Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Tuesday 2 February 2016

Dive Details

Location

Date

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Time

8:48pm - 10:10pm

Details

Night dive with Scubathlon led by Tomas.

We jumped in on the point on the mainland to the north west of the island and surface swam to near enough above the isolated reef. When everyone was ready we descended to the sand and then headed south until we hit the reef. There was a lot of help before the reef and we found a fiddler ray amongst the kelp.

Shortly after we hit the reef Tomas spotted a small white female pygmy pipehorse (IL2016020202). I had a look nearby for a male but could not find one. We followed the reef and came to a red indianfish.

As we were swimming towards the island I spotted a hunting reaper cuttlefish. I watch it slowly stalk its prey, a prawn, and go in for the successful capture. It was great to watch and reminded me of my Honours year back in 1981.

We eventually hit the reef on the west side of the island. Tomas pointed out the grey red-fingered angler he'd shown me on Saturday. It was in the same spot and I think I can find it again. At that point one of the divers in the group was running very low on air. I still had more than half a tank so the group left and I stayed to continue my dive.

Within a few metres of the grey red-fingered angler I spotted a yellow striped angler sitting out in the open. I couldn't see the large female anywhere close.

I followed the reef to the north to in front of the caves. I came to New Pygmy Rock and spotted 5 pygmies. There were the male (IL2016011903) and female (IL2016011902) drab coloured ones. The male was out in the open for a change and hanging quite close to the female. The two juveniles (IL2016011904, IL2016012701) were nearby and hanging nose to nose. The white male (IL2016011901) was in its usual spot. I looked on the adjacent reef in front of the cave but could not find any more.

I stopped at the rock to the east of New Pygmy Rock but could not find the pinkish male I'd seen 10 days earlier.

I next stopped at the large white male pygmy pipehorse (IL2015081403). He was hiding behind the sponges as usual. I found the other male (IL2016011905) in the gap. I couldn't see any others.

I headed up the slope and found a female pygmy pipehorse (IL2016020203) on the rock above the cave where the upside-down pipefish have been seen. I looked for a male and found a small whitish male (IL2016020204) nearby.

My next stop was the rock above Pygmy Rock where I found the juvenile pygmy (IL2016020201) I'd seen on the earlier dive.

I continued up the slope to the rocks with the pink sea tulips and found the two small pygmies (IL2016012401, IL2015121901) on the side of the second rock. They were together.

I headed a little further up the slope to the rock with the purple sponge and found the pair of pygmies (IL2016012703, IL2016013001) there hanging on the same alga. This was the first time I'd seen them together.

I swam to the top of the slope and along in front of the boulders. I stopped at the rock I saw the pygmy on Saturday but could not find it. I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I headed to the exit. I got out just to the west of the ramp.

Not a bad dive with a new record of 15 pygmy pipehorses.

Buddy

Tomas & Scubathlon

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 metres

Duration

82 minutes

Maximum depth

18.2 m

Average depth

12.2 m

Water temperature

19.8°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

3:47am

1.39m

Low

10:14am

0.72m

High

3:58pm

1.19m

Low

10:06pm

0.63m

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.

Fiddler ray, Trygonrrhina fasciata. 18.1 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020202). 17.8 m.

Red indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 16.4 m.

Mosaic leatherjacket, Eubalichthys mosaicus. 15.3 m.

Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 14.7 m.

Mosaic leatherjacket, Eubalichthys mosaicus. 13.9 m.

Hunting reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 15 m.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus, with prey, and nudibranch, Janolus sp. 15 m.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus, with prey. 15.1 m.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus, with prey. 15.4 m.

Eastern smooth boxfish, Anoplocapros inermis. 14.5 m.

Spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus. 14.6 m.

Nudibranch, Goniodoris meracula. 14.4 m.

Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 14.2 m.

Common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus. 14.3 m.

Nudibranch, Janolus sp. 15.1 m.

Red-fingered angler, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.8 m.

Striped angler, Antennarius striatus. 13.8 m.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 13.3 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011903). 13.2 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011902). 13.3 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011901). 13.2 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011904). 13.3 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012701). 13.3 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012701). 13.2 m.

Spider crab, Oncinopus neptunus. 12.7 m.

Spider crab, Oncinopus neptunus. 12.6 m.

Spider crab, Oncinopus neptunus. 12.7 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016011905). 12.5 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 12.3 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015081403). 12.4 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020203). 10.9 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020203). 11.2 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020204). 11.2 m.

Spider crab, Oncinopus neptunus. 11.1 m.

Juvenile Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016020201). 10.1 m.

Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012401). 9.4 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2015121901). 9.2 m.

Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016013001). 8.5 m.

Pygmy pipehorses, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012703, IL2016013001). 8.5 m.

Pygmy pipehorses, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012703, IL2016013001). 8.6 m.

Pygmy pipehorses, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2016012703, IL2016013001). 8.5 m.