Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 6 September 2018

Time

1:28pm - 3:09pm

Details

I was keen to go back and visit the pot-bellied seahorses, "Ginger" and "Virgil", and also find the red-fingered anglerfish, so today I dived The Monument. The swell was down from yesterday but it was very windy so the water surface was quite choppy.

I got in from the protected area around two thirds of the way towards The Steps. The tide was still quite low so I had to wade out all the way to the drop off. Once I was ready I descended. As soon as I started my descent I noticed the current which was quite strong and seemed even stronger when I hit the sand line. The visibility was around 5 metres but there was a lot of suspended matter in the water which made it look less. It was also overcast, making it quite dark. The water temperature was around 15°C. I turned left and drifted with the current.

I drifted straight past Block Rock and had to fight the current to go back. There was nothing to see there. I stopped at the rock just before the start of the wall and found the orange red-fingered anglerfish that Cody had spotted last Saturday. It was almost in the same spot but had changed its orientation.

I dropped to the bottom of the wall to look for the male weedy seadragon with eggs I'd see on Saturday but instead found a large juvenile. It is probably the same one I saw on Saturday.

I drifted along the wall and found the large dwarf lionfish at the base of the orange finger sponge it's normally in. A little farther along I started looking for "Ginger" and "Virgil". They were not in the sea tulips so I expanded my search. The current was very strong and it was difficult to search but I kept searching. I didn't find them. I hope they were just hiding from the current. At the other end of the rocks I found the small dwarf lionfish.

I drifted to the end of the wall and then up and over to the rock where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I found the female hiding in the algae where I have seen her before. I then found the male nearby. I didn't find him on Saturday so I was pleased he was still around.

I continued on to Slope Rock and looked for pygmy pipehorses on it and the surrounding rocks. I then headed down to Carijoa Rock which I haven't done for a while. It was tough with the current.

I headed to the slope below Seahorse Rock and looked for the brown female White's seahorse. She was in the first orange finger sponge like she was yesterday. I did a lap of Seahorse Rock before continuing.

I drifted along the reef past Split Rock and on to the area of the reef we've seen a lot of pygmy pipehorses and red-fingered anglerfish before. I looked in the gap in the rocks where the grey red-fingered anglerfish has been and was surprised to see it there. I didn't see it on Saturday.

I swam along the tope of the north-west wall for a it before heading up and over the sand. I then went to the corner of the East-West wall to the large Carijoa covered rock. I looked on the northern side and found the bright orange red-fingered anglerfish hiding there.

I headed along the East-West to the pygmy pipehorses. I found the large orange red-fingered anglerfish (the one John showed me) on the same rock I saw it on Saturday. I then looked for the pygmy pipehorses. I found one of the males first, then the cryptic female. I found the other male and finally the gold and white female.

I decided to continue along the East-West wall. I swam past the rocks where "Sunshine", the yellow female pot-bellied seahorse, used to be and on to the rock where the yellowish female White's seahorse has been. I was pleasantly surprised to find a yellow male pot-bellied seahorse on the same orange finger sponge where I've have seen the female White's seahorse in the past. I looked around the area to see if I could find a female pot-bellied seahorse but I instead found the yellowish White's seahorse low down on the rock.

I continued along the base of the wall before ascending the wall and heading south-west and then south past the kelp. I continued south until it was too shallow and then stood up and waded out in front of the flagpoles.

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 8 metres

Duration

100 minutes

Maximum depth

12.3 m

Average depth

9.7 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

5:02am

1.29m

Low

10:44am

0.50m

High

5:17pm

1.76m