Dive Details

Location

Date

Friday 12 April 2019

Time

10:51am - 12:31pm

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

100 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

14.2 m

Average depth

10.9 m

Water temperature

20.6°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

12:52am

1.65m

Low

7:45am

0.55m

High

1:47pm

1.25m

Low

7:22pm

0.73m

Details

Mike joined me at The Steps today. Conditions looked perfect with very little swell. We'd be getting in mid incoming tide so it was likely to be good all dive.

As we got in we bumped into George, Peter, Di, and Vicki who were just getting out from their dive. George let me know the off-white anglerfish had moved and he hadn't found it. This would be my first challenge. Then Di mentioned she'd found a grey anglerfish and gave very rough directions of where she'd seen it. This would be my second challenge.

We descended to the sand/kelp. The visibility was between 10 and 15 metres, it was around 21°C, and there was very little surge. There was a gentle current from the incoming tide.

I swam straight to the rock where "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs has been. I took a number of photographs, many of which show his eggs even though I couldn't see them in the flesh. I pointed him out to Mike.

We headed up to the rock where I'd last seen the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish before heading down to the sand line. I looked in the pipefishes hole and spotted the male Sawtooth Pipefish for just long enough to get one photograph before it disappeared.

I headed up to the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish hanging out on the side of the rock near Di's Rock. I pointed it out to Mike and continued along the top of the reef.

I was now on the hunt for the off-white Red-fingered anglerfish. I looked on the high rock I'd seen it on a few weeks ago. I then started looking between there and its usual rock which is on the sand line. I hadn't gone far when I spotted it. I waited for Mike to catch up and I pointed it out to him.

I swam on to the Pot-bellied Seahorses. George had told me before the dive that "David" was now on the north-western side of the rock so I went straight there and found him in the sea tulips. I took some photographs and then pointed him out to Mike. While I looked around for "Petra". I couldn't find her.

I went off to look for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish that Di had found. I swam out onto the sand just beyond the seahorses and spotted a Weedy Seadragon. I took some photographs and then continued my search for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish.

I had only looked on a few rocks when I found the grey anglerfish. I took some photographs and then waited for Mike to catch up so I could point it out to him.

I swam on past the basket star and on towards Big Rock. I looked for and found George's orange Red-fingered anglerfish. I took some photographs.

I headed down to Hand Rock to look for the two pygmies that have been there. They had both been there on Tuesday but I could not find them today. This was a little worrying after not finding any at The Monument yesterday.

I swam over to Big Rock and looked for the pair I've been seeing near the sea tulips. They, too, were there on Tuesday but were not to be seen today. This would be my second Kurnell dive without seeing any pygmy pipehorses.

I went back to Hand Rock for another look when Mike swam up. He had an excited look on his face and showed me a picture of a white pygmy pipehorse he'd just seen. He indicated he'd show them to me but I wanted to point out George's orange anglerfish first.

We headed back along the top of the reef. Mike got to the open area around Miamira Rock and indicated the pygmies had been in that area. We both started looking. Mike was around 5 metres closer to The Steps when I spotted a white male pygmy pipehorse. I signalled to Mike and then started taking photographs while he was swimming up. We then looked around the adjacent rock and spotted a cryptic female.

I left Mike at the pygmies and headed back via the seahorses. I took some more photographs of "David" and then wanted to make sure I could find the off-white anglerfish again. While I was looking for it, I spotted a white Red-fingered anglerfish. It was probably the same one that Sheree had spotted last Saturday next to "David". I also found the off-white anglerfish again.

I swam past Di's Rock and on to the orange Red-fingered anglerfish on the side of the nearby rock.

On my way towards The Steps I looked for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen last week. I found the rock again but not the anglerfish.

I headed down to the rock where "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with pink mask, is and took a few photographs before heading for the boulders.

I ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop. I then swam underwater to the exit. I waited for Mike and we walked up the stairs together.