Dive Details

Location

Date

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Time

9:51am - 11:28am

Details

We jumped in, Mike and I slid down the rocks, Roney and Aiden jumped from top ledge, and drifted out on the surface. We'd gone a fair way out and drifted north west before we descended so I headed at around 60° to the sand line with Aidan following. We hit the sand line not far from Ian's pygmy pipehorses. Visibility was easily 15 metres and closer to 20. There was almost no surge although the tidal current was quite strong. The temperature was around 21°C. We turned left and headed towards The Steps.

I stopped at the rock with Ian'a pygmies and found both straight away. After photographing them I showed them to Aidan but unfortunately his camera was playing up. Roney had a quick look too.

We drifted past Seahorse Rock and caught up to Mike and Roney who had found a striped angler on the flat rock where the tiny painted angler once was. It was quite a large angler. I stopped to photograph it and Mike and Roney continued. Aidan kept trying to get his camera working.

I continued on and just past Southern Cross while looking in the red string algae for pipefish I found a ghostpipefish. It was bright pink. I first thought it was a robust ghostpipefish but once I looked at my photos I realised it was a delicate ghostpipefish, Solenostomus leptostoma. I've never seen one of them before. Aidan caught up and I showed him.

Shortly after the delicate ghostpipefish and before we got to Seadragon Alley I spotted a weedy seadragon. Further along in Seadragon Alley I spotted another, a male with eggs.

We continued along the sand line out of Seadragon Alley and on to Big Rock. Just past Big Rock I checked the rock below Hand Rock and found both pygmy pipehorses. I showed Aidan and then he had to leave.

I swam on to the rock with Roney's pygmies and found Roney there looking. We both looked and I found the small male. It has been some time since we've see the female.

I swam past Old Basket Star Rock and on to Miamira Rock. The tiny Miamira magnifica nudibranch was there. I pointed it out to Roney. The basket star was also on its sponge.

We continued along the sand line and I spotted another weedy seadragon. After Little Big Rock we looked for the anglers we'd seen previously but could not find them. I then headed for the boulders and started my safety stop while swimming to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and exited at The Steps.

Buddy

Aidan Slevin

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10-20 metres

Duration

96 minutes

Maximum depth

21.6 m

Average depth

15.4 m

Water temperature

20.5°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

12:03am

1.48m

Low

5:53am

0.45m

High

12:11pm

1.71m

Low

6:39pm

0.32m