Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 12 July 2018

Time

8:17am - 9:54am

Details

I was still recovering from a cold but I wanted to dive and so did Cody so we agreed to meet at 7:30am at The Steps. Conditions looked pretty good although high tide was 7:20am so we'd be getting some dirty water at some point during the dive.

We jumped in at the entry point. The tide was still high enough that I could put my fins on at the shelf and just fall in. We swam out until we were over the kelp and descended. Visibility was around 5 metres. There was some surge. The water temperature was around 16°C. We turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

We swam along the sand line until we reached the rocks where I have seen the orange red-fingered anglerfish. I looked in the spot I'd seen it last Sunday and it was still there. I pointed it out to Cody.

We continued along the sand line until we reached the rock where I found "Di" and "Noel", the pair of pygmy pipehorses. I found "Di" (IL2018061401) pretty quickly and pointed her out to Cody but I was not able to find "Noel".

We swam along past Di's Rock, where I quickly looked for the grey red-fingered anglerfish, and on to the rock behind Little Big Rock where the golden male pygmy pipehorse has been. I looked for the pygmy pipehorse, or any pygmy pipehorses, on the rock but found none.

I looked on a nearby rock for the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch I'd seen on Sunday and found it.

We swam over to Little Big Rock and looked around it. Cody spotted the salmon red-fingered anglerfish on the shoreward side. I thought I hadn't seen it for a while but it turns out Daniela has shown it to me on Little Big Rock twice before. I noticed a weedy seadragon at the base of Little Big Rock.

We headed towards Diversity Rock. I spotted a male weedy seadragon with eggs in the kelp just before the large rock before Diversity Rock. It was the same one I'd seen on Sunday. I found my baby orange painted anglerfish in its usual spot on the rock near Diversity Rock.

We swam over to Diversity Rock and I started to look for pygmy pipehorses. I found the little pink female I'd found the previous Thursday but I couldn't find the juvenile I'd seen on Sunday.

We headed up past the basket star and on to New Basket Star Rock. I looked around for Mike's grey red-fingered anglerfish both there and on the nearby rock I'd seen it on Sunday. I couldn't find it.

We continued past Sponge Hollow and on to the rock with the one-eyed seahorse. I swam around a bit and found her low down on the sand line side of the rock. Cody spotted a Okenia hallucigenia nudibranch on the other side of the rock.

We swam on to Big Rock but did not find anything interesting and so turned and headed back to The Steps. We stopped at the seahorse and found she'd moved a little higher up on the rock, in a better spot for photographs.

We continued on past Sponge Hollow, New Basket Star Rock and on towards Diversity Rock. As I was swimming over the rock at the south-eastern end of the Diversity Rock complex I spotted a grey red-fingered anglerfish. This one was different from Mike's one as it had less red. I pointed it out to Cody.

We swam past the basket star and on to Diversity Rock. I found the female pygmy pipehorse again and kept looking for more. I then spotted a pink and brown male (IL2018071201) in the Carijoa. I pointed it out to Cody.

We headed past my baby orange painted anglerfish and on to Little Big Rock. Not surprisingly, the salmon anglerfish was still there.

We continued past Di's rock and on to the other pygmy pipehorses. Somewhere along the way Cody and I got separated. He was cold anyway so headed for the exit. I had another look for "Noel", the pygmy pipehorse but couldn't find him.

I swam along the sand line to the orange red-fingered anglerfish and took some photographs before heading for 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. When I popped up at the exit, Cody was waiting for me on the rocks.

Buddy

Cody Sheridan

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 5 metres

Duration

97 minutes

Maximum depth

14.4 m

Average depth

11.4 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.

Low

1:26am

0.29m

High

7:20am

1.46m

Low

1:03pm

0.39m

High

7:38pm

2.04m