Dive Details

Location

Date

Monday 8 January 2018

Time

10:19am - 12:05pm

Details

This was my 6th dive in 4 days and my 8th dive of 2018. Not bad for 8th January. Conditions had been so good of late Mike and I had to dive The Leap again. After the 16°C of yesterday we weren't sure what to expect.

There was barely a ripple at The Steps before the dive and The Leap was just as calm. We got in from the low platform and the water was lapping at the edge, with the occasional small wave putting a few centimetres of water over the platform. I swam out while Mike went on a treasure hunt under the entry point and scored a 3lb weight. We descended and swam at around 30° to the sand line. The current took us to near Ian's Pygmy Rock. Visibility was a little down on Saturday at 10 to 15 metres but the water temperature was over 18°C which was better than yesterday. The current was quite strong and there was almost no surge. We turned left and headed for The Steps.

Just past Seahorse Rock we spotted a female weedy seadragon and took photos of her. I went on ahead to the flat rocks with sponges and found a male weedy seadragon with eggs under the overhang. I looked around the area for the male that had damage to his head but couldn't find him. I looked around for the Ceratosoma brevicaudatum nudibranch others had seen but couldn't find it.

Just around the corner from the flat rock below Bent Stick Rock I spotted the male weedy whose head had been damaged. It is healing nicely.

I swam on to Southern Cross Rock and found 3 pygmy pipehorses on the side: 2 male and a female. I couldn't find the other female. On top of Southern Cross Rock I found the small black painted anglerfish hiding under a sponge.

I swam on to Seadragon Alley and caught up with Mike who'd gotten past me when I was with the pygmies at Southern Cross Rock. I spotted the juvenile pygmy pipehorse he'd pointed out on Friday. I caught up to him again as he was photographing the pink female pygmy pipehorse he found on Friday. I waited for Mike to finish and put my hand on what I think was a numbray but it didn't shock me and stayed buried under the sand. I took photographs of the female pygmy and then spotted the juvenile I'd seen on Friday.

We swam on through Seadragon Alley. I was looking for the male weedy we'd seen on Friday and Saturday. At the end of Seadragon Alley I found the male pygmy pipehorse on the rock with the sponges. I pointed it out to Mike and then went on to the pipefish leaving Mike to photograph the pygmy pipehorse. I found one pipefish back in its usual alga. I looked around in the nearby algae for the other one but couldn't find it. I found the great seahorse and photographed her. Once Mike had finished at the pygmies I went back. I looked for and eventually found the female as well. I couldn't find her yesterday. I visited the pipefish and seahorse again before continuing.

Mike was just ahead of me as I got to the rock with the four pygmies before Big Rock but he continued on. I found the male and both juveniles. I couldn't find the female. Noel and Di swam up (they'd gotten in at The Steps) and I pointed out the pygmies to Noel. The water actually started to warm up. My dive watch registered 20°C and it was quite pleasant.

I swam on to Big Rock and found the male and female pygmies near the single sea tulip. I took some photos when Noel and Di swam up and I pointed out the pygmies to Noel. I had a look for the pygmies low down on Big Rock but couldn't find them. As soon as I'd gone a bit deeper, the water temperature dropped to 18°C again. I looked for the white/pink red-fingered anglerfish but it had moved from yesterday and I couldn't find it. I found the black painted anglerfish on the rock below Hand Rock.

I swam on and ascended a bit hoping to find some warmer water but it was still around 18°C. I got to the basket star and then looked for red pipefish, finding it in its usual alga.

I continued on to Little Big Rock and found the female pygmy pipehorse on the rock behind Little Big Rock. There is still no sign of the salmon red-fingered anglerfish or the orange painted anglerfish. I swam up to the large orange red-fingered anglerfish.

I headed to the pair of red pipefish to make sure they were both still there - they were - and then I headed to the boulders. I ascended to 5 metres and warmer water, and started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit and got out at The Steps. It was an easy exit even though the swell had picked up a bit.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

105 minutes

Maximum depth

20.6 m

Average depth

14.3 m

Water temperature

18.2°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

2:18am

1.40m

Low

8:09am

0.60m

High

2:16pm

1.53m

Low

8:54pm

0.44m