Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 13 April 2019

Time

1:24pm - 3:16pm

Buddy

Cody Sheridan

Seas

Slight

Visibility

3 to 8 metres

Duration

111 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

13.5 m

Average depth

10.3 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

2:00am

1.63m

Low

8:58am

0.53m

High

3:06pm

1.26m

Low

8:40pm

0.73m

Details

For our second dive, Cody and I did The Monument. We'd had plenty of time at The Steps and didn't need to go back.

We walked around to the protected area between Sutherland Point and The Steps and waded out. We waded all the way out until the drop off and then donned our fins. We descended and swam towards the sand line. The visibility was a little down from the previous dive but still around 8 metres and more than enough. The water temperature was just under 21°C and it was calm.

We swam along just in from the sand line to Block Rock and then up to Pygmy Hollow. I looked around again for pygmy pipehorses but had found none. This was now my third dive here without finding any pygmies.

We continued past Honey's Rock looking for things along the way to the Deep Wall. We swam past the spot where the seahorses had been and on to the vertical part of the wall with the Carijoa colonies. I looked for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish from Thursday but it had moved. I found it a couple of metres farther along the wall. I pointed it out to Cody.

We continued along the wall and then on to Carijoa Rock. I had a good look on Carijoa Rock before heading up to the area around Slope Rock. I was looking for pygmies to hopefully break the pygmy drought at The Monument. I didn't find any.

We headed along the reef and I swam up to and around Seahorse Rock. I spotted the nudibranch eggs I'd seen being laid on Thursday but I initially couldn't see the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch itself. I hunted around and eventually found it. Cody wasn't around so I couldn't show him.

I headed back to the main reef and saw Cody ahead of me. He got to Split Rock first and I wondered if he'd spot the little orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen there on Thursday, assuming it was still there. He didn't react and I thought that perhaps it wasn't there. When I arrived at the spot I'd seen it, it was still there. I took some photographs and pointed it out to Cody.

We continued along the reef. I stayed a bit lower and checked out some of the rocks on which I have seen pygmy pipehorses in the past. I then spotted another small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It was on the rock with the large dark green sponge. I took some photographs and saw that Cody knew I'd seen something so I didn't point it out and watched him look. He found it eventually.

I swam up to the hole where I'd seen the mating anglerfish in January and the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish was still there. This made four Red-fingered Anglerfish. I may not have seen any pygmy pipehorses but the anglerfish were making up for it.

We headed down to Valley of the Pygmies. We both looked in all the spots we have seen pygmies before both on the slope and the main rock. We expanded our search. Cody then found a small pink female pygmy pipehorse. He showed it to me. That was at least one. We looked around for a male but could not find one. While I was looking I spotted a small Reaper Cuttlefish.

We headed along the NW-SE Wall all the way to the end and then followed the reef around the corner. I was looking for more anglerfish and also checked out a number of the rocks I've previously seen pygmy pipehorses.

We headed up towards the large Carijoa covered rock where the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish had been for some time. As we were swimming I noticed a largish wobbegong swimming towards me. I ascended slightly to let it pass underneath and then turned to watch it swim away. It was heading in Cody's direction but he hadn't seen it. He was looking down and in swam into his field of view and I saw him jump. It was very funny.

We checked out the large Carijoa covered rock and then swam on to The Shelf. I had only been looking on The Shelf for a short time when I spotted a male pygmy pipehorse. I was relieved to find one. We looked for more pygmies but found none.

We swam along the base of the East-West Wall. We were both getting low on air so we went directly to where "Naomi", the White's Seahorse, usually is. I had a quick look in the orange sponge on her main rock but then went straight to the sponge I'd seen her in on Thursday. She was still there. I took some photographs and left Cody with her while I swam on.

I got to the rock where Mandy's pygmy pipehorses had been. I looked all over the rock but could not see the pygmies. Cody swam up and also looked. It appears they have gone.

We ascended the wall and swam south towards the beach. On the way I spotted a Mourning Cuttlefish. As we got close to the beach I found a male White's Seahorse in the algae. He'd make a perfect partner for "Naomi" but they are too far apart.

We swam the final distance to the beach and waded out.