Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 17 February 2019

Time

3:11pm - 4:58pm

Seas

Slight surge and current

Visibility

3 to 10 metres

Duration

107 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

21.2 m

Average depth

15.6 m

Water temperature

18.9°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

12:30am

0.49m

High

7:04am

1.80m

Low

1:49pm

0.30m

High

7:47pm

1.39m

Details

I was back at The Leap today, an hour later than yesterday because of the tides. It didn't seem as hot as yesterday. Rachael joined me again today for the start of the dive.

Rachael jumped in from the shelf and I got in from the low platform which was still quite some way above the water due to the low tide. It was quite rough on the water surface and the water looked a bit green. I was confident it would be better once we got a bit of depth. We descended and swam at around 60° to the amphitheatre. The visibility noticeably improved once we got to 5 metres and improved a bit more as we went. On the way I noticed a clown toby and stopped to take some photographs. By the time we got to the amphitheatre it was between 5 and 10 metres, much better than yesterday. The water temperature was also better at between 19 and 20°C. There wasn't much surge and just a bit of current.

We swam diagonally across the amphitheatre directly to the first rock in the Field of Pygmies with known pygmies. I went straight to the yellow sponge where I'd seen the original male yesterday but he was no longer there. I was a little worried he may have been eaten by the blue groper that was hanging around yesterday. I went to the other end of the rock and spotted the pink male pygmy (IL2018110301) next to the red sponge as usual. I found his partner (IL2018110302) on the other side of the rock. I went back to where the original pair had been yesterday and while I was looking for them I spotted a juvenile female (IL2019021701). I looked on the area where I had first found the original pair and spotted the male (IL2018110202). I searched for the female but could not find her.

I swam to the higher rock closer to the shore and looked for the pair near the blue sponge. I found the greyish female pretty much where she'd been yesterday. I then found the pink male (IL2019021901) nearby.

I moved on to the large flat rock with sponges where I saw the tiny cuttlefish and two new small pygmies yesterday. I had just started looking when Rachael beckoned me to follow her. She took me to some rocks on the sand line just before Bob & Lucy Rock and pointed out a large octopus. I took a photograph and then took Rachael back to the first rock and showed her the juvenile pygmy I'd found there.

I headed back to large flat rock with sponges. I looked in the area I'd seen the tiny cuttlefish yesterday and spotted a small pink male pygmy pipehorse. It wasn't the male I'd seen yesterday but looked like the one in the background of one of the cuttlefish photographs from yesterday. I'm sure it is one I've seen before. I started looking for the pair I'd seen yesterday when Rachael beckoned me again.

I followed Rachael just past Bob & Lucy Rock where she pointed out a Weedy Seadragon. It appeared to be a female. I took some photographs and then Rachael bid me farewell.

As I was already at Bob & Lucy Rock I had a look for the two small pygmies I'd seen yesterday on the next rock on from Bob & Lucy Rock. I found them both.

I swam back to the rock before Bob & Lucy Rock to look for the pair of pink pygmies there. I found the male in the same spot I'd seen it yesterday. I looked for the female where I saw her yesterday but she wasn't there. I ended up finding her back where she has been most of the previous times.

I headed along the sand line past Bob & Lucy Rock and spotted two Weedy Seadragons. One was the one Rachael had pointed out (although at the time I thought it was a different on). The other was "Clyde". Yesterday he'd been under the overhang so he'd travelled a long way in 24 hours.

I swam on to Ian's Pygmy Rock. I spotted the greyish female and then the pink male. I looked on the adjacent rock and spotted the reddish male. It has been a few weeks since I last saw him.

I continued on to Seahorse Rock. I again looked on the surrounding rocks for anglerfishes but found none.

I headed to the low flat rocks with sponges. There were no Weedy Seadragons under the overhang but I did find the male between the two low rocks. I found the female not far from him in the kelp. After taking a few photographs I ascended to the pygmy pipehorses.

I found the pink male where he'd been yesterday. His partner was nearby. I moved along a metre or 2 and spotted the other male. I looked for the other female and found her.

I dropped over the rocks to the sand line and swam along past Southern Cross Rock and on into Seadragon Alley. As it was a little warmer I was not going through my air as quickly so I could take my time. I still didn't find any Weedy Seadragons in Seadragon Alley.

As I swam between Seadragon Alley and Big Rock I looked for the red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish. They must be here somewhere. I instead found a Weedy Seadragon.

As I approached Big Rock the visibility degraded significantly to only around 3 metres. I looked on Big Rock for Ron's pygmy pipehorses but I could not find them. I then looked on the rock below Hand Rock and could not find the juvenile pygmy that has been there. I was also not able to find the pygmy on Hand Rock itself.

I swam past Slope Rock, Sponge Hollow and on to the basket star. As I was swimming between Diversity Rock and Little Big Rock I bumped into Mandy Durand. She told me she'd seen "Petra", so I swam up to the rocks where she's been and spotted her. While I was taking photographs of her, John Farrant swam up and asked me if I'd seen "David" as well. I said I hadn't but I hadn't looked yet.

I chased after John as I wanted to know where the Miamira sinuta nudibranch was. He said to follow him. We caught up with Mandy and she said there was an anglerfish in the area around Diversity Rock. I only had 70 bar left so the nudibranch was my priority. John showed it to me on the 3rd rock around south-east of Diversity Rock. I took some photographs and headed back to Little Big Rock.

I found "Petra" again and took some more photographs. I then looked around for "David" but was not able to find him.

I headed over to Dama and Roney's sawtooth pipefish. I found the male with eggs. I couldn't see the female.

I swam along the sand line quickly as I was running low on air. I looked for the large yellow Red-Fingered Anglerfish on the way. I swam past the other rock where seahorses had been and had a quick look. I then swam to the exit keeping an eye out for Red-Fingered Anglerfish on the way.

I ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop. I swam underwater to the exit and got out. The tide was still low and the exit was easy.