Dive Details
Location
Date
Saturday 8 September 2018
Time
8:08am - 9:33am
Details
The tides meant either an early dive on the outgoing tide or a late dive on the incoming tide. I opted for the former as I could jump in in front of the flagpoles and drift around the corner. Cody was going to join me but slept in. Fortunately, Greg arrived while I was waiting for Cody and so he joined me, albeit around 30 minutes later than I had planned.
We got in in front of the flagpoles and swam out on the surface to the edge of the kelp near the start of the East-West Wall. We descended to the wall. It was around an hour after high tide but there was no current yet. Visibility was around 5 metres and the water temperature was around 15°C. We headed east along the base of the wall.
We came on the basket star early into the dive and then continued along the base of the wall. I came to the rock where I'd seen "Cody", the yellow male pot-bellied seahorse on Thursday and found him in the Carijoa colony at the western end of the rock. I looked around for a while and eventually found the yellowish female White's seahorse on the same rock.
We continued along at the base of the wall until we reached the rocks where "Sunshine", the yellow female pot-bellied seahorse, used to be. It was at this point that the current kicked in. It was quite strong but was useful unless we needed to stop.
We drifted with the current to near where the wall ended. I found John's large orange red-fingered anglerfish on the rock below where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I then looked for the pygmy pipehorses which was difficult because of the current. I only managed to find one of the male pygmies (IL2018071401).
We drifted on to the large Carijoa covered rock and I looked on the underside of the rock for my bright red red-fingered anglerfish. It was hiding in a hole but was just visible at the right angle.
We cut the corner to the top of the NW-SE wall and swam along the top of the wall until we reached the large high rocks. I looked in the gap in the rocks for the grey red-fingered anglerfish but it wasn't in the gap. Then I noticed it above the gap.
We swam/drifted along the reef past Split Rock and on to the slope below Seahorse Rock. I looked for and eventually found the brown White's seahorse hanging on to a small sponge.
We continued along the reef past Slope Rock and on to the rocks above the start of the Deep Wall. I found both the male (IL2018072701) and female (IL2018072702) pygmy pipehorses on the side of the first rock.
We dropped down over the wall and swam along to where the pot-bellied seahorses have been. I found "Virgil", the brown male pot-bellied seahorse in the pink sea tulips. I looked all around the area for "Ginger", the female, but could not find her. The current made searching more difficult. As I was looking for "Ginger" I found the small dwarf lionfish at the northern end of the rocks. I then spotted the juvenile weedy seadragon out on the sand. I then found the large dwarf lionfish at the southern end.
We continued on past the end of the wall and on to the first rock above the sand line and I found the orange red-fingered anglerfish.
We swam on to Block Rock and then headed for the shore and did our safety stops as we swam along to the exit point. We surfaced out from the protected area and waded out.
Buddy
Greg Ryan
Seas
Slight
Visibility
3 to 8 metres
Duration
85 minutes
Maximum depth
12.5 m
Average depth
10.0 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
12:55am
0.19m
High
6:57am
1.46m
Low
12:43pm
0.33m
High
7:08pm
1.93m
Camera gear
Camera
Nikon D7000
Lens
Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED
Housing
Ikelite 6801.70
Lens port
Ikelite Flat Port 5502.41
Strobe
2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161
Photographs
Depth information, where present, indicates the depth of the camera when the photograph was taken and can be used to approximate the depth of the subject.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Cody"). 10.4 m.
Female White's seahorse, Hippocampus whitei. 10.8 m.
Red-fingered anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.3 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018071401). 9.7 m.
Red-fingered anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 9.8 m.
Red-fingered anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 9.7 m.
Female White's seahorse, Hippocampus whitei. 9.7 m.
Female Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072702). 10.4 m.
Male Sydney pygmy pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2018072701). 10.4 m.
Male pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Virgil"). 11.8 m.
Red-fingered anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.3 m.