Dive Details
Location
Date
Monday 15 December 2014
Time
11:26am - 12:29pm
Details
It was still rough at The Leap but it had calmed down a lot since Saturday. There would be no problems getting in but it was difficult to tell what conditions would be like. I was there so I gave it a go.
I slid down the rocks next to the low platform and it was an easy entry. I descended and the visibility was probably 2 metres and the temperature was around 20°C. I headed out at a bearing of 60° and reached the sand line at the amphitheatre. The visibility here was 2-3 metres and was so bad that I missed the rock with my first pink pygmy seahorse and I ended up at the rock where I saw the last one. It was also 15°C! I don't know why it is so cold. I had a quick look there and headed east to the white pygmy pipehorse. I initially couldn't find it but while I was looking I found a small pink one. This was my fourth pink pygmy pipehorse in 7 weeks. Unfortunately, due to its size and the swell it was very hard to get a decent photo of it. All I have is proof. I then noticed the white pygmy pipehorse hiding in the algae just to my right. It was also difficult to photograph due to the surge.
I made my way to the rock with my first pink pygmy pipehorse but after searching for 5 minutes I could not find him. He would have been even more difficult to photograph as the rock is more exposed. Hopefully, he was just hiding and I will see him again when conditions are calmer.
I swam to Seahorse Rock. Navigation was not easy due to the poor visibility but I recognised landmarks as I swam past them. It took me a little while to find "Rosie", the pot-bellied seahorse, due to the poor visibility and they visibility shows in the the photograph of her.
I continued on to the next seahorses, "Southern Cross" and "Pierre". "Southern Cross" was out on the open and was easy to find. "Pierre" was hiding and I eventually spotted his tail wrapped around a sponge.
I was getting cold so I started moving more quickly. I swam through Seadragon Alley and spotted just one seadragon: a male with eggs. He only had a few eggs as if it had only just started carrying some. It was a male I don't believe I have seen before.
I followed the rocks up to the top of the reef and swam along the top looking for critters. The visibility and surge made it difficult to see anything. I did find male weedy seadragon with eggs. The eggs looked old and were either covered in algae to hide them from predators or it was right at the end of the incubation. I had seen him last in February.
I headed to the boulders and did my safety stop as I swam to the Plesiastrea colonies. After my safety stop I surfaced at The Steps and watched the exit for a while. It did not look all that safe so I decided to swim on the surface towards The Monument. Along the way I found a protected area where I could exit safely and then walked back along the rocks and up The Steps.
Seas
Rough
Visibility
1-4 metres
Duration
63 minutes
Maximum depth
21.6 m
Average depth
15.8 m
Water temperature
15.0°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
High
3:31am
1.30m
Low
9:23am
0.74m
High
3:22pm
1.33m
Low
9:56pm
0.54m
Camera gear
Camera
Nikon D7000
Lens
Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D
Housing
Ikelite 6801.70
Lens port
Ikelite Flat Port 5502.41
Strobe
2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161
Photographs
Depth information, where present, indicates the depth of the camera when the photograph was taken and can be used to approximate the depth of the subject.
Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri. 21.1 m.
Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri. 21.2 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 19.5 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Southern Cross"). 17.6 m.
Tail of a pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, (probably "Pierre"). 17.1 m.