Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 7 July 2018

Time

3:41pm - 5:15pm

Details

I had worked today but had just enough time after work for a quick twilight dive at Bare Island. When I arrived there was a massive westerly wind blowing across the bay and even the northern side of the island looked rough. I knew that it was just wind chop and that conditions underwater would be calm as it was a slight north-easterly swell. I wish I'd take some video of the surface water to show others the impact of the wind on the surface with almost no impact underwater.

I got in from the northern side of the island between the ramp and Carol's plaque. The tide was quite high and there were half a metre waves coming it but it was very easy to get in and I had no issues at all. I swam out on the surface before descending to the sand. The visibility was at least 5 metres and there was almost no surge. The water temperature was around 16°C. I headed towards outboard motor.

I swam over the outboard motor and ledge and along the sand in front of the boulders. I then headed down the slope and checked the usual rocks for pygmy pipehorses on the way down. I found nothing until I reached the usual pair of pygmy pipehorses near the bottom of the slope. I spotted both the golden female and the white male almost immediately.

I continued around the corner and followed the reef along towards the isolated reefs. I kept following it around when it turns south and then east and continued towards the deep wall. A large ray swam past me. I stayed on the shallower reef, though, and did not go to the deep wall.

I turned around and came back along the shallow reef until the caves. There were a lot of Port Jackson sharks around. At the caves I cut north across the middle of the reef. When I reached the other side of the reef I turned right and headed along past the north-western caves. I headed north and down to the couple of isolated rocks before heading back up to the pygmy pipehorses.

I looked around the bottom of the slope and found a red indianfish hiding under a rock.

I headed up the slope and didn't see anything of interest. I swam across the sand in front of the boulders to the outboard motor and started my safety stop. I swam along the sand to the exit and after I finished my safety stop I got out where i got in. Despite the waves, it was very easy to get out.

Seas

Choppy but no surge

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

93 minutes

Maximum depth

15.9 m

Average depth

11.3 m

Water temperature

15°C

Dive Profile from Garmin Descent Mk1

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

2:10am

1.44m

Low

8:44am

0.53m

High

3:13pm

1.48m

Low

9:16pm

0.73m