Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Sunday 29 April 2018

Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 29 April 2018

Time

7:25am - 8:56am

Details

It was actually raining when I arrived at Bare Island although the rain eased shortly after. The south-easterly swell was having a bit of impact on the eastern side of the island and some impact on the western side, too. The northern side was quite calm. The tide was high and the water was over most of the rocks on the northern side.

I got in near Carol's plaque and surface swam a short way before descending. As I was working today, I had to be out by 9am and didn't have spare time to spend surface swimming. I descended onto the sand and the visibility was at least 5 metres with just a gentle surge. The water temperature was around 20°C. I headed for the outboard motor.

After I swam over the outboard motor I went up over the ledge and along the top of the slope in front of the boulders. I went through the gap and then headed south towards the wall. Even though it was nearly high tide it felt like I was swimming into a bit of current.

I made it past the rocks and kelp and on to the reef with the green hand sponges. I was hassled by a large blue groper as I swam over the reef.

I reached the wall and realised I wasn't very far from where the seahorse is. I didn't drop down the wall as such but rather stayed on top and headed north-west. I came to the area where the seahorse has been and found her fairly quickly. I think I am becoming more familiar with her location.

I continued along the wall until it ended and then swam on to the location where the seahorses used to be in 2015. Mike told me he'd spotted a juvenile painted anglerfish in the area so I hunted around for it. I wasn't able to find it but I couldn't be sure I was even looking in the right location.

I headed west along the reef for a short while before turning north over the sand. I didn't find as many Flabellina rubrolineata nudibranchs as last week.

I hit the shallower reef and turned west following it to the corner. I then headed north looking for pygmy pipehorses and anglerfish as I swam.

At the edge of the reef I turned east and headed to the caves on the corner. I found a few Flabellina rubrolineata nudibranchs along the reef here.

I swam past the caves and on to the rock with the white honeycomb sponge where the pygmy pipehorses have been. The white male was in the purple sponge. I had a hunt around for the golden female and found her on the other side of the honeycomb sponge.

I headed up the slope looking for pygmy pipehorses in all the usual spots. At the edge of the rock above Pygmy Rock I spotted an eastern frogfish under the edge of the rock. I have seen a few around at Bare Island but none right here.

I headed to the top of the slope and then swum over the sand in front of the boulders. As I approached the outboard motor I ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop as I swam to the exit. I finished my safety stop and got out near Carol's plaque.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 metres

Duration

91 minutes

Maximum depth

17.8 m

Average depth

11.9 m

Water temperature

19.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

1:44am

0.42m

High

7:45am

1.63m

Low

1:51pm

0.41m

High

8:12pm

1.77m

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D500

Lens

Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED

Housing

Ikelite 6812.5

Lens port

Ikelite Flat Port 5502.41

Strobe

2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161

Photographs

Depth information, where present, indicates the depth of the camera when the photograph was taken and can be used to approximate the depth of the subject.