Dive Details

Location

Date

Tuesday 9 April 2019

Time

9:58am - 11:45am

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

3 to 15 metres

Duration

107 minutes

Surface interval

 3 days 0:25 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

22.1 m

Average depth

15.8 m

Water temperature

19.3°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

4:52am

0.47m

High

10:55am

1.44m

Low

4:45pm

0.55m

High

11:10pm

1.70m

Details

I was on my own today but that was fine as I could have a really good look for the pygmies in the Field of Pygmies. The forecast was for a slight easterly or north easterly swell and it looked very calm at The Leap. I didn't even bother checking The Steps as Di, George, and PJ were diving there.

I got in from the low platform. The water was over the platform but it was that calm there was barely any water movement. I swam out on the surface before descending. I headed at around 60° and ended up at the rock just above the first rock in the Field of Pygmies with known pygmies. The visibility was between 10 and 15 metres. There was barely any current or surge. The water temperature was between 19 and 20°C.

I started looking on that rock for the pygmies I have seen before. I was not able to spot them but I did see an octopus on top of the rock.

I headed down to the first rock and spotted the second pair near the orange sponge. They were hanging on to the same holdfast so I tried to get photographs showing them both before going for individual shots. I went to the other end of the rock to look for the original pair. I looked in all their previous spots, including the yellow sponge and branching sponge.

Next I checked out the rock where Matt found a pygmy late last year but found none. I also found none on the next rock where I was seeing a pair for a while.

I swam over to the large flat rock with sponges and looked for the pair of pygmies I have seen there. I spotted the male almost straight away but I could not find the female. I expanded my search area and found another male on the side of the rock. It was pinkish and I wonder if I have seen it before. I kept looking for the female and took some more shots of the first male. I then spotted the female.

I had a look on the sand for Weedy Seadragons. On my last two dives with Sheree she'd found one around the area but I could not find one. I did find a small Clown Toby and I don't think it was the same one as from Saturday.

I swam over Bob & Lucy Rock and looked for the pale male pygmy I'd seen on the adjacent rock for the last two Saturdays. I could not find it. I looked very carefully but it didn't appear to be there.

Just after Bob & Lucy Rock I found "Clyde", the Weedy Seadragon. He's been in this spot for the last two weeks. I had a look for more weedies in the area but found none.

I continued along the sand line to Ian's Pygmy Rock. I looked on it and the adjacent rocks for pygmies but found none. There used to be four and now they are all gone.

I followed the sand line towards Seahorse Rock. Before I got there I spotted a female Weedy Seadragon. I think she's the one that used to hand around near the overhang.

I swam past Seahorse Rock and on towards the two flat rocks with sponges. I spotted the male Weedy Seadragon just before the first flat rock. He still has a hole on his side but it appears to be healing.

I headed past the overhang and looked around for more weedies. I ascended to where the pygmy pipehorses have been. I looked for them and managed to spot the juvenile female. I was not able to find any of the others. As usual, the surge/current seems to be stronger there making looking a bit harder.

I stayed high but followed the edge of the rocks so I could see any weedies. I stopped at the rock where Sheree found 3 pygmies on 30 March. I found one of the smaller females and then found the really small one from last Saturday. The surge here was quite strong and I was being relentlessly hassled by the Blue Groper. This made photography very difficult. I was worried about him biting my hands and/or the pygmies. I eventually found the pale male and then the other female.

I swam over Southern Cross Rock and on into Seadragon Alley. I looked for weedies all through Seadragon Alley but didn't find one until right at the end.

I followed the sand line to Big Rock. I looked near the sea tulips on Big Rock and found first the female and then the male pygmy pipehorse.

I headed over to Hand Rock and found the pair of pygmy pipehorses there. They were both hiding at the base of the hand sponge.

I swam up to the rock where I'd last seen George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It wasn't there. I looked around the surrounding rocks and eventually found it even farther away from Hand Rock.

I headed along the top of the reef towards Diversity Rock. I was running low on air so I quickly visited the basket star before heading on to the seahorses behind Little Big Rock. I found "David" in the sea tulips on the large rock. I looked around for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish but could not see it. I also looked around for "Petra" but could not find her.

I followed the sand line to the rock where the off-white Red-fingered Anglerfish has been. I was confident she would still be there as I'd seen eggs in my previous photographs. She wasn't there and there was no sign of the eggs I'd seen. I looked around the rock and found her on top of the rock.

I continued along the sand line to the pipefishes hole. I looked for the juvenile Weedy Seadragon but could not find it. I also looked in the hole but could not see any pipefishes.

I headed up from the sand line to the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish near Di's Rock. It was still hanging out under the side of the rock.

I swam to where I saw the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I located the rock but I could not see the anglerfish. I didn't have long to look as I was running low on air.

I headed to the large rock in front of the exit and saw "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with pink mask. I tried to see his eggs but could not see them.

I started for the exit when I spotted another Clown Toby.

I ascended to the boulders and slightly overshot Split Rock and had to swim back. I did my safety stop and then swam underwater to the exit. The exit was easy.