Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 4 August 2018

Time

9:45am - 11:39am

Details

My plan today was a double dive: the first dive at The Leap and then a second at The Steps. As my second dive would be at The Steps I could spend more time in deeper water on the first dive and just cruise through The Steps at the end.

I got in from the low platform and swam straight out on the surface. I descended and swam at around 30° to the sand line. I arrived at the amphitheatre and hit the sand line near Bob and Lucy Rock. The visibility was around 5 metres. The water temperature was around 16°C. I turned left and swam with the quite strong current towards The Steps.

As I swam between Ian's Pygmy Rock and Seahorse Rock I came across a weedy seadragon. I was hoping to see "Clyde" but this wasn't him.

I drifted on to the flat rocks with sponges. In the gap with all the kelp I found the male weedy seadragon with eggs. I then swam up to the Phenacovolva cowrie and found it plus both pygmy pipehorses (IL2018080101 and IL2018080102).

I continued on towards Southern Cross Rock and found a weedy seadragon on the sand on the way there.

I swam on into Seadragon Alley and found a female weedy seadragon and then a male with eggs. They were swimming near each other. I hadn't seen the juvenile weedy for a week or so and was pleased to see it a little farther along in Seadragon Alley from where it has been.

After the end of Seadragon Alley I stopped at the red Stigmatopora pipefish. They were both in their respective algae. I looked around the area for other interesting organisms but found none.

I swam slowly with the current to Big Rock. I looked on the rocks along the way for anglerfishes but found none. After Big Rock as I was heading up towards the rock with one-eyed seahorse, "Betty", the female grey nurse shark, cruised by. It looked like she may have been hanging in the current and I disturbed her. She swam off towards Big Rock.

I looked for the one-eyed White's seahorse and found her on her rock.

I swam on towards Diversity Rock and looked around for either of the grey red-fingered anglerfish. While I was looking I came across a weedy seadragon near Miamira Rock. I didn't find either grey red-fingered anglerfish.

I stopped at Diversity Rock and found the juvenile pygmy pipehorse which I'm now convinced is a male. It has grown quite a bit from when we first saw it.

Just past Diversity Rock I found the juvenile orange painted anglerfish. It doesn't seem to have grown at all, or there are two of them and I found the newer smaller one.

I swam along the sand line towards Little Big Rock. I stopped at the rock before Little Big Rock to look for the pygmies I found last Friday. I found the male (IL2018072501) in the same area I had seen them before. I looked for a while and found the female (IL2018072502) much lower down on the rock.

I looked all around Little Big Rock and surrounding rocks for the salmon anglerfish but could not find it. I did find a male weedy seadragon with eggs.

I went up to the large rock behind Little Big Rock and found the two pygmy pipehorses there. The female (IL2018072001) was low down on the purple sponge and the male (IL2018072002) was higher amongst some hydroids.

I swam past Di's Rock and down to the rock with sea tulips where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I looked for some time but was not able to find any pygmies at all.

I swam along the sand line to the rocks where the orange red-fingered anglerfish has been. It was in its usual spot on the rock.

I headed for the boulders and ascended to 5 metres. I started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I waited at Split Rock until I finished my safety stop and then swam underwater to the exit.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10

Duration

114 minutes

Maximum depth

21.2 m

Average depth

13.8 m

Water temperature

16°C

Dive Profile from Garmin Descent Mk1

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

12:38am

1.45m

Low

7:07am

0.50m

High

1:33pm

1.45m

Low

7:35pm

0.68m