Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 11 February 2017

Time

6:18pm - 8:01pm

Details

My mandatory dive this weekend was at Bare Island. I had planned a twilight dive at Kurnell but my buddy was sick so I came to Bare Island on the hottest February Sydney day on record. The car park was full and I had to wait for 15 minutes to get a park.

I jumped in on the northern side of the island just to the west of the ramp (my usual spot). I surface swam a short way before descending. The visibility only looked to be around 3 metres but it was difficult to tell as the Sun was low in the sky. I swam along the sand to the outboard motor and up over the ledge in front of the boulders. I looked for the pygmy pipehorse I'd found on Thursday but couldn't see it.

I swam down the slope slowly, looking for pygmy pipehorses along the way. I went out to the rock above the rock with the Coscinaraea mcneilli colony to see if the little pygmy and large angler that Kim found were still there. The angler was there and I found a small pygmy pipehorse but I don't think it was the same one. I also looked on the rock with the <>C. mcneilli colony for the little pink pygmy I saw on Thursday but couldn't find it.

I went slightly further down the slope to the rock where Kim had found the bright pink female pygmy pipehorse and I'd found it's mate. They were both still there.

I swam to the rock before Juvy Rock where Kim had pointed out a white pygmy, but spotted a small juvenile on the adjacent rock. I then found the white male and a pinkish female nearby.

I looked over Juvy Rock for pygmy pipehorses and found two small ones near each other. I then headed back up the slope.

I stopped at the rock with the white male and reddish female and also the pink juvenile on the adjacent rock. I then stopped at the next pair: bright pink female and drab male.

At the rock with the C. mcneilli colony I spotted a small pygmy pipehorse and a dwarf lionfish. I swam to the next rock to discover there were two striped anglers, the other one was quite a bit smaller. I also found a second small pygmy pipehorse, I suspect it was the one from Thursday.

I headed to the top of the slope and started to look for the pygmy pipehorse I'd seen on Thursday and found a pair. I will have to check my photos to see if one was the one from Thursday. All in all I'd seen 12 pygmy pipehorses, plus the two seahorses, 2 anglers and a dwarf lionfish.

I started my safety stop and swam to the exit, getting out where I got in. It was still light.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

2 to 3 metres

Duration

102 minutes

Maximum depth

13.4 m

Average depth

10.4 m

Water temperature

18.9°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

3:03am

0.35m

High

9:29am

1.89m

Low

4:02pm

0.22m

High

10:02pm

1.49m