Dive Details
Location
Date
Wednesday 30 September 2015
Time
3:31pm - 5:01pm
Details
My aim for this dive was to find the crevice where I'd seen the upside-pipefish and hopefully get better photographs. It was quite calm and just before low tide. I got in on the northern side of the island between the boat ramp and the pool. I surface swam to near the outboard motor and descended. Visibility was around 5 metres here.
I swam past the outboard motor and up over the ledge and then over the sand next to the boulders. I came to the rock where Little Miss Bouncy, the female pygmy pipehorse (IL2015081401), has been and found her on a rock a little farther away from the other 3. She was still bouncing around but not as much as on previous occasions.
I headed down the slope and continued to the corner near the caves. I saw a red indianfish and the two white pygmy pipehorses (IL2015081403, IL2015081403) along the way. At the corner I looked for the juvenile pygmy pipehorse (IL2015090801) that Kim had found on 8 September but I could not find it.
I headed west keeping the north of the reef. The visibility dropped to around 3 metres and I was fearful that I would not find the correct rock. My fears were baseless and I found the rock easily. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the upside-down pipefish under that rock or any of the nearby rocks. Looks like I've missed my chance.
I turned and swam east back to the corner and then started up the slope. I stopped at the two white pygmy pipehorses and managed to find the pink male (IL2015073102), too.
I continued up the slope, passing the red indianfish again. Just past Pygmy Rock I looked for the female pygmy (IL2015073104) and found her without too much trouble.
I went on to the rocks with the pink sea tulips and found the female pygmy pipehorse (IL2015073101) there.
I swam to the top of the slope and found Little Miss Bouncy again. After this I swam to the exit doing my safety stop along the way. I exited where I got in.
Seas
Slight
Visibility
2 to 5 metres
Duration
90 minutes
Maximum depth
16.6 m
Average depth
10.5 m
Water temperature
18.3°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEST
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
Low
3:23am
0.16m
High
9:39am
1.83m
Low
3:56pm
0.16m
High
10:05pm
1.66m
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.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081401). 7.4 m.
Red indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 11.3 m.
Sydney pygmy pipehorses, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403, IL2015081403). 11.8 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 11.8 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081402). 11.8 m.
Green moray, Gymnothorax prasinus. 12.3 m.
Reaper cuttlfish, Sepia mestus. 15.8 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073102). 11.9 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 11.8 m.
Red indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 11.3 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073104). 9.5 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073104). 9.5 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073101). 9.1 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015073101). 9 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081401). 7.6 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081401). 7.5 m.