Dive Details
Location
Logged dive number
1708
Date
Wednesday 10 July 2019
Time
6:35pm - 8:15pm
Buddy
Rob Fonseca, Sean Irvine, Cody Sheridan, Emiko Kawamoto
Seas
Calm
Visibility
2 to 5 metres
Duration
100 minutes
Surface interval
Maximum depth
8.7 m
Average depth
4.1 m
Water temperature
16.0°C
Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand
Tides at Sydney (Fort Denison) AEST
Note that tides at dive site may vary from above location.
High
2:12am
1.56m
Low
8:41am
0.45m
High
3:08pm
1.55m
Low
9:19pm
0.64m
Details
Tonight was my first night dive in 18 months. It's not that I don't like night dives; I love them. It was more a scheduling issue with either working or diving during the day. I would be joining Cody, Rob, and Sean, plus a new dive buddy, Emiko.
We walked in off the beach into the pool. Rob assured me there were holes in the net we could swim though although he usually just lifts then net.
We submerged and swam around inside the pool. The visibiity was around 2 to 3 metres which is about what you'd expect inside the pool. The water temperature was between 16 ad 17°C. The water was still.
We came across various cuttlefish and toadfish. Rob pointed out a yellow Striated Anglerfish. I also spotted a sea hare and a flatworm. Rob spotted a Striped Pyjama Squid under some kelp but just as that moment my head torch fell off and then started to play up. By the time I'd got it in my pocket the squid was gone.
Mourning Cuttlefish, Sepia plangon. 1.6m.
Common Toadfish, Tetractenos hamiltoni. 2m.
Striated Anglerfish, Antennarius striatus. 3.2m.
Sea hare, Aplysia sp. 3.3m.
Flatworm. 3.1m.
Rob lifted the net and we swam under. Not far past the net I spotted a bobbit worm. It was coming a fairway out of its hole but there was a piece of sea grass sticking out of the hole. I removed the sea grass but the bobbit worm reversed into its hole and wouldn't come out again.
Bobbit worm (Eunicidae). 3.8m.
Bobbit worm (Eunicidae). 3.7m.
We headed down the slope under the pier. There were lots of cuttlefish and Rob pointed out another Striated Anglerfish.
Reaper Cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 6m.
Reaper Cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 6.5m.
Striated Anglerfish, Antennarius striatus. 6.1m.
We poked around under the pier spotting bubble shells, various nudibranchs and a couple of pleurobranchs.
Bubble Snail, Hydatina physis. 6.7m.
Nudibranch, Plocamorpherus imperialis. 6.7m.
Nudibranch, Plocamorpherus imperialis. 6.7m.
Bubble Snail, Hydatina physis. 7.4m.
Nudibranch, Polycera capensis. 6.5m.
Pleurobranch, Pleurobranchus peroni. 4.6m.
Pleurobranch, Pleurobranchus peroni. 3.6m.
We headed back up the slope. I spotted a small spider crab out on the sand. No one was near me so I couldn't show them.
Spider crab (Majidae). 3.4m.
Spider crab (Majidae). 3.5m.
Rob lifted the net up again and we swam under. We looked around inside the pool for a while and then the others left. I still hadn't seen a Blue-lined Octopus or gotten any photographs of a Striped Pyjama Squid so I stayed.
Common Sydney Octopus, Octopus tetricus. 3m.
I swam along the net and found a hole large enough for me to swim through. I wanted to head out on the sand to the east of the pool and pier as I have seen Striped Pyjama Squid and bottletail squid out there in the past.
I hadn't gone very far out on the sand when I spotted the eyes of a Striped Pyjama Squid in the sand. I was able to coax it out of the sand and get some photographs.
Striped Pyjama Squid, Sepioloidea lineolata. 2.2m.
Striped Pyjama Squid, Sepioloidea lineolata. 2.1m.
I headed back to the net and swam through the same hole. I still hadn't seen a Blue-lined Octopus but that didn't last long. I spotted one crawling across the sand. I took some photographs and then made my way to the beach and got out.
Blue-lined Octopus, Hapalochlaena fasciata. 2.8m.
Blue-lined Octopus, Hapalochlaena fasciata. 2.8m.
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