hidden by kelp.
Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus, ("Raphael"). 10.4m.
I still had some air so I looked around for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found a week or so ago. I looked where I last saw it but it wasn't there. I then looked at a slightly different angle and found it hiding only around 20cm from where I last saw it. This made seven anglerfish on a dive again.
Red-Fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.7m.
I swam to the boulders and ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop. I swam underwater to the exit which was easy.
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