Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 13 May 2017

Time

8:29am - 10:11am

Details

The sea conditions looked fantastic and based on yesterday, I knew it was going to be good. I had three buddies lined up for today's dive but Roney pulled out at the last minute and texted me to let me know. We were meant to meet at 8am but Mic and Taz were nowhere to be seen when I left the ute at 8:20am to walk down. It was going to be a solo dive, which was fine, and Ken, Aiden and Gary from St George SCUBA were not far behind me.

The tide was quite high so I slid down the wall rather than use the low platform which was submerged much of the time. The surface was a little surgy but the visibility looked to be over 5 metres. I descended and headed at around 60° to the sand line. I arrived in the amphitheatre right at the rock where I found I had found my very first pygmy pipehorse 100% on my own back in October 2014. Visibility was 10 to 15 metres, water temperature was 20°C and there was only a gentle surge. I turned left and headed for The Steps.

I swam along the sand line hoping to find the pair of robust ghostpipefish again but they were not to be seen. I got to Ian's Pygmy Rock and was devastated to find one of the larger sponges on the rock smashed to pieces. I have to assume it was struck by an anchor. That has to be better than someone deliberately destroying it. I also couldn't find any pygmy pipehorses which sort of supports the anchor theory. So sad...

I continued on past Seahorse Rock and on to the large sponge covered rocks. I spotted 2 weedy seadragons behind the gap before Bent Stick Rock. I spotted a tiny reaper cuttlefish just below Bent Stick Rock and as I manoeuvred to take a picture I spotted a Nembrotha purpureolineata and after taking photos of the nudibranch I couldn't find the tiny cuttlefish. I did find a larger one. As I was taking photos of the cuttlefish, Mic (which had arrived very late) swam up with Ken, Aiden and Gary behind him. Mic joined me for the rest of the dive until he ran low on air.

Between Bent Stick Rock and Southern Cross Rock I came across another Weedy Seadragon.

At Southern Cross Rock I found the small white male pygmy pipehorse in the Carijoa and showed Mic. I looked for a second one but had no luck.

Just before the start of Seadragon Alley I spotted a tiny Nembrotha. It would have been less than 10mm long.

In Seadragon Alley I spotted 2 weedy seadragons and at the end of Seadragon Alley we came on Ken videoing another one.

We swam on to Big Rock. After Big Rock I looked around for pygmy pipehorses but did not find one until the flatish rock where I first found one a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't find the small whitish female but did find the red male. I pointed it out to Mic and then George swam up so I also showed him.

We continued along the sand line. I stopped at the rock I'd found two pygmies yesterday but could not find either of them. Mic said he only had 2 minutes of non-deco time left so we swam up the reef. We went to Miamira Rock and the basket star and then along to Diversity Rock. I found the red male pygmy pipehorse and pointed it out to Mic. He then ascended a few metres as he was almost in Deco. I spotted a weedy on the sand line and swam down to took some photos. I then went back to the pygmy and Mic headed for the exit.

I checked the next rock from Diversity Rock for the pygmy I have seen in the past but couldn't find it. I then headed for the boulders. On the way I spotted another weedy seadragon on the sand. I then heard George and Paula behind me and took George back to Diversity Rock to see the pygmy. I then came back to the weedy before heading for the boulders again.

I did my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. The tide had turned and it was a little tough going. I reached Split Rock just as I finished my safety stop and swam for the exit. Mic was there and he helped me with my camera. It was a very easy exit.

Buddy

Mic

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

10 to 15 metres

Duration

101 minutes

Maximum depth

22.0 m

Average depth

15.0 m

Water temperature

20.0°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

3:53am

0.49m

High

9:51am

1.39m

Low

3:26pm

0.61m

High

9:56pm

1.76m