Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 10 September 2016

Time

9:56am - 11:25am

Details

We planned to enter off the western side of the island but a couple of big sets came through so we went with the safe option of getting in just to the east of the swimming pool and surface swim around the corner. We descended on the western side of the corner. As we descended the visibility was not all that good and I started to regret my idea of going to the Deep Wall. Fortunately, the viz cleared significantly so that it was at least 10 metres once we go to a depth of around 10 metres.

We swam to the wall via the sponge gardens. I was on the lookout for seahorses in the sponges but found none. We dropped down the wall and headed north east. We followed the wall along until it ended and then followed the reef. We stopped at the location where the seahorses used to be before the storm of April 2015. Eddie found a juvenile lionfish. That's very early as they never used to show up until January.

We continued along the reef for a while before turning north. We picked up the next reef and checked it out before heading north again to the main reef. We followed it around the corner to in front of the caves and New Pygmy Rock. The great seahorse, Hippocampus kelloggi, was still there. I suspect she's wait for a male to show up but I don't think one will. The little orange angler was also there. I went back a few metres to try to get some photos of the crinoid squat lobster in the sponge. Eddie and Kim continued on.

I had a quick look at New Pygmy Rock for pygmy pipehorses but found none. It has been months since I have seen any there. I continued on my way checking for pygmies along the way. I got to High Rock and found Kim's orange painted angler. It's around 40mm long now.

I headed up the slope doing a scant look for pygmies as I swam. I checked out the rock just below Pygmy Rock for the two painted anglers but they are no longer there. I continued up the slope and caught up to Kim and Eddie at the rock with the purple sponge. Together we found 4 pygmy pipehorses, 2 males and 2 females.

We followed the boulders to the outboard motor and then along the sand to the exit. I got out to the west of the ramp, and Kim and Eddie got out at the ramp. The wind was very strong now, causing the surface to be very choppy.

Buddy

Kim Dinh, Eddie Ivers

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

88 minutes

Maximum depth

17.7 m

Average depth

12.0 m

Water temperature

14.8°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

2:07am

1.16m

Low

7:59am

0.67m

High

2:40pm

1.42m

Low

9:30pm

0.65m