Today I dived The Steps. I would have preferred The Leap but this was my first dive back in my wetsuit (drysuit needs repairs) and I didn't want a long dive at 17°C. Also, the conditions have been so variable lately, I didn't want a long dive with bad viz and surge.
It was weird putting my wetsuit on after 6 months in the drysuit but I do like carrying less weight and (if the water is warm) it can be more comfortable in the water. If only it worked as a semidry as it used to.
It was quite calm when I jumped in and put my fins on in the water. I swam out on the surface before descending to the kelp. The water temperature was around 21°C and if it kept like that I'd be fine in my wetsuit. There wasn't much surge and I didn't notice any current.
I swam to the sea tulip with the Crested Horn Shark egg on one of the rocks near the entry to look for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that was there on Friday. It wasn't there. I looked around the adjacent rocks but could not see it.
I headed to the sand line and then swam towards Big Rock. The current was barely noticeable. I got to the rock where the Pot-bellied Seahorses had been in late 2018. The large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was still on the side of the second rock from the sand line. I took some photographs.
I continued along the sand line looking for "Teardrop", the male Weedy Seadragon. I found him close to where I had seen him on Friday. His eggs are continuing to develop.
I swam on to Pipefishes Hole and looked into the hole. I saw no pipefishes.
I headed up to Di's Rock and then along the top of the reef to the rock with the large green sponge near the seahorses. I looked for anglerfishes along the way but found none.
I found the male pygmy pipehorse on the rock with the large green sponge. I looked all over the rock for the female but I could not find her.
I swam over to the seahorse's rock. I found "George" low down on the rock where he often is. I then found both "Skye" and "David" in the sea tulips on the smaller rock closer to Little Big Rock. "David"'s belly is looking particularly swollen.
I looked on the next rock for pygmy pipehorses. I have seen at least 3 different individuals on this rock over the last couple of weeks but today I wasn't able to find any.
I headed towards the basket star. I looked for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that John had pointed out on Friday but it had moved. I looked on the adjacent rocks but still couldn't find it. I then spotted it on the other side of the rock it had been on Friday.
I looked on the rock with the male pygmy that Cody had spotted a couple of weeks ago. The male is still there but I couldn't find the female. It has been around a week now since I last saw her.
I headed over to the basket star and then down to Diversity Rock. It has been months (if not over a year) since I last saw a pygmy pipehorse on Diversity Rock but I still look regularly just in case. Today my persistence paid off, I found a female pygmy pipehorse in the Carijoa near the top of the rock. I looked around for a male but was not able to find one.
I swam along the reef to Sponge Hollow. I stayed a bit higher hoping to find the other Red-Fingered Anglerfish that John spotted on Friday but forgot to show me. I didn't find it.
I dropped down to the two pink pygmy pipehorses. The male was on the side of the rock where he usually is. I looked around for a while before finding the female.
I headed up to High Pygmy Rock and looked around for the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranchs on the surrounding rocks. They were around for a while but have now seemed to have disappeared.
I dropped down to the long rock and looked for the pygmies there. I found the light pink male first and then a female below him. I found the darker pink male and then a female near him.
I swam to Slope Rock. The large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was still there in the same spot.
I headed to Big Rock and had a look for "Ouz", the yellow female White's Seahorse. I couldn't find her. It has not been over a month since I have seen her so I have to assume she's moved on. As I was looking I spotted a Weedy Seadragon. It may have been a sub-adult as it wasn't as large as the ones I usually see but it was larger then some of the juveniles.
I swam back via Slope Rock and the long rock and took more photographs of the anglerfish and pygmy pipehorses. I also visited the pair of pink pygmies.
I stated high on the reef and checked out the rocks along the way to New Basket Star Rock. I then dropped down to Miamira Rock and on to the basket star.
I had another look on Diversity Rock and found the male pygmy pipehorse. This was reassuring as I normally see pygmies in pairs.
I visited Cody's pygmy and the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish before swimming on to the seahorses.
"George" and "David" were in the same spots as earlier in the dive, but "Skye" had moved to a sponge on the same rock.
I had another look (unsuccessfully) for pygmies on the adjacent rock before heading over to the rock with the large green sponge. This time I found the female pygmy who was hiding under some algae.
I headed along the top of the reef towards the exit. I spotted another Weedy Seadragon along the way.
I visited the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on the rock where the seahorses had been before heading to the exit. I had a quick hunt around for the other orange Red-fingered Anglerfish but still couldn't find it.
I ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop before swimming underwater to the exit. The water surface was quite choppy from wind but the exit was easy.
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