Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 19 December 2015
Time
12:12pm - 1:37pm
Details
Duncan and I jumped in on the northern side of the island to the west of the ramp. We descended, swam past the outboard motor, over the shelf and along past the boulders to the top of the slope. The visibility was 5 to 10 metres.
We stopped at the rocks with the pink sea tulips near the top of the slope. I looked at the 3rd rock and found the tiny juvenile pygmy (IL2015120701) and pointed it out to Duncan. While he was taking photos of it, I went to the second rock and found the pair of pygmies (IL2015121401 and IL2015121801). I then looked on the other side of the second rock for the tiny juvenile. I thought I'd found it but on looking at the photos realise it was the other one that Kim had found and told me about (IL2015121901). I showed the 3 pygmies on the 2nd rock to Duncan and went off to find the juvenile on the low rock a little further down the slope. I found tiny juvenile (IL2015121802) on the low rock and photographed it while waiting for Duncan. I showed it to him when he had finished with the others.
We headed further down the slope to the rock above Pygmy Rock. I found the female pygmy (IL2015101402) and after a bit of searching found the male (IL2015121402).
We then swam all the way to the bottom of the slope to the two white pygmies (IL2015081402 and IL2015081403). Both were in good positions for photography. We then turned and headed back up the slope.
On the way up the slope we stopped at each of the pygmies we'd seen on the way down and after the rocks with the pink sea tulips, headed to the top of the slope and started our safety stop as we headed to the exit. We got out where we'd gone in.
Buddy
Duncan
Seas
Slight
Visibility
5 to 10 metres
Duration
85 minutes
Maximum depth
13.5 m
Average depth
9.5 m
Water temperature
17.5°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEDT
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
High
3:20am
1.42m
Low
9:14am
0.59m
High
3:24pm
1.50m
Low
9:58pm
0.37m
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.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015120701). 9.8 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121401). 9.2 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121801). 9.3 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.5 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.4 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.5 m.
Sea hare, Elysia ornata. 9.9 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121802). 10.2 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121802). 10.2 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101402). 10.4 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121402). 10.3 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 12.6 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081402). 12.7 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081402). 12.7 m.
Nudibranch, Hypselodoris obscura. 13.2 m.
Nudibranch, Pteraeolidia ianthina. 13 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015101402). 10.5 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121402). 10.4 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121802). 10.3 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121802). 10.3 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.6 m.
Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015120701). 10 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121401). 9.5 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121801). 9.5 m.