Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 26 April 2018

Time

1:08pm - 3:00pm

Details

I had to work on ANZAC Day so it was only natural that I'd dive the day after. Conditions looked pretty good for an early afternoon dive. I didn't want to dive too late in the day as the traffic going home would be terrible.

I jumped in from the low platform - in fact, the water level was so far below the platform I went in from a ledge at the front. I swam out on the surface while I got my camera ready and let some water into my suit. I descended and swam at around 60°C to the sand line. I arrived at the amphitheatre where the visibility was at least 5 metres and probably closer to 10 metres. The water temperature was around 19°C and there was only gentle surge. I turned left and headed for The Steps.

As I swam along the sand line I kept an eye out for ghostpipefish. I swam past Seahorse Rock and came on three reaper cuttlefish. I suspect it was a female with two males as they were displaying to each other. I came across a weedy seadragon near the first flat rock with sponges. I looked under the overhang to find "Clyde", a male weedy seadragon, and another male swimming together. I found a female between the two flat rocks.

I swam on to Southern Cross Rock where I found the golden male pygmy pipehorse and the white female. They'd moved up the side of the wall a small way.

I continued on into Seadragon Alley. I got to the spot where I have seen the juvenile weedy but could not find it. I found two adult weedy seadragons in the area. After I photographed the adults, I swam along Seadragon Alley looking for the robust ghostpipefish and then came back to the area where the juvenile weedy has been. It was very difficult looking because there was a lot of kelp in the area and the ghostpipefish could easily be in the kelp. I finally spotted the juvenile in its usual location.

I swam on through Seadragon Alley again looking carefully for the ghostpipefish but I could not see them with all the kelp.

At the end of Seadragon Alley I started looking in the red algae and was pleased to find one red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish straight out from the rock with sponges where there used to be two pygmy pipehorses. I looked around for a second but couldn't find one.

I continued along the sand line to Big Rock. I was hoping to find ghostpipefish along the way. I didn't. There was a fiddler ray on the sand in front of Big Rock. I found the white/pink red-fingered anglerfish on the rock below Hand Rock where it has been for the last week or so. I also found the white male pygmy pipehorse at the base of the same rock. I looked around the area for the Nembrotha purpureolineata but couldn't find it.

I headed up to where the juvenile bridled triggerfish has been and spotted another weedy seadragon on the way. The triggerfish was there, too.

I went over to the rock where the one-eyed female White's seahorse has been and found her in the pink sea tulips.

I continued on to New Basket Star Rock and then down to the red chimney sponge where the basket star is now.

I swam past Diversity Rock and found a Chaetodon guentheri between there and Little Big Rock. On the rock behind Little Big Rock I looked for the white female pygmy pipehorse but I couldn't find her. I instead found the dark pink male. On the adjacent rock I found the cryptic male pygmy pipehorse but I couldn't find the female.

I swam on to the rock where the yellow red-fingered anglerfish has been. It was in its usual spot. I looked around the area for other anglerfishes and nudibranchs but found none.

I headed for the boulders and spotted another weedy seadragon on the way. At the boulders I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop while swimming to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop at Split Rock and then swam to the exit. As the tide was still quite low the exit was easy.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

112 minutes

Maximum depth

21.1 m

Average depth

14.4 m

Water temperature

19.0°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

5:16am

1.69m

Low

11:47am

0.39m

High

6:03pm

1.56m