Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 12 December 2015
Time
12:11pm - 1:17pm
Details
Conditions were not great at The Steps. The swell was quite large, although most of the time the entry/exit point was quite flat. Di and Noel had been in previously and told me the visibility was poor but this was my only chance to dive this weekend and I had a record to maintain. I bumped into two other divers who said they'd seen to small dark coloured seahorses near each other. From talking to them I was confident they saw them on "Di"'s rock which suggests it was probably "Mikhail" and "Joseph". I hadn't seen "Joseph" for a while so it would be good if I could find him.
I jumped in and descended to the sand line. It was as Di and Noel had described: 2 to 3 metre visibility with a lot of stuff floating around. There was also quite a bit of surge. It was nearly 19°C but I was cold from the start.
I swam along the sand line to the rock with sponges and headed up to "Di"'s rock. I initially didn't see any seahorses but eventually spotted "Mikhail" in the sea tulips at one end. I searched around the rest of the rock but could not find any others. Conditions were not great for finding seahorses (surge and poor viz).
I went back to the sand line and continued towards Diversity Rock. I was hoping to find the white pygmy pipehorse that Di had spotted recently but again the conditions made it difficult to see anything.
At Diversity Rock I was disappointed that no seahorses were in the sea tulips. I eventually found "Daniel" and "Arnold" on the rock behind Diversity Rock. "Arnold" was hiding in his usual spot. I found "Noel" low down on Diversity Rock and the angler on the rock to the left. I swam around and finally found "Rosie" on the big rock above the rock with the angler. I then went looking for the juvenile weedy but there was to much surge and too much crap in the water.
I swam on to the other pygmy pipehorse location. I eventually found the female (IL2015072601) and while looking for the male, I found another small male (IL2015121201). I guess that means the previous male (IL2015092701) is gone. The rock is covered in snot algae like many of the rocks around.
I swam back to Diversity Rock via the sand line and the basket star. I had another look for the white pygmy pipehorse. Diversity Rock is now covered snot algae, too.
I headed back to "Di"'s rock and had another look for other seahorses. After finding none, I headed to the boulders, did my safety stop and exited at The Steps. Despite the large swell, the exit was easy and safe (although Greg was there to offer a hand).
Seas
Surgy
Visibility
2 to 3 metres
Duration
65 minutes
Maximum depth
14.6 m
Average depth
11.1 m
Water temperature
18.6°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
Low
3:03am
0.45m
High
9:36am
1.80m
Low
4:13pm
0.31m
High
10:07pm
1.36m
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.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Mikhail"). 10.8 m.
Red-fingered angler, Porophryne erythrodactylus, ("Kim"). 12.6 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Daniel"). 12.8 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Noel"). 13.3 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015072601). 12.3 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121201). 12.3 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121201). 12.3 m.
Female pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Rosie"). 12.1 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Arnold"). 12.3 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Daniel"). 12.5 m.