Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1710

Date

Saturday 20 July 2019

Time

8:36am - 10:16am

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

5 to 12 metres

Duration

100 minutes

Surface interval

 6 days 17:25 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

14.4 m

Average depth

11.1 m

Water temperature

15.7°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

4:37am

0.44m

High

10:36am

1.34m

Low

4:05pm

0.63m

High

10:32pm

1.72m

Details

The path from the car park to The Steps still wasn't open but I was keen to do The Steps again and see if the black Painted Anglerfish was still around. It would also be my last chance to dive The Steps before my surgery on Monday.

I parked at The Monument and walked along the rocks all the way to The Steps. It was quite calm and the conditions looked great.

I jumped in and put my fins on in the water. I swam out on the surface and got my camera ready. I descended to the rocks and swam to the kelp. The visibility was around 5 metres. There a small amount of surge but not much current. Water temperature was around 16°.

I looked around the rocks in front of the entry/exit hoping to find some Red-fingered Anglerfish but found none.

I swam to the sand line and then followed it to the rock where "Jodi" and "Stephen", the Pot-bellied Seahorses, had been. I continued along the sand line to Pipefishes Hole. I looked in the hole and spotted one of the Sawtooth Pipefish.

I looked around the kelp near Pipefishes Hole for the juvenile Weedy Seadragon. I found it.


Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.7 m.


Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.8 m.

I swam up to Di's Rock and looked around for Red-fingered Anglerfish. I then headed to Little Big Rock traversing between the sand line and the top of the reef as I went. I found nothing of interest.

I went to the large rock behind Little Big Rock and looked for "David", the Pot-Bellied Seahorse. I found him on the white honeycomb sponge.


Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12m.

I continued towards New Basket Star Rock. I found the Dwarf Lionfish on the rock I often find it on.


Dwarf Lionfish, Dendrochirus brachypterus. 11.4m.

I looked on the rock I'd found the black Painted Anglerfish on last week. It was not there. I looked on the surrounding rocks and was not able to find it. As I was looking closer to Diversity Rock I spotted an orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. I wonder if this is the same one I found near New Basket Star Rock a few months ago.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.9m.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.9m.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12m.

I swam past the basket star and then down to Diversity Rock. I headed along from Diversity Rock towards Big Rock past the rock where the white Pygmy Pipehorse had been a few months ago. I looked for Red-fingered Anglerfish as I swam.


Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 11.8m.

I looked on the rock where the one-eyed White's Seahorse had been as that was the last place I'd seen George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It wasn't there. I found a couple of Blotched Hawkfish on a nearby rock. I also found a large Reaper Cuttlefish.


Blotched Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys aprinus. 12m.


Blotched Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys aprinus. 11.9m.


Reaper Cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 13.5m.

I swam past Slope Rock and on to Hand Rock. I looked on Hand Rock for pygmies but found none. I then checked out the rock below Hand Rock and found the small pink female Pygmy Pipehorse I'd found last Saturday. I looked for others on the rock but found no more.


Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019071301). 13.8m.


Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019071301). 13.6m.


Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019071301). 13.7m.

I turned and headed back towards The Steps. I looked for Red-fingered Anglerfish on my way back. I came back via the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found earlier and then up to "David' who had moved to a purple sponge.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.9m.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.9m.


Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12m.

I swam along the top of the reef to Di's Rock and then headed down to Pipefishes Hole. This time both Sawtooth Pipefish were visible in the hole.


Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 12.8m.

I headed along the sand line to the rock where "Jodi" and "Stephen" had been. From here I went to the rocks in front of the entry/exit. I had a quick look before ascending to the boulders. I then headed along the boulders towards The Monument.

I stayed at around 5 metres and did my safety stop as I went. I managed to find the shelf as I finished my safety stop and surfaced next to it and then waded out at the protected area.

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(s)

2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161