Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 9 February 2019

Time

7:50am - 9:22am

Buddy

Duncan Heuer, Charlie Elliot

Seas

Slight with current

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

92 minutes

Surface interval

 6 days 21:4 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.4 m

Average depth

15.9 m

Water temperature

16.4°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

5:38am

0.54m

High

11:57am

1.60m

Low

6:23pm

0.44m

Details

Duncan and Charlie joined me for today's dive at The Leap. I don't get to dive with these guys often but it is always a pleasure. My aim was to show them the Field of Pygmies.

The forecast was for a 1-1.5m northeasterly swell. This should be fine for The Leap. I checked the exit at The Steps on my way through and it looked great.

We got in from the low platform and swum out on the surface. It was relatively calm. When we were ready we descended and I led the way at around 60° towards the sand line. We arrived at the amphitheatre. The visibility was between 5 and 10 metres. The water temperature was under 17°C. There was barely any current or surge.

Once I got my bearings we headed for the first rock in the Field of Pygmies with known pygmies. As we approached the rock I spotted a Weedy Seadragon so I stopped to take some photographs. I headed to where I had last seen the original pair of pygmies and spotted the female (IL2018110201) in a red branching sponge. She was moving a lot in what little surge there was. I then went to the other end of the rock to find the second pair. The male (IL2018110301) was in his usual spot behind the red sponge. The female (IL2018110302) was nearby. I pointed them out to Duncan and Charlie and then went looking for the original male. He (IL2018110202) was near the yellow sponge where he'd been last time.

I looked on the next rock for the cryptic pair of pygmy pipehorses. I could not find either of them.

I headed shoreward to the slightly higher rock to look for the pair of pygmies there. I spotted two Weedy Seadragons below the rock so I photographed both of them. I wasn't sure if one was the one I'd seen earlier but it appears they were different. I checked the rock for the pair of pygmies. I found the female but was not able to find the male.

I swam on to the rock with a lot of sponges where I have seen a juvenile. I managed to find it.

I headed towards the rock before Bob & Lucy Rock. I found the female pygmy there and then the male. I took photographs of them and then pointed them out to Duncan and Charlie.

I checked out Bob & Lucy Rock. I could not find the red male. The red female was missing last time and now he's gone.

I moved on towards Seahorse Rock. A few rocks from Bob & Lucy Rock I spotted a tiny juvenile pygmy. It would have been around 10mm long. I took some photographs and pointed it out to Charlie.

I swam on a little farther and spotted another juvenile pygmy. This was was around 15mm long. I took some photographs and pointed it out to Charlie and Duncan. They were down to half tanks so they left me here.

I continued on to Ian's Pygmy Rock. Here I found the pink male pygmy and then the grey female.

I swam past Seahorse Rock and on to the low flat rocks with sponges. As I was approaching I could see Duncan and Charlie just ahead of me. They had been photographing the Weedy Seadragons. I ignored the seadragons and went up the rock to look for the pygmy pipehorses. I found the red male in his usual alga and the female in her usual alga. I then looked for and found the other male. I couldn't find the other female.

I dropped down to look for the Weedy Seadragons. I could only find the female. I don't know where the males were.

I headed to the sand line and followed it towards Southern Cross Rock. I spotted male Weedy Seadragon on the sand just past the first set of rocks.

I swam past Southern Cross Rock and spotted a small Crested Horn Shark just past the rock after Southern Cross Rock.

I continued on through Seadragon Alley without seeing any seadragons. and then headed up the slope towards Big Rock. I looked for the red Stignatopora pipefish along the way.

At Big Rock I looked for Ron's pygmy pipehorses. I found the male but could not find the female.

I looked on the rock below Hand Rock for the juvenile pygmy I'd seen there 2 weeks ago. I found it. I also found the juvenile on Hand Rock.

I swam over Sponge Hollow and on to the basket star. I then continued to Little Big Rock. I looked around Little Big Rock for the big yellow Red-Fingered Anglerfish and the Pot-Bellied Seahorses. I found "David" in the grey sponge. He looks very pregnant. I couldn't find Petra or the yellow anglerfish.

I looked in the crevices where Dama and Roney's sawtooth pipefish have been. I spotted the male with eggs in the smaller crevice.

From here I stayed high as I was running low on air. I swam over Di's Rock and then ascended to the boulders and swam along to Split Rock doing my safety stop. I finished my safety stop at Split Rock and then swam underwater to the exit. The exit was easy.