Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 25 November 2017

Time

9:44am - 11:31am

Details

While conditions at Kurnell hadn't been ideal with the easterly swell, they were still more than good enough to do my mandatory dive at The Leap. I was still in my leaky drysuit as I wouldn't pick up my wetsuit until later today. It was also very warm and I so wished I was in my wetsuit.

I got in from the low platform and surface swam out. I waited on the surface for my tanks to cool before descending. I headed at around 30° to the sand line arriving near Lucy and Bob Rock. Visibility was around 5 metres and there was a gentle surge. The water temperature was around 16°C. I turned left and headed towards The Steps.

I didn't stop at Ian's Pygmy Rock and continued past Seahorse Rock to the flat rocks with sponges. I found the male weedy seadragon with damage to his head under the overhang. His head appears to be healing well. His eggs look good, too. On the outside of the first flat rock I spotted another male weedy with eggs. His eggs were much older and I could see the tail of a baby hanging out of one of the eggs. I took photographs but the way the baby was flopping around I think it might be dead.

I continued on to Southern Cross Rock to look for pygmy pipehorses. I found two males and two females and while looking for the other male I spotted a juvenile that I don't believe I have seen before.

I swam through Seadragon Alley without spotting a single weedy seadragon. At the end of Seadragon Alley I found the two pygmy pipehorses on the rock with the sponges. The male was still hanging under the purple sponge and the female was hiding under the lower sponge.

I moved on to the pair of red widebody pipefish. There was a female weedy seadragon in front of them so I photographed her first. I then photographed the red widebody pipefish. I found the great seahorse on her usual rock. I looked around for the grey angler but could not find him. Just past the seahorse I found another female weedy. At first I thought it was the same one that was near the pipefish but my photos show it was a different one.

I swam up the reef to the rock with the three pygmies before Big Rock. I found the male first in his usual spot. I then found the juvenile which was in much the same spot as on Thursday. I initially couldn't find the female but eventually found her on top of the rock.

I continued on to Big Rock. I looked for the pair of pygmy pipehorses near the yellow sponge but couldn't find them. I found the pair on the top edge of the rock. A group of divers came up to Big Rock so I pointed out this pair. I also found my red male and his partner. The white red-fingered anglerfish was still on the rock below Hand Rock.

I swam up the reef to New Basket Star Rock. The basket star was still on the green sponge. I then headed past Diversity Rock and saw Tammy photographing a Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch. I was going to show her the anglers but she was gone when I looked up.

I headed to Little Big Rock and found both the salmon red-fingered angler and the orange painted angler on their usual rock. The red-fingered angler was in the same spot as yesterday and the painted angler was in the purple sponge.

I swam on to the other pair of red widebody pipefish. On the way I saw the Nembrotha sp. nudibranch. Both pipefish were in their usual alga.

I still had some gas left so I headed back to Little Big Rock and the anglerfishes. From here I swam to the boulders and started my safety stop while swimming to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop at Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit. Getting out was easy.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 metres

Duration

107 minutes

Maximum depth

21.1 m

Average depth

14.4 m

Water temperature

15.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

1:33am

1.21m

Low

7:00am

0.71m

High

1:26pm

1.52m

Low

8:22pm

0.53m