Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 23 August 2018

Time

1:12pm - 2:45pm

Details

Low tide was around noon so I tried an early afternoon dive on the incoming tide. I didn't want to go too late because of the afternoon traffic getting home. It had also been rough the last few days so I didn't have much hope for good visibility. There was a group from Abyss there who had done an earlier dive on the outgoing tide and they said the visibility was quite good. Roney and Dom were also there but they were doing The Leap. I had contemplated doing The Leap but it's too big a commitment if the visibility is poor.

I got in at the entry/exit area. I put my fins on in the water and waded out. The tide was still quite low. Once I was ready, I descended. The visibility was not great, perhaps as much as 5 metres. There was a lot of suspended matter in the water column and there was a bit of surge. The water temperature was around 14°C and my face hurt from the cold. I turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

I swam along the sand line to the three rocks where the orange red-fingered anglerfish has been. It was not in its usual spot. I looked over the three rocks but could not see it. As I was looking I noticed a patch of familiar patterning: the patterning often on the side of red-fingered anglerfish. I looked closer and there was a small, 3-4cm, orange red-fingered anglerfish hiding in the algae. This wasn't the anglerfish I had been looking for so I continued my search. I eventually found the other orange red-fingered anglerfish on the underside of the overhang on the Monument side of the rock.

I followed the sand line to the rock with the sea tulips where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I found "Di", the female, not far from where I'd seen her last Saturday. There was too much snot algae on the rock for me to bother looking for any others.

I continued along the top of the reef looking for anglerfishes. I stopped at the large rock behind Little Big Rock to look for the pygmy pipehorses. The surge made it difficult and I ended up giving up without finding either pygmy.

I looked around the area behind Little Big Rock for anglerfishes and found the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish on the rock I last saw it a couple of weeks ago. I continued to look around the area for the salmon red-fingered anglerfish but found two mating Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranchs.

I stopped just after Little Big Rock to look for the pygmy pipehorses there. I found the female part way down the rock. After a bit of searching I found the male near the top of the rock.

I swam on to Diversity Rock and found my juvenile orange painted anglerfish in its usual place on the way. I searched Diversity Rock for pygmy pipehorses. It is still covered in snot algae. The male weedy seadragon with eggs was still below Diversity Rock. I saw Roney and Dom swimming towards The Steps.

I swam up by the basket star and then on past New Basket Star rock and on to the rock with the one-eyed seahorse. I found the seahorse low down on the rock on the northern side.

I turned and headed back. I came past Sponge Hollow and Diversity Rock. I looked for the pygmy pipehorses again before stopping at the juvenile painted anglerfish.

As I was swimming towards Little Big Rock I passed the group from Abyss heading the other way. I visited pygmy pipehorses near Little Big Rock, the mating N. purpureolineata and the large yellow red-fingered anglerfish. I had another look for the pygmy pipehorses on the large rock behind Little Big Rock.

I swam past the the female pygmy pipehorse, "Di", on the rock with the sea tulips and then on to the two red-fingered anglerfish, the new small one on the upper side of the middle of the 3 rocks and the larger orange one under the overhang.

I headed for the boulders and ascended to 5 metres and started my safety stop. I swam to Split Rock, finished my safety stop and then swam to the exit.

Seas

Surgy

Visibility

3 to 5 metres

Duration

92 minutes

Maximum depth

13.4 m

Average depth

10.9 m

Water temperature

14°C

Dive Profile from Garmin Descent Mk1

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

12:34am

0.50m

High

6:23am

1.24m

Low

11:56am

0.59m

High

6:31pm

1.63m