Dive at The Steps, Kurnell, NSW on Saturday 4 May 2019

Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 4 May 2019

Time

7:56am - 9:30am

Seas

Strong current

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

94 minutes

Surface interval

5 days 18:30 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

13.8 m

Average depth

10.9 m

Water temperature

19.6°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

1:48am

0.50m

High

7:47am

1.56m

Low

1:50pm

0.47m

High

8:11pm

1.76m

Details

I hadn’t dived since last weekend because the tides weren’t great plus The Steps was meant to be closed for work on the pathway. My plan this morning was to dive The Monument with the outgoing tide. If my timing was right I’d descend right on the outgoing tide and ride the current from in front of the flagpoles around the corner towards The Steps.

When I arrived at the national park I decided to check out The Steps first to see how the work was going (and if they’d even started). There was no work going on at all and the pathway was open. The notice had been ripped off and was in the bushes. Conditions looked very calm so I decided to dive here instead. I also decided to wear my drysuit, not so much for the water temperature but for the air temperature. When it’s cold in the air I never really get warm before getting in and get colder much more quickly.

By the time I’d gotten ready and in the water it was right on high tide. I jumped in and put my fins on in the water. I swam out on the surface and the visibility looked great. I descended to the sand/kelp. Visibility was 10 to 15 metres. The water temperature was around 20°C. There was almost no surge.

I swam around the rocks in front of the entry looking for “Raphael”, the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with pink mask, or any other anglerfish. I looked around for about 10 minutes but all I found was a small Giant Cuttlefish and a Weedy Seadragon.

Giant Cuttlefish, Sepia apama. 11m.

I headed over the kelp towards the rocks where I last saw the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish a few weeks ago. I was surprised to actually see it on one of the rocks.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.2m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.6m.

I swam down to the sand line at the rocks where the other seahorses used to be. I continued along the sand line to Pipefishes Hole. I looked in the hole and spotted one of the Sawtooth Pipefish.

Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 13 m.

I looked in the area around Pipefishes Hole and found the juvenile Weedy Seadragon in the kelp.

Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.1 m.

Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.2 m.

I checked out the rock above Pipefishes Hole for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that had moved to that rock last weekend. It was quite easy to spot.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.1m.

I headed up to Di’s Rock and looked under the rock for the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It was pretty much in the same spot it had been last Sunday.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.9m.

I continued along the top of the reef towards the seahorses. I looked for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish on the way. I went to the rock where the large yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish has been for the last few weeks but she wasn’t there. I checked out the nearby rocks and found her.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.1m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.9m.

I swam on to the large rock behind Little Big Rock where the seahorses have been. The grey Red-fingered Anglerfish was on the side of the rock near the sea tulips. “David”, the Pot-bellied Seahorse, was in the sea tulips on the other side of the rock.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.3m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.2m.

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 11.8m.

I headed on towards the basket star looking for Ron’s salmon Red-fingered Anglerfish on the way. I couldn’t find it.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 12m.

After the basket star I went down to Diversity Rock to look for the other white Red-fingered Anglerfish. I looked fairly thoroughly but could not see it.

I swam on to the white male pygmy pipehorse. He was there with the cryptic female nearby. Oddly enough they were both pretty much where Cody and I had seen them last Sunday. I looked around for the pink male pygmy and found him.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019041201). 12.8m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019041202). 12.8m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019041302). 12.9m.

I headed past Sponge Hollow and High Pygmy Rock to the Miamira sinuata nudibranch. It was on the same rock it has been since I first saw it. I looked on the adjacent rock for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish but it was gone. I looked around the nearby rocks but couldn’t find it. I did find George’s orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that has moved farther north-west.

Nudibranch, Miamira sinuata. 12.5m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.8m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.9m.

I swam on to Slope Rock and found the small salmon Red-fingered Anglerfish on the side of the rock where it has been every time I’ve seen it.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.5m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.4m.

I didn’t look for any pygmies around Hand Rock, etc. but instead tried to find the small orange anglerfish. I couldn’t find it. I revisited George’s orange anglerfish and the nudibranch before heading back.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.1m.

Nudibranch, Miamira sinuata. 12.5m.

I stopped at the pygmies on the way back and then had another look for the white anglerfish.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019041202). 12.8m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019041201). 12.8m.

I came back via “David” and then the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish, large yellow anglerfish, the orange anglerfish under Di’s Rock, and the small orange anglerfish above Pipefishes Hole.

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 11.7m.