Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 11 November 2017

Time

10:04am - 11:14am

Details

The steps looked pretty calm when we arrived and it augured well for a great couple of dives. This time I'd be able to show Malcolm some good stuff. It would also be my first dive back in a wetsuit since Autumn.

We got in at The Steps and swam out on the surface before descending. We headed to the sand line where I spotted a large sea jelly with a number of small fish swimming in its tentacles. I shot some video with the GoPro of the jelly and some photos of the fish with the camera. The visibility was around 10 metres and the water temperature around 19°C; quite pleasant in my wetsuit. We turned right and headed for Big Rock.

There was a bit of current that we had to swim into which made the going a little tough. There was also some surge. We swam along the sand line to the pair of red widebody pipefish. I pointed them out to Malcolm. I was actually with Malcolm when I saw my first red widebody pipefish so it was fitting I'd show him this pair.

We continued along the sand line and I pointed out a Nembrotha nudibranch. When we got to Little Big Rock I pointed out the orange painted angler.

We swam past Diversity Rock and we headed up towards New Basket Star Rock. I spotted a male weedy seadragon with eggs along the way. I was surprised when we got to New Basket Star Rock that the basket star was not on the white honeycomb sponge as usual. I had a quick hunt around and found it on a green hand sponge.

We headed straight to Big Rock from here. I found my red male pygmy pipehorse in his usual spot. I pointed him out to Malcolm and went looking for Roney's male which I found. I pointed him out to Malcolm and went back to look for the female pygmy with my male. I showed her to Malcolm and then went looking on the rest of Big Rock. I found a new yellow male pygmy with a cryptic female nearby. I then found a dark coloured male pygmy. The surge made photography difficult.

As our air was getting low we headed for The Steps. We stopped by near Little Big Rock and the orange painted angler. We then headed to the boulders and ascended to 5 metres. We did our safety stops as we swam to Split Rock. After finishing our safety stops we swam underwater to the exit and got out on the rocks.

Buddy

Malcolm Nobbs

Seas

Surgy

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

70 minutes

Maximum depth

13.7 m

Average depth

11.0 m

Water temperature

18.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

3:19am

1.29m

Low

8:56am

0.64m

High

3:18pm

1.61m

Low

10:11pm

0.39m