Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Friday 31 July 2015

Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 31 July 2015

Time

1:04pm - 2:39pm

Details

We jumped in on the northern side of the island just to the west of the ramp. We surface swam for a bit before descending to the sand 10 metres or so from the outboard motor. We swam past the boulders to the outboard motor and up over the shelf. We swam around the corner and down the slope to the west.

I tried to find the pygmy pipehorse I'd seen on the last dive here which was just before the pink sea tulip covered rocks but I was not able to find it. I followed Kim to the sea tulip rock where we'd seen two pygmies before (and she'd seen two last time she'd dive here). Kim wasn't able to find either one but I persisted in my search and eventually found one.

We headed down the slope and I tried to find the pygmy that has been on the rock above pygmy rock for a few months. I didn't find it after a brief search but planned to look more carefully on our way back.

We went further down the slope looking for pygmies until we got close to the corner where Kim has seen the Ardeadoris rubroannulata nudibranch recently. It was in the same location where she'd last seen it and she pointed it out to me. It is probable it is the same individual I spotted in January because it has one rhinophore smaller than the other. It is significantly larger now.

We turned and headed back up the slope. Kim pointed out a tiny orange nudibranch, so small it is difficult for me to photograph. While I was contemplating whether to try to get a photograph I noticed a pygmy pipehorse 2 centimetres behind it. I grabbed Kim's fin before she got away and pointed it out. I could hear her laughing.

As we headed back, Kim spotted a beautiful red pygmy pipehorse. It had less tassels than the usual pygmies we see at Bare Island.

Kim got back to the rock above Pygmy Rock before me and managed to find a pygmy there, which I suspect is the same one that has been there since April.

While looking for more pygmies on the way back I spotted a red indianfish. I swam back past the boulders and started my safety stop just before the outboard motor. I exited at the spot we got in.

Buddy

Kim Dihn

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 8 metres

Duration

94 minutes

Maximum depth

13.2 m

Average depth

9.4 m

Water temperature

14.9°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

2:03am

0.25m

High

7:58am

1.46m

Low

1:40pm

0.37m

High

8:12pm

1.97m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D300

Lens

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D

Housing

Ikelite 6812.3

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.