Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 12 August 2018

Time

10:45am - 12:10pm

Details

The visibility on my previous dive at The Monument had not been great but it had improved as I got closer to The Steps. I was hopeful it would not be too bad for my second dive.

After a surface interval of just under an hour I got into the water at The Steps and swam out on the surface. Once I hit the hour I descended to the sand/kelp. The visibility had deteriorated in the last hour or perhaps it was just worse at depth. It was only 3 to 5 metres. The outgoing tidal current was quite strong. The water temperature was around 15°C. I turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

I headed along the sand line to the rocks where the orange red-fingered anglerfish is. It was in its most recent usual spot.

I continued along the sand line to the rock with sea tulips where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I overshot it due to the poor visibility and had to swim back. Swimming back was hard going due to the current. I made it back to the rock and found "Di", the female pygmy pipehorse, in the same spot I'd seen her on Thursday. I had a quick look for a male but the current and snot algae made it difficult.

I rode the current towards Little Big Rock but high up on the reef. The visibility was only around 3 metres now and so spotting familiar rocks was difficult. I arrived at the large rock behind Little Big Rock and found first the male pygmy pipehorse there and then eventually the female. The current continued to make things difficult and there was snot algae everywhere.

I swam around the area, including Little Big Rock itself, looking for the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish and the salmon red-fingered anglerfish but could not find either of them.

I dropped to the rock just past Little Big Rock and looked for the dwarf lionfish I'd see on Friday. I couldn't see it. I did find the female pygmy pipehorse low down on the rock. I looked for the male but could not see it.

I headed towards Diversity Rock and saw my juvenile orange painted anglerfish on its rock. At Diversity Rock I found the juvenile male pygmy pipehorse. It was hiding out in the snot algae.

I swam past the basket star and then looked around the area near Miamira Rock and New Basket Star Rock for either of the grey red-fingered anglerfish.

I headed past Sponge Hollow and on to the rock with the one-eyed White's seahorse. After one circuit of the rock I found her low down on the northern side of the rock.

I headed towards the shore and looked on the sponge covered rocks for the yellow/pink red-fingered anglerfish and then looked in the kelp for the juvenile weedy seadragon I'd seen on Thursday. I found neither.

I I fought the current back past the basket star and on to Diversity Rock. The juvenile male pygmy pipehorse was still there. I also visited the juvenile orange painted anglerfish.

I stopped just before Little Big Rock and found the female pygmy pipehorse again. I then spotted the male pygmy pipehorse near the top of the rock. It was hiding in the snot algae.

I headed to the large rock behind Little Big Rock and found the two pygmy pipehorses again before fighting the current very hard to get to the last pygmy pipehorse who was in the same spot.

Another tough swim to the orange red-fingered anglerfish and then I headed for the boulders and ascended to 5 metres. I started my safety stop as I swam to Split Rock. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit. I was surprised how low the tide was already only 3 hours after high tide but the next low tide was quite low and it certainly explains the strength of the current.

Seas

Strong current

Visibility

3 to 5 metres

Duration

85 minutes

Maximum depth

13.7 m

Average depth

11.2 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

2:53am

0.10m

High

8:54am

1.53m

Low

2:40pm

0.29m

High

9:06pm

2.05m