Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Tuesday 19 January 2016

Dive Details

Location

Date

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Time

11:23am - 1:09pm

Details

We got in on the northern side of the island just to the east of the "swimming pool". We surface swam for a bit and then descended near the outboard motor. We swam past the outboard, over the shelf and along the sand in front of the boulders to the top of the slope.

We headed down the slope. I had a quick look at the second sea tulip rock and saw the female pygmy pipehorse (IL2015121401) but didn't attempt any photos. We continued down the wall and stopped briefly at the white male pygmy pipehorse (IL2015081403). We found him hiding in the sponge but couldn't immediately see the female.

We swam to the corner in front of the caves and Kim found a small whiteish male pygmy pipehorse (IL2016011901) on a rock out on the sand. While she was photographing it, I had a look on the rest of the rock and found a female pygmy (IL2016011902) right on the edge. I took some photos of her and then Kim and I swapped pygmy pipehorses.

Kim and Bob then headed further around the corner while I stayed on this rock to look for my pygmies. I have recently observed that if I find one medium to large pygmy on a rock, there is often a second one nearby. The two we'd found were far enough away from each other that I suspected there would be one or two more. Sure enough, a few centimetres from the female I found another male (IL2016011903). Kim and Bob returned and I pointed out the male I'd just found. While Kim and Bob were photographing it, I had a look near the first male hoping to find his female. I found a juvenile (IL2016011904) instead. That was 4 pygmies on the same smallish rock. I still think there may be a 5th (partner to the first male).

We headed back up the slope. I stopped at the white male pygmy (IL2015081403) while Kim and Bob continued up the slope. I was determined to find the female. While I was looking for her I discovered a medium sized male (IL2016011905) on the edge of the rock in front of the higher rock. I eventually found the female (IL2015081402).

I headed up the slope and caught up with Kim and Bob at the rock above Pygmy Rock. They'd seen a couple of pygmies there but couldn't find them again. I couldn't find the old pygmies either.

We continued up to the rocks with the pink sea tulips. We first stopped at the third rock and looked low down for the new juvenile I'd found last week but it was not to be seen. I went to the top of the second rock to photograph the female (IL2015121401) while Kim looked at the juvenile (IL2015121901) on the lower side of the same rock. Kim and Bob left me at this point. I took a few photos of each of the pygmies and then headed for the exit myself. I did my safety stop along the way and exited between the ramp and the "swimming pool".

Buddy

Kim Dinh, Bob Trudgeon

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 5 metres

Duration

106 minutes

Maximum depth

13.4 m

Average depth

10.3 m

Water temperature

21.3°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

5:01am

1.60m

Low

11:34am

0.52m

High

5:30pm

1.30m

Low

11:28pm

0.47m

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, (IL2016011902). 13 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011902). 12.9 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011901). 12.8 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011901). 12.7 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011902). 13.1 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011903). 12.8 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011903). 13 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011903). 12.9 m.

Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011904). 12.8 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011905). 12 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011905). 12.1 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 11.9 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081402). 12.1 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 12 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011905). 12.1 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121401). 8.7 m.

Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.1 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121401). 8.7 m.