Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 26 August 2017

Time

10:33am - 12:23pm

Details

The Leap looked much better than it had yesterday and so would be a safe entry (and exit at The Steps). I started the dive with the group but knew they'd leave me at some point and I'd finish the dive on my own. That was fine as I had my pony.

The water was over the low platform so I slid down the rock next to it and joined the others on the surface. Once we were ready we descended and swam together to the sand line. The visibility was pretty good at around 10 metres and there was only a gentle surge. The current was still running and it was just over 16°C. When we got to the sand line we turned left and headed towards The Steps.

I stopped at Ian's Pygmy Rock to look for pygmy pipehorses but found none. Just before Seahorse Rock I spotted a weedy seadragon that Ves was videoing.

There was a lot of kelp on the sand behind the rocks approaching Bent Stick Rock. There was a weedy seadragon at the start of the kelp. There was a male weedy with eggs in the gap between the big boulders and the juvenile weedy was in its usual spot.

We were still in a group when we got to Southern Cross Rock. I stopped to look for pygmy pipehorses on the side of the rock and the others continued. I initially found a cryptic female and then the pink male. I was looking for the yellow male when I found another female. I always figured there'd be two males and two females. I kept looking for the yellow male but couldn't find him.

I continued on to Seadragon Alley. There was also a lot of kelp there and I found a pair of weedies in the kelp back from the sand line. The male had eggs.

At the end of Seadragon Alley I looked on the rock where I've seen pygmies before. I eventually found the male at the eastern end of the rock. I couldn't find the female.

I started looking in the red algae for red widebody pipefish when I came across another pair of weedy seadragons. While I was preparing to photograph the male I spotted a red widebody pipefish in a red alga. It didn't have a parasite but I still think it is the one that did have the parasite as it was in the same area. I photographed the weedy seadragons and pipefish before moving on.

I worked my way up a bit shallower looking in the red algae for red widebody pipefish until I got to Big Rock. I then headed below Big Rock around to the rock below Hand Rock. I found a pygmy there. I didn't really look much at Slope Rock as I was starting to get low on air.

At New Basket Star Rock I found the basket star and then went looking for the red widebody pipefish that has been nearby. I couldn't find it.

I headed to Diversity Rock and found a pygmy pipehorse almost immediately. It looked bigger than the ones I have seen there recently so it may be a new one. I looked on the adjacent rock for the white male but could not find it.

I swam on to Little Big Rock and looked for pygmies. I couldn't find a single one even though I looked in the same spots they were last week. I then swam to the boulders and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. They tide had turned and the going was a bit tough. I finished my safety stop and swam to the exit. I stayed underwater right to the platform. The exit was easy.

Buddy

Versnar, Daniela, Dom, Mark, Robert, Sean

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

110 minutes

Maximum depth

21.7 m

Average depth

15.6 m

Water temperature

16.3°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

5:15am

0.41m

High

11:31am

1.50m

Low

5:35pm

0.54m

High

11:37pm

1.46m