Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 12 January 2018

Time

2:13pm - 4:06pm

Details

This was going to be my 10th dive of the year and today is only the 12th day of the year. It has been a great start to the year.

We both got in from the low platform and surface swam out from the rocks. We descended and swam at around 30° towards the sand line. We arrived near Lucy and Bob Rock. There was still a lot of kelp on the sand line and around the rocks. The visibility was over 10 metres and there was a gentle surge. The water temperature was around 20°C. We turned left and headed towards The Steps along the sand line.

Mike spotted a weedy seadragon before Seahorse Rock. He was set up for wide angle and so was able to take full body shots. I was set up for macro (as usual) and so got some head and flank shots before moving on.

We swam past Seahorse Rock and on to the flat rocks with sponges. I swam right in under the overhang looking for the weedy seadragon that has been there recently but could not fnd it. There was a lot of kelp under the overhang and around between the rocks. I looked carefully throughout the area but could not find any weedies at all.

I continued on to Southern Cross Rock and started to look for pygmy pipehorses. I found two males and a female. Mike swam past me as I was there. He had no interest in the small stuff as he was shooting wide-angle. I swam to the top of Southern Cross Rock and found the little black painted anglerfish.

I headed for Seadragon Alley. At the start I looked for the juvenile female pygmy pipehorse and found her on the rock Mike first spotted her. A little farther along I found the pink female pygmy pipehorse on her rock. I looked around Seadragon Alley, which was also full of kelp, for more weedy seadragons but found none.

At the end of Seadragon Alley at the rock with the sponges I found the male pygmy pipehorse in his usual spot. I then found the female in the general area she's been for the last month or so. Just past the pygmies was a weedy seadragon.

I went on to find the red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish but there were none in the usual alga. I looked around the surrounding algae but found none. I found the great seahorse on her usual rock. She was floundering around as is quite common.

I continued on towards Big Rock and stopped at the rock where the 4 pygmy pipehorses have been. I found the red male straight away but even after much searching I couldn't find any of the others.

I swam on to Big Rock. I looked near the single sea tulip and found the male pygmy pipehorse in his usual spot near the fan worm. I looked around for the female but could not find her. I looked for the other pygmies low down on the rock and could not find them either.

I looked around the area for the white/pink red-fingered anglerfish but could not find it. I found the black painted angler on the rock below Hand Rock.

I was feeling quite cold now so I headed for New Basket Star Rock. The visibility had dropped to between 5 and 10 metres now. I spotted the basket star before going down to the sand to check on the red pipefish in its usual alga. There was still only one there.

I swam past Diversity Rock and on to Little Big Rock. On the rock where the anglerfishes used to be I found a male pygmy pipehorse. It looked smaller than the previous male but I haven't checked my photos to see if it is the same one.

I headed up shallower and found the large orange red-fingered anglerfish in the green sponge. It has been in the same spot for some time now.

I swam back down to the sand line and found the pair of red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish. It is good to see they are still there.

From here I swam straight to the boulders and ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. The water warmed up but the visibility dropped to less than 5 metres. As I was swimming to Split Rock I spotted a large Guenther's butterflyfish amongst the rocks. I tried to get photographs but it was to wary of me. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

113 minutes

Maximum depth

21.0 m

Average depth

14.1 m

Water temperature

17.8°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

6:03am

1.51m

Low

12:40pm

0.62m

High

6:22pm

1.21m