Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 14 September 2018

Time

10:52am - 12:36pm

Details

Cody couldn't make it today as his undergarments were still wet from yesterday but Mike joined me instead. It had been a while since I'd dived with Mike and I was keen to show him all the cool things I'd seen over the last few days diving at The Monument. Conditions were great again and so I was looking forward to a great dive.

Mike and I got in at the channel in front of the flagpoles and swam out on the surface. When we were in the right spot we descended. I hit right at the start of the Esast wall and the visibility was over 10 metres. The water temperature was around 15°C and it was calm with no surge or current. I spotted a green turtle lying on the start of the wall. I was able to get quite close to it and shoot some video without disturbing it.

I swam to catch up to Mike who had gotten ahead of me. I stopped at the basket star when he wasn't far in front. I caught up and then swam ahead of Mike. He caught up to me and called me back to show me a juvenile velvetfish he'd found. It had been right in front of a flathead so the little guy was probably lucky not to get swallowed.

We swam along the base of the wall. I was looking for the rock I'd seen the red painted anglerfish on yesterday but I hadn't found it before we reached the area where I'd seen "Cody" and the yellowish White's seahorse. I'd missed it. I looked around for "Cody" and the White's seahorse but I think they are gone.

We continued along the wall to where I'd seen "Sandy", the female great seahorse. She was still on the same sponge where I'd seen her on Wednesday and yesterday. I pointed her out to Mike.

We followed the base of the wall past where "Sunshine", the yellow pot-bellied seahorse used to be, and on to near the end of the wall. The large orange red-fingered anglerfish was on the same rock it has been for the last few weeks. I pointed it out to Mike. I then looked for the pygmy pipehorses on the adjacent rock. I found both males first and then I found the gold and white female. I kept looking and eventually found the cryptic female. While Mike was photographing the pygmy pipehorses I looked around the large rock with Carijoa for my bright orange red-fingered anglerfish. I couldn't find it. I did find a dwarf lionfish.

We cut the corner and headed for the NW-SE wall. As we headed down I found the little orange red-fingered anglerfish I'd found yesterday. It was in the same spot. I pointed it out to Mike.

We swam along the base of the NW-SE wall. I briefly looked over the first couple of rocks and as I was swimming past the large rock that has more sponges than the others I noticed a pink and yellow female pygmy pipehorse hanging on to the Carijoa. I took some photographs and then looked for a male. He was just below the female and was green and pink. Such a pretty couple. I showed them to Mike.

We followed the reef past Split Rock and on to the slope below Seahorse Rock. I looked for the grey red-fingered anglerfish on the way but couldn't find it. On the slope I found the brown White's seahorse.

We headed to the top of the Deep Wall and the rock where the pygmies have been. I found both the male and the female low down on the rock. They were together. Before I went over and down the wall I spotted the small Nembrotha purpureolineata.

We dropped to the bottom of the Deep Wall and I swam out onto the sand and looked for the juvenile weedy seadragon. I didn't find it.

We moved up to the rock where the pot-bellied seahorses have been. I found "Virgil" on the red chimney sponge. I then found "Ginger" in the yellow sea tulips. After a bit of hunting I found "Gilligan" behind a red sponge.

We headed towards The Steps and I spotted the large dwarf lionfish in the orange finger sponge. After the end of the wall I found the orange red-fingered anglerfish in the same spot it was yesterday.

We were both low on air so we headed for the shallows, Mike went to the little bay area and I went to the protected area which has been such a great exit of late. I did my safety stop and got out on the flat and waded into the protected area.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

10 to 15 metres

Duration

104 minutes

Maximum depth

13.1 m

Average depth

10.5 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

5:15am

0.41m

High

11:36am

1.59m

Low

5:57pm

0.47m

High

11:55pm

1.37m