Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 10 May 2018

Time

12:43pm - 2:20pm

Details

This would be my last dive before big seas hit Sydney again. It always seems to be between April and June that we get these east coast low pressure systems that cause huge seas. The forecast for Saturday has 5 metre swell but at least it is southerly which means Kurnell should be somewhat protected, unlike 2 years ago when Kurnell got the full brunt of north-easterly swells.

Mike and I got in from the protected area about a third of the way towards The Steps and waded out. The seas were calm other than the occasional wave which was probably generated by boats. When we got to the drop off we descended and swam to the sand line. On my way to the sand line I looked for ghostpipefish in the rocks. At the sand line visibility was around 8 metres although there was some particulate matter in the water which made it look a bit worse than it was. The water temperature was around 19°C. There was not much surge but the current from the incoming tide was quite strong. We turned left and headed towards Sutherland Point.

We crossed onto the reef at around Block Rock and looked carefully on the rocks for animals. We swam along the wall and a little over half way along I dropped down to the sand to look in the kelp for the juvenile weedy seadragon. I found it in the kelp. It is now around 20cm long.

I swam back to the rocks and looked for the Bennett's pufferfish I'd seen on Saturday but I could not find it.

At the end of the wall I swam up over the top to the rocks where the orange painted anglerfish was last year. I looked for pygmy pipehorses on the rock. I then swam over to the slope with sponges to see if I could find any seahorses.

I caught up with Mike near slope rock. I looked for pygmy pipehorses on the rock where Dama's red male pygmy pipehorse had been but found none. I don't know where they have all gone.

I found the robust ghostpipefish in the same hollow I'd seen it yesterday. Mike spotted the grey red-fingered anglerfish on the next large rock and came back to show me on his camera. I pointed out the robust ghostpipefish and went to find the anglerfish. The anglerfish was lower on the rock than it had been on Saturday.

I went a little farther along the reef and found the female White's seahorse I'd found on Saturday. She was on a green sponge. After taking a few photographs I headed back to tell Mike who was signalling me from near the ghostpipefish. He'd found a small orange red-fingered anglerfish on the rock above the ghostpipefish. I'd missed it in my quest to find the ghostpipefish again.

We swam along to the seahorse and I pointed her out to Mike before heading up to the rocks where the seahorses had been. I found one of the Nembrotha nudibranchs on the substrate and then a smaller one nearby. As I was taking some photographs I realised I'd left the camera on f/11 when shooting the ghostpipefish. I set it to f/16 and, after pointing out the nudibranchs to Mike, went back and rephotographed the seahorse and two anglerfish.

We continued on towards Sutherland Point. I looked on all the usual rocks for pygmies and other goodies but found nothing until I reached the rock with the second grey red-fingered anglerfish. It had barely moved from Saturday. Mike caught up to me and I pointed it out, although he knew where it was.

We swam along the wall and then dropped to the Carijoa covered rocks. I wanted to show Mike where the Volva volva cowrie was. I couldn't remember if it was on the first or the second of the rocks. I checked the first and couldn't find it. I looked on the second and found it straight away.

We continued on to Sutherland Point but did not find anything of interest. We rounded the point and then swam up past the large Carijoa rock where John's large orange red-fingered anglerfish had been. I swam past it the rock to the south east and found the dark orange red-fingered anglerfish. I could see it from 5 metres away. I pointed it out to Mike and then we went looking for the seahorse.

We swam to the rocks where "Sunshine", the yellow pot-bellied seahorse, had been but we could not find her. I headed west to look for her and then came back to the rock. Mike found a pair of banded coral shrimp in a gap under the rock.

We swam back to the large Carijoa covered rock. I was getting low on air and so ascended to the wall. On the side of the wall I spotted a wobbegong, and then a second and finally a third. They were all just lying there. I headed north east, then east then south east and ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. I swam along the rocks looking for the moorish idol I'd seen on Saturday but I missed it. I continued to the exit and after completing my safety stop I waded out in the bay area just to the east of the rocks.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 8 metres

Duration

96 minutes

Maximum depth

13.1 m

Average depth

9.9 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

3:52am

1.50m

Low

10:31am

0.57m

High

4:50pm

1.40m

Low

10:40pm

0.76m