Dive Details

Location

Date

Saturday 18 May 2019

Time

7:45am - 9:23am

Seas

Some surge

Visibility

3 to 15 metres

Duration

98 minutes

Surface interval

 5 days 17:34 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

14.8 m

Average depth

11.2 m

Water temperature

20.5°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

1:45am

0.38m

High

7:44am

1.60m

Low

1:41pm

0.42m

High

8:08pm

1.90m

Details

I hadn't dived all week because I was still recovering from my tummy issues. This was sad because conditions had been good all week although the tides were less than favourable.

The tides were not great today with high tide at around 7:45am. I tried to get to The Steps by 7am but was delayed in leaving home. I managed to get there around 7:15 and was in the water right on high tide.

The conditions were calm with only the occasional wave hitting entry. I jumped in, put my fins on in the water, and swam out on the surface. The visibility looked good from the surface. I descended to the sand/kelp and swam to the rocks. The visibility was between 10 and 15 metres but there was some surge. The water temperature was around 21°C.

I looked around the rocks near the entry/exit for anglerfish, particularly "Raphael", the yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish with pink mask. I checked all the rocks I have seen anglerfish on previously but found none. I did find an octopus.


Common Sydney Octopus, Octopus tetricus. 10.6m.

I headed up to the group of rocks in the kelp where I last saw the "map of Australia" orange Red-fingered Anglerfish, two weeks ago. I found the rocks without trouble but could not see the anglerfish on them.

I swam down to the rock where the other seahorses used to be and then swam towards Little Big Rock just up from the sand line. I spotted the juvenile Yellow Spotted Boxfish where I have been seeing it recently. It has damage to its mouth and the base of one of its fins. I also spotted a large Reaper Cuttlefish.


Juvenile Yellow Boxfish, . 12m.


Juvenile Yellow Boxfish, Ostracion cubicus. 12m.


Juvenile Yellow Boxfish, Ostracion cubicus. 12.1m.


Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 12.3m.

I got to Pipefishes Hole and looked in. I could not see any pipefish. I looked in the kelp nearby and spotted the juvenile Weedy Seadragon.


Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.4 m.

I swam up to the next rock along from the rock above Pipefishes Hole and found the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish in the purple sponge. It was on the same rock as last Sunday but had moved into the sponge.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.1m.

I headed up to Di's Rock. The large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was still hanging out on the underside of the rock.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.3m.

I swam along the top of the reef to the large rock above Little Big Rock where the seahorses have been. On the way I looked for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish as well as the large yellow one. I looked quite closely on the rock with the large green sponge for the yellow anglerfish because this is where I'd seen her last Sunday. I didn't find her.

I found "David", the Pot-bellied Seahorse on the white honeycomb sponge on the smaller rock below the large rock. I looked around for "Petra" but could not see her anywhere. It has been weeks since I last saw her.


Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12.4m.


Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12.4m.

I continued along the top of the reef towards the basket star behind Diversity Rock. I spotted the large Dwarf Lionfish and the small Giant Cuttlefish where I have seen them previously.


Dwarf Lionfish, Dendrochirus brachypterus. 11.9m.


Giant Cuttlefish, Sepia apama. 12m.


Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 12.2m.

I looked around Diversity Rock and the nearby rocks for the other white Red-fingered Anglerfish but could not see it. I also looked on the rock where I'd spotted the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish last Thursday (and again on Sunday) but it was no longer there. I looked on the adjacent rocks but could not find it.

I continued on to where the white male pygmy pipehorse had been. I hadn't seen it last Thursday or Sunday. I had seen the pink male last Thursday. I wasn't able to find any pygmy pipehorses on that rock.

I followed the top of the reef past Sponge Hollow and on to the rock where the one-eyed seahorse had been. George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish had been here on Sunday but it wasn't here today.

I headed past High Pygmy Rock and on to Hand Rock looking for George's anglerfish and any other anglerfish as I went. I spotted a Blotched Hawkfish on the rock next to High Pygmy Rock. I even looked on Slope Rock. I found none. I did spot a small pink pygmy pipehorse (IL2019051801) on Hand Rock. I looked around on Hand Rock and the rock below Hand Rock for more pygmy pipehorses but was not able to find more.


Blotched Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys aprinus. 12.2m.


Blotched Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys aprinus. 12.4m.


Juvenile Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019051801). 13.8m.


Juvenile Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019051801). 13.9m.

I headed back along the reef to the rock where the white male pygmy pipehorse had been. I then headed higher up the reef and looked on the rocks on the sand. I also checked the red algae on the sand for pipefish. I had just swum past New Basket Star Rock when I spotted an orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on the next rock but one. This was a new one for me.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.8m.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.7m.

I swam past the basket star again and along to Little Big Rock staying closer to the sand line. When I got to Little Big Rock I swam up to the large rock where "David" has been. He'd moved to the grey sponge.


Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 11.8m.


Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12.2m.

I looked around again for the large yellow anglerfish before continuing along the top of the reef to Di's Rock and the large orange anglerfish.


Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11m.


Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 10.7m.


Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 10.7m.

I stayed high and swam to the rocks around the entry/exit for one last look before I headed to the boulders. I ascended to Split Rock and did my safety stop. I then swam underwater to the exit and got out on the shelf.

Camera gear

Camera

Nikon D500

Lens

Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED

Housing

Ikelite 6812.5

Lens port

Ikelite Flat Port 5502.41

Strobe

2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161