Dive Details
Location
Date
Wednesday 9 May 2018
Time
11:48am - 1:37pm
Details
Mike and Aiden joined me for The Leap today. It had been calm for the last few days so we were expecting good conditions. The water looked calm and there were only the occasional bigger waves that lapped over the low platform.
The three of us got in from the low platform and swam out on the surface. We descended and swam at around 30° to the sand line. We arrived near Ian's Pygmy Rock. Visibility was around 10 metres which was down from Saturday. There was also some surge and the current was quite strong. The water temperature was around 19°C. We turned left and headed towards The Steps.
I found a female weedy seadragon near Seahorse Rock and then a male between the two flat rocks with sponges. Mike signalled to me from the rocks above the flat rocks. He'd found a Phenacovolva sp. cowrie in a sea fan.
We swam on to Southern Cross Rock and found another weedy seadragon on the way. It was on the sand. I then spotted "Clyde", the male weedy seadragon, right in front of the pygmy pipehorses on the side of Southern Cross Rock. I found both the yellow male and the white female pygmy pipehorses on the side of the rock.
I caught up to Mike in Seadragon Alley. He'd found a robust ghostpipefish. I'm not sure if it was one I've seen previously. He also found the juvenile weedy seadragon. I looked for the pair of robust ghostpipefish I saw on Friday and Saturday but they weren't in the same hollow. I looked for more ghostpipefish in Seadragon Alley but only found an adult weedy seadragon.
At the end of Seadragon Alley I found the red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish in its usual alga. I pointed it out to Mike and Aiden. I looked for others in the area but found none.
We continued along the sand line. Aiden left us as he only had a small tank. I got to the small orange red-fingered anglerfish first. It was on the same rock but had moved slightly on the rock.
We headed past Big Rock and I went straight to the white/pink anglerfish on the rock below Hand Rock. I looked for pygmy pipehorses at the base of that rock but couldn't see them. I looked around the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch but couldn't find it. When Mike swam up I pointed out the white/pink anglerfish.
I swam on to the one-eyed seahorse. She was on the sand line side of her rock.
I dropped back to the sand line and swam on to where the robust ghostpipefish was on Saturday. I couldn't find it but I did find a weedy seadragon. Looking at my photographs I see it had a clingfish on it.
I swam up past Miamira Rock and spotted the basket star on the red chimney sponge. I then swam back to the sand line and past Diversity Rock on to Little Big Rock. I found the pinkish male pygmy pipehorse on the rock behind Little Big Rock but I could not find the white female. I also found the cryptic male on the rock behind. I couldn't find the female. I pointed both pygmies out to Mike.
We continued on towards the yellow red-fingered anglerfish. On the way I spotted a Guenter's butterflyfish. The yellow anglerfish was in its usual spot. I showed Mike and then continued along the sand line.
I was determined to find the ornate ghostpipefish that John had mentioned. I kept along the sand line and found the yogurt container he'd jammed into a rock as a marker. I looked all around the area but could not find the ghostpipefish. I did find a huge stingray sitting on the sand. I shot some video and it swam off. I saw it again as I went back to the sand line to look for the ghostpipefish.
On my way to the boulders I found a weedy seadragon. I then ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop while swimming to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and then swam to the exit.
Buddy
Mike Scotland
Seas
Slight
Visibility
5 to 10 metres
Duration
109 minutes
Maximum depth
21.0 m
Average depth
13.8 m
Water temperature
19.3°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Botany Bay AEST
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
High
2:50am
1.49m
Low
9:42am
0.61m
High
4:00pm
1.32m
Low
9:36pm
0.82m