Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 10 August 2017

Time

8:49am - 10:38am

Details

Another calm Winters day with lots of sun. We both jumped in from the low platform and surface swam out before descending. We headed at around 45° arriving at the sand line before Ian's Pygmy Rock. Visibility was around 10 metres, water temperature was between 17 and 18°C and there was almost no surge. We turned left and headed towards The Steps.

We found the first weedy seadragon just behind Seahorse Rock. We continued and I spotted a ball of catfish in the gap between the large rocks just before Bent Stick Rock. There was another weedy seadragon just after the low rock after Bent Stick Rock.

We continued on to Southern Cross Rock. Before I had a chance to look for the pygmies a weedy seadragon drifted up. I took a a few photographs of the weedy seadragon before looking for the pygmies as Mike was taking photos of the weedy. I found the pinkish female first and eventually I found the yellow male.

We swam on to Seadragon Alley and saw one weedy seadragon about half way along. At the end of Seadragon Alley I found one of the pygmies on the rock I've seen a pair before but I could not find the male. Mike pointed out an Okenia nudibranch.

I had a thorough search for the red widebody pipefish with the isopod parasite but I couldn't find it. I think I remember where it had moved to where I saw it on the last dive at The Leap but I still couldn't find it. I will have to look again next dive. Mike left me while I was looking.

I continued on to Big Rock. I had a quick look for the anglers and then went below Big Rock to the other side. I found a pygmy on the rock below Hand Rock. I wasn't able to find any pygmies on Slope Rock but I didn't look for long.

I headed for Miamira Rock and the basket star. I spotted the basket star on the white honeycomb sponge from some way out but forgot to take any photographs. I checked out the red algal clumps and eventually found one of the red widebody pipefish to the right of their original location. I took some photographs and video.

I swam quickly to Diversity Rock and spotted a Nembrotha sp. nudibranch along the way. I had a quick look on Diversity Rock for the pygmy there but couldn't find it. I did find the white male pygmy on the next rock.

I headed to Little Big Rock for a quick look for pygmies but couldn't see ay. The Carijoa was out which made looking a bit difficult. I was desperate for a pee by now so I made a bee line for the boulders, starting my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and swam under water right to the exit. The exit was easy.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10 metres

Duration

109 minutes

Maximum depth

21.3 m

Average depth

15.0 m

Water temperature

17.3°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

3:56am

0.32m

High

9:59am

1.46m

Low

3:43pm

0.47m

High

10:03pm

1.77m