Dive at The Steps, Kurnell, NSW on Sunday 26 May 2019

Dive Details

Location

Date

Sunday 26 May 2019

Time

10:54am - 12:30pm

Buddy

Di Conlon

Seas

Slight

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

96 minutes

Surface interval

22:52 (hh:mm)

Maximum depth

14.9 m

Average depth

11.0 m

Water temperature

19.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

1:09am

1.56m

Low

8:13am

0.63m

High

2:23pm

1.27m

Low

7:45pm

0.87m

Details

Di joined me for today's dive. She hadn't dived in a while and was keen to get wet. I promised to show her a few Red-fingered Anglerfish.

It was calm again today and it looked like the visibility may have improved from yesterday but we wouldn't know for sure until we got in.

I helped Di with her fins before she got in and then I put my fins on in the water. I swam out on the surface while Di descended right at the entry and looked around in the shallows. When I was ready I descended and we swam down to the kelp. The visibility was better than yesterday and looked to be over 5 metres right in front of the entry. The water temperature was around 20°C and there wasn't much surge.

While were were still in front of the entry I spotted a small Giant Cuttlefish.

Giant Cuttlefish, Sepia apama. 10.3m.

We headed along the sand line in the direction of Big Rock. After we swam over the rocks where the other seahorses used to be I looked for the juvenile Weedy Seadragon that Darko and I had seen yesterday. I wasn't able to find it.

I kept looking for the juvenile weedy as we moved along the sand line when we came across the original one before we got to Pipefishes Hole. I looked in Pipefishes Hole and spotted the male Sawtooth Pipefish. He has eggs. He always seems to have eggs.

Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.1 m.

Male Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 12.5m.

I looked on the rock just along from the rock above Pipefishes Hole. The small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was out from the sponge and in the open. I took some photographs and when Di caught up I pointed it out to her.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.4m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.2m.

We headed up to Di's Rock. I looked under the end where the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish has been. It wasn't there. I searched all the way under Di's Rock but I could not see it. I checked out the adjacent rocks, including the one it had spent much time but I still couldn't find it. I then looked on top of Di's Rock and was just about to give up when I noticed it low down on the rock. I took some photographs and pointed it out to Di.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.9m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11m.

A little farther along the top of the reef we saw a descent sized wobbegong. It was just sitting there so we didn't disturb it.

I swam on ahead to the rocks behind Little Big Rock. I wanted to find the large yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish and "David", the Pot-bellied Seahorse. I found the large yellow anglerfish on the rock with the large green sponge. It was in the same spot it had been in yesterday but was facing down this time. "David" was in the tea tulips on the lower rock.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 10.9m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.2m.

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12.1m.

I swam back to Di and then checked out the rocks with her as we swam to Little Big Rock. I had a look for "Petra" but couldn't see her. I told Di there was the anglerfish and seahorse and took her too them.

We continued on towards Diversity Rock. I swam on ahead to the basket star and then down to Diversity Rock. I looked for the white Red-fingered Anglerfish and then the small orange one with the black spot below its eye. I found the latter on the same rock I'd seen it yesterday. I swam back to Di who hadn't quite reached Diversity Rock. I took her to the small orange anglerfish.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 11.7m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.3m.

We swam past the rock where the white male pygmy pipehorse had been, past Sponge Hollow and on to the rock where the one-eyed seahorse had been. I could see George's orange Red-fingered Anglerfish as we approached the rock.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.8m.

We continued past High Pygmy Rock and Slope Rock to Hand Rock. I looked for pygmy pipehorses on Hand Rock. As we were moving on to Big Rock, Di pointed out a juvenile Eastern Smooth Boxfish which I photographed.

Eastern Smooth Boxfixh, Anoplocapros inermis. 14.7m.

We swam past Big Rock and I looked for the juvenile Bridled Triggerfish I've seen below Big Rock. I couldn't find it.

Di indicated she was going to turn around and swim slowly back to the exit. I agreed and swam over Big Rock doing a cursory search for pygmy pipehorses.

I moved slowly along the reef thinking Di was just behind me. I stopped and looked for her but she was gone. She'd decided she was too cold and had swum quickly past me back to The Steps.

After swimming past Slope Rock I started to look for the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found yesterday. I remembered where it was but couldn't initially see it. I then spotted it a little farther along from yesterday.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 13.6m.

I swam straight up to George's orange anglerfish which helped cement the location of the smaller one.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.8m.

I stayed high on the reef and looked at the rocks on the upper sand area for anglerfish. I was hoping to find the large orange one I'd found last weekend. I checked out New Basket Star Rock and surrounding rocks. I did find a small Giant Cuttlefish.

Giant Cuttlefish, Sepia apama. 11.1m.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 11.6m.

I swam past the basket star and on to "David" and the large yellow anglerfish. I swam along the top of the reef to Di's Rock. The wobbegong was no longer there. I looked for the large orange anglerfish that had been on Di's Rock but it was gone. I looked around for it but could not see it anywhere. I did check out the small orange anglerfish near Pipefishes Hole.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.3m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.5m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 11.4m.

I swam along the sand line past the juvenile weedy. I looked for the other one as I approached the rocks where the other seahorses had been but could not see it. I stayed low along the sand line before turning up towards the rocks in front of the exit. I looked for anglerfishes as I swam over the rocks.

Juvenile Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.3 m.

I swam to the boulders, ascended to Split Rock and started my safety stop. Once I finished my safety stop I swam underwater to the exit and got out. Di was waiting for me.

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(s)

2 x Ikelite SubStrobe DS161

Video