Dive Details

Location

Date

Thursday 9 May 2019

Time

9:58am - 12:16pm

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

3 to 15 metres

Duration

138 minutes

Surface interval

 4 days 0:15 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.8 m

Average depth

15.1 m

Water temperature

20.7°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

5:36am

0.44m

High

11:38am

1.36m

Low

5:11pm

0.66m

High

11:41pm

1.81m

Details

This was my first dive since the weekend. Conditions had been good but the tides required early dives and I didn't want to fight the peak hour traffic. The tides for today meant I could get to Kurnell at a reasonable time without having to fight too much traffic.

The Steps were still open when I arrived so I knew I could go from The Leap to The Steps. It was also calm at The Steps. I decided to dive in my drysuit not because the water was cold but I wanted to do a long dive and I knew I'd cool down too much.

I jumped in from the low platform and swam out on the surface. The visibility looked great from the surface. I descended and swam at around 60° towards the sand line arriving in the middle of the amphitheatre. The visibility on the way down had been 10 to 15 metres but once I descended into the amphitheatre it dropped to around 5 metres or less, but still good enough for navigation. The water temperature was around 21°C. There was only gentle surge. I turned left and headed towards The Steps.

I stopped at the rock where I'd first seen pygmy pipehorses in the Field of Pygmies. I looked all over the rock and there are none left - or at least none that I can find. I looked on adjacent rocks and could not find any.

I looked on the flat rock with sponges for the pygmy I'd found last time I dived The Leap. I could not find it or any others.

I swam on to Bob & Lucy Rock. I looked on it and the adjacent rocks for pygmies but found none.

As I was swimming between Bob & Luck Rock and Ian's Pygmy Rock I spotted "Clyde", the Weedy Seadragon, and another weedy, a female. The were on the sand.

I swam on to Seahorse Rock and spotted a new pygmy pipehorse (IL2019050901) on the first of two isolated rocks on the sand before Seahorse Rock. It was a juvenile male. I looked on the second of the isolated rocks for a pygmy I have seen previously but could only find a reaper cuttlefish.

I continued past Seahorse Rock and looked for the salmon Red-fingered Anglerfish that Ron had pointed out two weeks ago. It wasn't on the rock where I'd last seen it and I couldn't find it on any of the surrounding rocks.

I headed onto the sand towards the flat rocks out from Weedy Overhang and spotted two weedies on the sand. One was the male with all the eggs from last year and the other appeared to be a female.

I swam past the overhang and on to the next rock. I looked around the base of the rock for the juvenile weedy that Cody had found 2 weeks ago. I couldn't see it. I check the rock above for pygmies but found none.

I headed along the sand line towards Sheree's Pygmy Rock. Just after the flat rock below Bent Stick Rock I spotted the juvenile weedy.

I looked on Sheree's Pygmy Rock and found one of the pygmies hidden below the green hand sponge.

I continued on to Southern Cross Rock. I looked on the side of the rock in the Carijoa for the pygmy I'd found 2 weeks ago. I couldn't find it.

I swam on into Seadragon Alley. I spotted a small Giant Cuttlefish hiding under a rock near the start. Shortly after I found a small Reaper Cuttlefish sitting on a rock. I found no Weedy Seadragons in Seadragon Alley.

At the end of Seadragon Alley and as I was heading up the slope towards Big Rock I was looking for red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish. I need to find a pair or at least a male. While I was looking I noticed a a neat hole in the sand. I looked in the hole and spotted an eunicid worm.

I continued along the sand line towards Big Rock and spotted two separate juvenile Bridled Triggerfish. I took photographs of both of them.

I rounded Big Rock and looked near the sea tulips for the pygmies I have seen in the past but could not see them. I also looked on the rock below Hand Rock and Hand Rock itself for pygmies but found none.

I swam on to Slope Rock hoping to see my small salmon Red-fingered Anglerfish. It wasn't there. I looked around on Slope Rock and adjacent rocks but could not find it.

I continued on to the rock where the Miamira sinuata nudibranch has been and also where I last saw George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. Neither of them were there. I looked around on the nearby rocks and spotted a Jorunna sp. nudibranch. Just after taking photographs of the nudibranch I spotted George's anglerfish 20-30 centimetres away.

I followed the top of the reef to the white male pygmy pipehorse spotting another Reaper Cuttlefish on the way. When I got to the pygmy pipehorse rock I could not find the white male. He'd been there last Sunday but was not to be seen now. I looked for and found the pink male.

I stayed a bit lower as I swam towards Diversity Rock. I was pleasantly surprised to find a small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. I wonder if this was the one that Mike had told me about although he'd described it as being closer to Big Rock.

I swam on to Diversity Rock and looked around for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish. I could not find it.

I headed past the basket star and on to the the rock behind Little Big Rock where "David", the Pot-Bellied Seahorse, has been. I looked for anglerfish on the way. I found "David" in the sea tulips on the lower rock. I looked for grey Red-fingered Anglerfish but could not find it on the main rock or surrounding rocks.

I continued to where I'd last seen the large yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish. I could not see it on that rock or the nearby rocks. I also looked for the other white anglerfish, but could not find it.

I swam on to Di's Rock and looked under then end. The large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was hanging out there.

I descended to the rock above Pipefishes Hole and looked for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that had moved there from up near Di's Rock. I couldn't find it. I looked on some of the close rocks, too.

I looked in Pipefishes Hole and spotted the male Sawtooth Pipefish. He still has eggs. He always seems to have eggs. I found the juvenile Weedy Seadragon in the kelp near Pipefishes Hole.

I followed the sand line to the rock where the other seahorses used to be. I looked on the rock for anglerfishes before heading up from the sand line to look for the orange "map of Australia" Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen again last Sunday. I could not find it.

I swam to the rocks in front of the entry/exit and looked for "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with pink mask, as any other anglerfish. I searched many of the rocks but could could not find any anglerfish. I would have to make do with finding only three today.

I swam to the boulders and ascended to Split Rock and started my safety stop. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit.