Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 21 September 2018

Time

10:23am - 12:08pm

Details

Today Mike and I were back to The Monument. It has been so good here over the last 2 weeks I just want to keep coming back. The tides were not so good but we figured we'd try diving at low tide so we'd be getting in around an hour before low tide and getting out around 30 minutes after low tide.

We got in from the rocks in front of the flagpoles. The water was so low we had to walk a fair way out before we could put our fins on and then we still had to wade. The water surface was flat a big difference from the wind chop on Wednesday and it was an easy swim out. The visibility looked great from the surface. Once we were out far enough we descended and hit the start of the East-West wall. The visibility was at least 10 metres and it was calm with no current or surge. The water temperature was around 15°C. We headed east along the base of the wall.

We stopped at the basket star and I took some photographs. Mike spotted a medium-sized ray (around 1.2m across) at the base of the wall. As he approached it, it raised its tail so he backed away. It then swam off.

We continued along the base of the wall. I was still looking for the rock I'd spotted the red painted anglerfish on last week. I was sure it was an isolated rock. We came to a cluster of rocks and I spotted a red painted anglerfish. Perhaps it is the same one and it moved or my recollection of the spot was out. Anyway, I remember where it was so I can look for it again.

We swam past the area where the male pot-bellied and female White's seahorses had been. I had a quick look for both, mainly the White's seahorse but found neither.

We continued on to the area where "Sandy", the female great seahorse, has been. I swam straight to the sea tulips she'd been in on Wednesday and she was still there. I pointed her out to Mike.

We followed the base of the wall to almost the end. I went to the rock just off the wall where the large orange red-fingered anglerfish has been of late. It was in the same spot it was on Wednesday. I pointed it out to Mike and then started to look for pygmy pipehorses on the adjacent rock. I found the cryptic female first. I then found one of the males followed quickly by the other male. It took me a while to find the gold and white female. While Mike was photographing the pygmies, I had a look on the large Carijoa covered rock. I didn't find any anglerfish, but I did find the dwarf lionfish I've seen there a few times. I pointed it out to Mike when he swam up.

We cut the corner and headed down to the NW-SE wall. I stopped on the way to find the small orange red-fingered anglerfish. It was in the same spot it was on Wednesday.

We swam to the bottom of the wall and along towards the south east. I looked on the rocks for the cowries I'd seen previously but didn't find them. I also looked for the pygmy pipehorses I'd found last week but they were not to be found.

We continued along the reef towards The Steps. I swam up to the rock with the large gap to look for the grey red-fingered anglerfish. It wasn't in the gap. I looked on the surrounding rocks but still couldn't see it. Mike swam up and found it on the next rock.

We headed past Split Rock and on to the slope below Seahorse Rock. I looked for the brown female White's seahorse and initially couldn't find her. I then found her hiding in the orange finger sponge. Mike photographed her after I moved on.

I swam on ahead to the rock above the start of the Deep Wall. I checked out the grey red-fingered anglerfish first and then went to look for the pygmy pipehorses which I found at the base of the rock. When Mike swam up I pointed out the anglerfish and then continued photographing the pygmy pipehorses.

We dropped down the wall and swam to the area where the pot-bellied seahorses are. I scanned the sand for weedy seadragons but found none. We initially didn't find any of the seahorses until I spotted "Gilligan", the light brown male, hiding in some algae. We looked all around the area for "Ginger" and "Virgil" but could not find either of them. We found the large dwarf lionfish on the next rock.

As we swam to the end of the Deep Wall I looked for weedy seadragons again but could not find the juvenile from Wednesday. On the rock after the end of the wall I found the orange red-fingered anglerfish. I pointed it out to Mike and then we swam for the exit.

We ascended to 5 metres and started our safety stop as we swam south-east towards the exit. We swam along the bottom of the drop-off until it turns the corner and then surfaced. As the tide was so low it was a little difficult walking over the ledge but we made it out.

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Calm

Visibility

10 metres

Duration

105 minutes

Maximum depth

11.9 m

Average depth

9.4 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

5:58am

1.26m

Low

11:35am

0.61m

High

6:01pm

1.56m