Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 2 March 2019

Time

3:20pm - 5:07pm

Seas

Some current and surge

Visibility

1 to 4 metres

Duration

107 minutes

Surface interval

 2 days 1:18 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.2 m

Average depth

15.6 m

Water temperature

23.1°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

6:35am

1.55m

Low

1:23pm

0.54m

High

7:18pm

1.24m

Details

Again the tides were not favourable to say the least. I was keen to see what the visibility would be like 2 hours after low tide but it meant hitting the water after 3pm. There was a bit of a easterly swell but not too large to be a problem at the exit.

I got in from the low platform and swam out, From the surface the visibility looked quite good. It's over 5 metres deep where I was and I could see the bottom easily. I was optimistic about the visibility but not too optimistic as I had a similar experience on Thursday only to hit poor visibility at depth.

I descended and swam at around 60° towards the amphitheatre. The visibility held out until I was at the edge of the amphitheatre at a depth of around 15 metres. As I headed down the last 5 metres I could see a layer of dirty water. By the time I hit the sand/kelp the visibility was only around 1 to 2 metres. The water temperature was around 23°C. There was a bit of surge; more than on Thursday. Just like on Thursday I had trouble navigating. I swam around past some rocks. As I didn't recognise the rocks I was confident I was south-east of the first rock with known pygmies in the Field of Pygmies.

As I was swimming around looking for a familiar rock I found a weedy seadragon. This would take the pressure off finding one later in the dive. I took identification photographs before continuing my search for a familiar rock.

I eventually found the rock I saw my first pygmy on my own back in 2014 and from here I knew my way to the rock I was looking for, even in the poor visibility. I arrived at the rock with the first known pygmy rock and looked for the original pair of pygmies. I looked in their original spot but could not see them. I then noticed the original male (IL2018110202) next to the yellow sponge. I moved to that side of the rock and looked for his partner. I could not see her. I headed to the other end of the rock and found the red male (IL2018110301) behind the red sponge. I looked nearby for his partner and while I couldn't find her initially, I finally found her (IL2018110302) close to where she was on Thursday. I went back to look for the original female and found her (IL2018110201) in the branching sponge near the male.

I headed to the rock above and towards the shore from the first rock. I looked for the greyish female first but found the pink male. I then spotted the greyish female.

I swam along to the large flat rock with sponges which was not easy to find with the poor visibility. I found the rock and started looking for the pygmies on it. I found a small male in the same area I found the small female on Thursday. I was not able to find any other pygmies on the rock even though I spent quite some time looking.

I looked for the rock before Bob & Lucy Rock. I stopped on the rock before that one and had a quick look for pygmies but found none. I checked the next rock for the pygmies I've seen before but could not find either of them.

I swam over Bob & Lucy Rock but only make a cursory look as I haven't seen any pygmies there for a few weeks now. I checked the adjacent rock for the pair I found a couple of weeks ago but could not find any.

I continued along the sand line hoping I'd be able to see Ian's Pygmy Rock when I found it. I checked some of the rocks on the way for pygmies but found none. I arrived at Ian's Pygmy Rock and found the reddish male on the adjacent rock in his usual spot and the pinkish male on Ian's Pygmy Rock. I found a female on the adjacent rock and the greyish female on the main rock.

I swam on towards Seahorse Rock wondering if I could recognise the rock where I'd seen a new female pygmy on Thursday. I actually found the rock and the pygmy was in the same place. After taking some photographs I looked around for a male but could not find one.

I headed past Seahorse Rock and on to the low flat rocks with sponges. I could not see any Weedy Seadragons under the overhang but I spotted the female between the two low flat rocks. I had a quick look for other weedies but saw none.

I ascended to the pygmies. I looked for the new female I'd seen on Thursday but I couldn't find it. I then looked for the pink male but I couldn't find him or his partner. I found the other male and female down and to the right.

I was close to my NDL again so I stayed high as I swam over Southern Cross Rock and into Seadragon Alley. The visibility in Seadragon Alley was not as good as Thursday and I had to stay close to the bottom to be able to see it. I came across a weedy which I think is one of the juveniles from last year.

After Seadragon Alley I headed up the slope towards Big Rock. I looked in the red algae on the way for red Stigmatopora sp. but could not see them.

I swam up behind Big Rock and looked for the grey Red-Fingered Anglerfish from a couple of weeks ago but could not find it. George had told me about an orange one but I couldn't remember his directions. I know it had something to do with a rock behind Big Rock that had lots of different sponges. I found a rock fitting that description but couldn't see the anglerfish. For some reason I looked under the back of the rock and there was an orange red-fingered anglerfish. It must be the one George found.

I looked on Big Rock for pygmy pipehorses but found none. I also checked Hand Rock and the rock below it and was not able to find the pygmies I've seen there before.

I swam along the reef just above the sand line to Diversity Rock. I was hoping to find the Miamira sinuata nudibranch again but after much searching I couldn't see it. I forgot to visit the basket star.

I continued to Little Big Rock and up to the large rock behind it. "David", the Pot-Bellied Seahorse, was in the same sponge he'd been in on Thursday but I was not able to find "Petra". I looked for Dama and Roney's Sawtooth Pipefish but couldn't not find them either.

I swam high on the reef to the rock I'd last seen the large yellow Red-Fingered Anglerfish. It wasn't on the rock, neither where I saw it on Wednesday nor Thursday. I wondered if it was back to original rock so I was back to that rock and there it was.

I headed along the sand line to the rock where the other seahorses had been. I looked in the hole with the pipefishes but could not see any of them. I got to the rock where the seahorses had been and had a quick look before heading towards the exit. I looked at various rocks on the way for anglerfishes before ascending to Split Rock and doing my safety stop.

After completing my safety stop I swam underwater to the exit.