Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 6 January 2018

Time

12:11pm - 1:43pm

Details

Conditions had been so good over the last couple of days I wanted to do a second dive. Not only was the visibility great but the water temperature had been comfortable. I couldn't talk Mike into a second dive so I went on my own. I decided on The Steps because it was easy and I'd only dived here once this year so far.

I got in at The Steps and after swimming out descended to the sand line. Visibility was over 10 metres and the water temperature was over 20°C. There was basically no surge and also no current as it was less than 20 minutes to high tide. I turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

Before I got in a fellow diver had mentioned seeing a tiny juvenile weedy in the kelp near the entrance so I looked through the kelp but I could not find it. I did find a male weedy seadragon with eggs. His eggs were quite old and had some algae on them but I couldn't see any hatchlings or even see any eyes in the eggs.

I came to the pair of red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish and they were both in their usual alga.

I headed up from the sand line to go to the large orange red-fingered anglerfish in the green sponge. On the way I spotted another weedy seadragon. The anglerfish was still in the green sponge.

I swam closer to Little Big Rock to the the rock where the other anglers had been and looked for the pygmy pipehorses. I found the female but was not able to find the male. She was hiding under an ascidian.

I headed towards New Basket Star Rock and looked in the alga on the sand for the now lone red pipefish. It was still there. I'm down to only 4 of these pipefish now that one of the pair near the great seahorse has disappeared.

I swam past the basket star and on towards Big Rock. I found the black painted anglerfish on the rock below Hand Rock and then the white/pink anglerfish on the rock it had moved to recently.

On Big Rock I found the greenish male pygmy and his partner near the single sea tulip. I looked for the two pygmies low down on Big Rock but I fear they are now gone.

I swam on past Big Rock to the rock with the four pygmy pipehorses. I found one of the juvenile pgymies first and then the red male. I then found the other juvenile. I looked around and was not able to find the female.

I didn't go to see the red pipefish or great seahorse as I'd only just seen them on the previous dive. The tide had also turned so I'd have a head current to swim against on my way back. I swam back to Big Rock and the two pygmy pipehorses on top near the single sea tulip. I also had another look for the two pygmies low down on Big Rock. I checked out the white/pink red-fingered anglerfish and also the black painted anglerfish before heading back towards The Steps.

I swam past the basket star and on to the single red pipefish on the sand. I swam on to Little Big Rock and then the large orange red-fingered anglerfish before heading for the boulders. I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and swam right to the exit. It was an easy exit.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

91 minutes

Maximum depth

14.8 m

Average depth

11.6 m

Water temperature

19.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

12:28am

1.44m

Low

6:12am

0.44m

High

12:32pm

1.84m

Low

7:14pm

0.26m