Dive Details

Location

Date

Monday 23 April 2018

Time

11:09am - 12:59pm

Details

Mike joined me for today's dive at The Leap. Conditions were looking good again with not much swell.

We both got in from the low platform and swam out on the surface. We descended and headed out at 30° to the sand line. We arrived south-east of Lucy and Bob Rock. Visibility was around 5 metres and there was only gentle surge. The water temperature was between 18 and 19°C. We turned left and headed towards The Steps.

We swam past Seahorse Rock on towards the flat rocks with sponges. I found "Clyde", the male weedy seadragon, on the sand just before the first flat rock. I found a female and another male on the outside edge of the flat rocks.

Mike was ahead of me and I caught up with him at Southern Cross Rock. We found one yellow male pygmy pipehorse on the side of the rock but I couldn't find the white female.

We continued on towards Seadragon Alley and found another weedy seadragon just after the rock after Southern Cross Rock.

We swam into Seadragon Alley and I got to the spot I've seen the juvenile weedy seadragon previously. After a bit of searching I found it and pointed it out to Mike. He took photographs first and then I did after he had finished.

I tried to find the robust ghostpipefish that Roney had shown me yesterday but couldn't find it. Mike headed on while looked for the other one I'd seen yesterday. I couldn't find it so went back towards the juvenile weedy and eventually found Roney's robust ghostpipefish which now had a partner. I looked again for the other robust ghostpipefish before heading out of Seadragon Alley. I found another weedy seadragon at the end of Seadragon Alley. I looked for the red Stigmatopora sp, pipefish but couldn't find any. They must be somewhere in the area.

I swam on to Big Rock. The white/pink anglerfish was still on the rock below Hand Rock. The white male pygmy pipehorse was also at the base of that rock. I looked around the area for the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch and eventually found it.

I swam on to the rock with the one-eyed seahorse and found her on the southern side of the rock.

I continued on to New Basket Star Rock and then down to the red chimney sponge where the basket star is now. I then swam past Diversity Rock and found the Nembrotha sp. nudibranch just past Diversity Rock.

I headed to Little Big Rock and found the white female pygmy pipehorse on the rock behind. I couldn't find the male. I found the cryptic female pygmy pipehorse on the adjacent rock but I could not find the male.

I swam on to the rock with the yellow red-fingered anglerfish. It was in its usual spot. After taking some photographs I looked around the surrounding rocks before making my way to the boulders.

At the boulders I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. I swam to Split Rock and finished my safety stop there. I swam to the exit and climbed out onto the shelf.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Surge

Visibility

5 metres

Duration

110 minutes

Maximum depth

20.9 m

Average depth

14.4 m

Water temperature

18.4°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

1:54am

1.70m

Low

8:52am

0.46m

High

3:03pm

1.32m

Low

8:39pm

0.71m