Dive Details

Location

Date

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Time

10:22am - 12:01pm

Details

Mike and I jumped in from the low platform which was being washed gently by the almost non-existent swell. We surface swam along the shore to the south-east before descending. We headed out at around 60° with the aim of visiting the wall. When we arrived the visibility was approaching 20m and the temperature was just under 17°C. The wall looked fabulous and we could not detect any damage from the storm.

We swam along the wall for around 20 metres marvelling at its beauty before turning around to head towards The Steps. Shortly after we turned we noticed a huge school of baitfish. Suddenly schools of trevally and kingfish started to attack the school which broke up into smaller schools in an attempt to avoid becoming a meal. The trevally and kingfish just kept attacking. There was so much action that the bottom was being kicked up. After the spectacle we continued on our way. We saw pockets of the baitfish almost all the way to The Steps. In some cases there were small schools (20-30 individuals) hiding under crevice. In other cases a dead fish here and there on the rocks. There was even a moray eel getting in on the action.

We didn't see our first weedy seadragon until Seadragon Alley. Mike spotted one in from the sand line. After I'd photographed that one, I spotted a small one in the kelp. I tried to get Mike's attention but he didn't hear me. By the time I'd photographed the second one, Mike was gone. I saw two more weedy seadragons in Seadragon Alley.

After Big Rock I spotted the two pygmy pipehorses I'd found on Friday. They were quite close to each other so I tried to get a photograph with both of them in it. I think I did OK.

I swam past the rock where the basket star was and then swam up the reef to its new location. As I spotted the basket star I noticed a green turtle only a few metres away. I quickly took a few shots of the basket star and then videoed the turtle.

I continued on to Diversity Rock. I looked around the adjacent rocks hoping to find a seahorse. I found the male pygmy pipehorse immediately but it took me a while to find the female. I then noticed a male weedy seadragon with eggs on the sand. This was the same male that was there on Friday.

I swam a long the sand line until just past Little Big Rock and then cut in to where "Di" and "Mikhail" used to be. I keep hoping other seahorses will show up on the rock. I was also hoping to find the black painted angler.

I meandered around the rocks before the boulders before ascending to 5 metres and starting my safety stop which I finished at Split Rock. I exited at The Steps which was very easy due to high tide and almost no swell.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10-20 metres

Duration

98 minutes

Maximum depth

22.0 m

Average depth

15.2 m

Water temperature

16.6°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

5:30am

0.53m

High

11:57am

1.46m

Low

6:15pm

0.61m