Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 10 February 2019

Time

10:51am - 12:25pm

Buddy

Sheree Rose

Seas

Some surge and current

Visibility

0.5 to 8 metres

Duration

93 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

21.6 m

Average depth

15.2 m

Water temperature

17.2°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

12:31am

1.40m

Low

6:22am

0.58m

High

12:33pm

1.52m

Low

6:59pm

0.48m

Details

Sheree and Mike joined me for today's dive at The Leap. Yesterday had been pretty good but today there was a large southerly swell forecasted. It was difficult to know how that would affect The Leap. The entry didn't look all that bad and we didn't even bother checking the exit as there were so many divers at The Steps already.

There was water over the low platform and it was probably OK for entry, but Mike and I slid down the wall instead. Sheree jumped off the shelf. We swam out and when ready we descended. The visibility near the surface was probably 3 to 5 metres but it cleared up a bit to maybe 8 metres as we headed at around 60° towards the sand line. We got to the top of the amphitheatre and the viz was still OK but as we descended into the amphitheatre the visibility dropped to only 2-3 metres. I was able to see enough to work out where we were and we turned left towards the first rock with known pygmies in the Field of Pygmies. The water temperature was around 17°C and there was slight surge and no noticeable current. We had lost Mike on our way so it was just Sheree and me.

We arrived at the first rock and I found the original female pygmy pipehorse (IL2018110201) in the same sponge she was in yesterday. The male (2018110202) was behind her near the yellow sponge. I moved to the other end of the rock and spotted the red male (IL2018110301). I looked where his partner had been yesterday but she wasn't there. I looked from the other side of the rock and found her. Sheree was still looking at the first rock when I moved to the large rock towards the shore. I could just see her form that rock. I found the female (IL2018122601) and as I started to look for the male I spotted a weedy seadragon on the sand next to the rock. I took some ID shots of it before going back to look for the pygmies. I spotted a pink male (IL2019021001) with the female. He was new and smaller than the previous male. While I was there Daniela and Sharon swam up so I pointed out the pygmies.

I headed back to first rock but Sheree was gone. She must have lost sight of me while I was photographing the weedy. I figured she wouldn't be far ahead and I'd catch up to her. Just then the visibility dropped to less than a metre. I could not see from one rock to the next. I managed to find my way to the rock with lots of sponges and looked for the juvenile pygmy there. I wasn't able to find it.

I moved off into the gloom hoping to find the rock just before Bob & Lucy Rock. I wouldn't be able to see its position because of the poor visibility but I was hopeful I'd recognise what I'd see of it. I was in luck. I found the rock and I found the red male (IL2019011301) pygmy pipehorse on it. I looked for the female and found her nearby.

I found my way to Bob & Lucy Rock. I looked for the male who I couldn't find yesterday and I still couldn't find him, or the female who's been missing for the last few weeks.

The visibility improved slightly and was now between 1 and 2 metres. I continued along the sand line and tried to find the rock I'd seen the tiny pygmy on yesterday but I couldn't find it. I did find the other rock with the slightly larger juvenile pygmy but I wasn't able to find the pygmy.

I made my way to Ian's Pygmy Rock. It was like swimming into current even though the tide was still coming in. I found the pair of pygmy pipehorses, the greyish female and pink male, on that rock. I looked for the pair on the adjacent rock bit could not find them.

I swam on to Seahorse Rock and had a half-arsed look for the red-fingered anglerfish that Donna had told me about on one of the rocks behind Seahorse Rock. With the poor visibility it wasn't going to be easy to find it so I didn't try very hard.

I swam on to the flat rocks with sponges. I looked under the overhang for the weedies but there were none there. I then spotted a male (the one that has had eggs multiple times) near the gap between the rocks. He no longer had any eggs. The female then drifted by. I took ID shots of both weedies.

I ascended to the top of the rock and found the pink male pygmy pipehorse (IL2018080101) in his usual alga. The female wasn't in hers but then I spotted her (IL2018080102) out in the open. I looked for the other male and noticed his partner was there with him. I don't often see her.

I swam to the sand line and then followed it past Southern Cross Rock and on to Seadragon Alley. I didn't spot a single weedy seadragon on the way to or in Seadragon Alley.

By the end of Seadragon Alley the visibility had improved to 2 to 3 metres. As I swam between the end of Seadragon Alley and Big Rock I looked for the red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish. Donna had found one yesterday and from her description it was near where I saw a pair n November. I wasn't able to find them.

I got to Big Rock and went straight the back of the rock. I'd been told there was a grey Red-Fingered Anglerfish in a white honeycomb sponge. I found it in the second sponge I looked in.

I went to the front of Big Rock to look for Ron's pygmies. I'd seen the male yesterday but I wasn't able to find either of them today.

I looked on the rock below Hand Rock for the tiny juvenile pygmy pipehorse I'd found 2 weeks ago. I found it again. I then checked Hand Rock and found the juvenile there.

I swam on towards The Steps. I swam past High Pygmy Rock, Sponge Hollow and on to the rock where "Wynx", the male Pot-Bellied Seahorse had been. I was look for the grey Red-Fingered Anglerfish that had been there.

I headed past New Basket Star Rock and on to the basket star. I then swam on to Little Big Rock. I looked for the large yellow Red-Fingered Anglerfish but she wasn't there. I found out after the dive she has moved back to the rock we first found her on. The visibility was around 5 metres now.

I looked for the Pot-Bellied Seahorses. I found "David" in the grey sponge he was in yesterday and took a bunch of photographs. I looked around for "Petra" but could not see her. She'd been seen yesterday so at least she's still around. While I was looking for her I found a clown toby.

I looked in one of the crevices where Dama and Roney's sawtooth pipefish have been. Both pipefish were there. The male still has eggs.

I swam on along past the rock where the large yellow Red-Fingered Anglerfish was probably now but didn't know to look for it.

I continued along the sand line and spotted a Green Moray. I stopped at the hole with the pipefishes. I spotted one of the sawtooth pipefish in the hole.

I headed to the other rock where the seahorse had been. I had a look around but could not spot them.

I swam over the kelp towards the exit. I swam past one rock where I had seen the orange Red-Fingered Anglerfish with dark eyes before and noticed a small orange one at the base of the sea tulips. I'm not sure if it was the same one that was near the seahorses.

I ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop and then swam underwater to the exit. I think the exit would have been easy of there hadn't been two other divers on the shelf. I got washed off the shelf and had to swim back in again.