Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 19 May 2019

Time

7:28am - 9:01am

Seas

Some surge and current

Visibility

3 to 5 metres

Duration

93 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

14.5 m

Average depth

11.2 m

Water temperature

20.4°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

2:35am

0.36m

High

8:33am

1.53m

Low

2:21pm

0.48m

High

8:50pm

1.92m

Details

I was back at The Steps again today. I would have liked to have done The Leap but with high tide at 8:30am I wouldn't get far enough before the tide changed. The Steps was good yesterday and so it should be good again today.

I jumped in an hour before high tide and put my fins on in the water before swimming out on the surface. The visibility looked quite good in the shallows but as I looked into deeper water, it didn't look so great. I descended to the kelp and swam to the rocks in front of the entry/exit. The visibility was only 3 to 5 metres with a lot of particulate matter in the water column. It was as bad as it had been yesterday well after high tide but it was still an hour before high tide now. There was also less surge than yesterday which didn't match the worse visibility. The water temperature was around 21°C.

I looked around the rocks at the entry/exit for anglerfish. It was not easy looking because of the poor visibility.

I swam up to the rocks where I'd last seen the "map of Australia" orange Red-fingered Anglerfish but couldn't find the rocks in the kelp because of the poor visibility.

I headed down to the sand line and ended up past the rocks where the other seahorses had been. I swam back to the rocks and looked around for anglerfish.

I followed the sand line to Pipefishes Hole. I looked in the hole and briefly spotted one of the Sawtooth Pipefish before it disappeared into the hole. I then looked along the sand line in the kelp for the juvenile Weedy Seadragon. I found it but accidentally stirred up the sand so I went and looked for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish near the rock above Pipefishes Hole. I found it under the sponge where it has been yesterday. I then went back to the juvenile Weedy Seadragon and took some photographs.

I headed up to Di's Rock. The large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was still under the rock where it has been for the last few weeks.

I swam along the top of the reef towards the large rock above Little Big Rock where "David", the Pot-bellied Seahorse, has been. It felt like I was swimming with the current even though 40 minutes before high tide. I guess the current may have been the reason for the poorer visibility. As I swam I looked for the anglerfish that have been seen there lately. I looked particularly on the rock with the large green sponge. I'd seen the large yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish there last Sunday but hadn't it yesterday. It was there today. Was it there yesterday and I missed it? She's looking either very gravid or she's just eaten something large.

I went over to the large rock and found "David" in the sea tulips on the smaller rock. I haven't seen "Petra" in weeks so it is interesting that "David" is still hanging around.

I continued along the top of the reef and onto the sand. I spotted the large Dwarf Lionfish where it had been yesterday but I couldn't see the small Giant Cuttlefish.

I swam past the basket star and on to the second rock before New Basket Star Rock. The orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found yesterday was still there.

I headed down to Diversity Rock and looked around for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish. I then looked for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found 10 days ago but I couldn't see it.

I swam on to the rock where the white male pygmy pipehorse had been. I looked on the rock for other pygmy pipehorses but found none.

I continued along the reef past Sponge Hollow, High Pygmy Rock, Slope Rock and on to Hand Rock. The visibility had increased slightly but was still only around 5 metres. The small pink pygmy pipehorse I found yesterday as almost in the same place today but a little more in the open. I took some photographs and looked around on Hand Rock and the rock below for other pygmies but found none.

I turned and headed back towards The Steps. As I approached High Pygmy Rock, I noticed George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on the side of the rock. It had actually moved back towards Big Rock rather than away as it had for its previous moves.

I swam back past where the other pygmies had been and then up to New Basket Star Rock. I saw the orange anglerfish again on the second rock past New Basket Star Rock.

I headed past the basket star and along the reef closer to the sand line to Little Big Rock. I swam up to "David" who was still in the sea tulips. I spotted an octopus higher up on the rock.

I stopped at the large yellow anglerfish before swimming on to Di's Rock and the large orange anglerfish. I also visited the small orange anglerfish.

I swam along the reef past the rocks where the other seahorses had been and on to the rocks in front of the exit. I had a quick look for anglerfish before heading to the boulders and ascending to Split Rock. As I was doing my safety stop I spotted another octopus.

I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit where I got out on the shelf.