Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 30 March 2018

Time

7:43am - 9:00am

Details

On Good Friday I met up with Cody and his friend, Raphael, from Switzerland for an early dive at The Steps. Conditions looked great with not much swell.

We got in at the The Steps 35 minutes before high tide and after grouping on the surface we descended to the sand line. Visibility was between 5 and 10 metres and there was not much surge. The water temperature was a chilly 17°C. We turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

We swam along just above the sand line and I was hoping to see some weedy seadragons. We got to the rock where the yellow red-fingered anglerfish has been and it was still there. I pointed it out to Cody and Raphael.

We continued on to Little Big Rock. I looked for the white female pygmy pipehorse behind Little Big Rock but couldn't see it. I found a cryptic female on the rock above and pointed it out.

We swam on past Diversity Rock and on to the rock where the seahorse has been. I found her on the shoreline side of the rock and pointed her out to the others.

We headed to Square Rock and I found one of the white male pygmy pipehorses. I looked for the others but could not see them.

We dropped down to the rock below Hand Rock and I found the whitish male pygmy pipehorse at the base of the rock. The female was also there.

We headed up the reef and as I was looking around I spotted the Miamira magnifica nudibranch. It had moved quite some way from Sponge Hole. I thought I would remember the rock it was on.

We headed back to The Steps, passing the seahorse on the way. We also went by New Basket Star Rock. Out on the sand behind Diversity Rock I spotted a weedy seadragon.

We swam past Little Big Rock and on to the yellow anglerfish. A little farther on I spotted a pair of mating Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranchs.

We headed for the boulders and I spotted another weedy seadragon in the kelp. At the boulders we ascended to 5 metres and started our safety stops as we swam to Split Rock. We finished our safety stops at Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit. The exit was easy due to the high tide.

Buddy

Cody Sheridan

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

76 minutes

Maximum depth

15.1 m

Average depth

11.6 m

Water temperature

16.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

2:05am

0.39m

High

8:21am

1.81m

Low

2:46pm

0.27m

High

8:55pm

1.64m