Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 14 May 2016

Time

2:29pm - 3:48pm

Details

I had planned to swim to The Monument for my second dive but was keen to find the ornate ghostpipefish again and also locate "Rosie". Andrey and Alex arrived for a dive so I agreed to take them to the ornate ghostpipefish.

We jumped in at The Steps, descended to the sand line and turned right. Visibility was still only 5 or so metres but there was almost no surge. We headed along the sand line towards The Leap. As we were swimming against the incoming tide we bypassed the first 2 seahorses. We stopped briefly at Diversity Rock and I spotted "Rosie" on the sand. It was a relief to find her, especially so easily.

We continued on to Big Rock. I found a weedy seadragon (PT2014091301) just before Big Rock. I located the smaller of the ornate ghostpipefish next to the red sponge and pointed it out to Alex and Andrey. I then found the larger one a couple of metres away. As we were photographing them they moved together again. I then looked for the black angler but couldn't find it. I went on a little further to look for the upside-down pipefish but found a rock flathead instead. I also found the weedy seadragon with deformed body (PT2014030901).

We turned and headed back towards The Steps. We swam past the basket star and on to Diversity Rock. "Rosie" was still on the sand, "Noel" was low down on Diversity Rock, "Daniel" was in the sponges on the rock to the right, and "Arnold" was in the sponges on the rock behind Diversity Rock. I then looked for the pygmy pipehorse and finally found it near the white honeycomb sponge.

Alex and Andrey left me at this point. I hung around a little longer and then headed to the other seahorses. I found "Di" and "Mikhail" on their usual rock. I swam to the boulders, ascended and swam at 5 metres past the Plesiastrea colonies and on to the exit. I got out at The Steps where Andrey and Alex were waiting.

Buddy

Andrey Malashenok, Alexey Zolotarev

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

79 minutes

Maximum depth

15.6 m

Average depth

12.6 m

Water temperature

19.2°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

2:12am

1.57m

Low

9:02am

0.56m

High

3:21pm

1.35m

Low

9:01pm

0.80m

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.

Ornate ghostpipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus. 15 m.