Dive at The Steps, Kurnell, NSW on Sunday 27 October 2019

Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1720

Date

Sunday 27 October 2019

Time

8:13am - 9:49am

Seas

Gentle surge and strong current at end

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

95 minutes

Surface interval

22:07 (hh:mm)

Maximum depth

14.6 m

Average depth

11.8 m

Water temperature

16.3°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

Low

2:03am

0.18m

High

8:17am

1.73m

Low

2:27pm

0.24m

High

8:35pm

1.75m

Details

Today was a moderate southerly swell but with an early high tide. The Steps was the best place to dive. I couldn't get a buddy so I was on my own. I'd dived The Leap last Sunday so I was hoping to see the same organisms I'd seen last week - at least from the second half of last week's dive.

The conditions looked good when I jumped in at The Steps. I swam out on the surface before descending to the sand/kelp. The visibility in front of the entry/exit was around 5 metres. There was ony gentle surge and no current because it was right on high tide. The water temperature was between 16 and 17°C.

I looked around the rocks in front of the entry/exit before heading to the sand line and starting my way towards Big Rock.

I passed the first large rock on the sand line (where the Pot-bellied Seahorses had been last year) and immediately started to look for the male Weedy Seadragon that has been in that area. I found him pretty quickly. He still has eggs but they look very well developed. I couldn't see any eyes so they probably aren't quite ready to hatch.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.3m.

Eggs on the tail of a male Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.4 m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.3m.

I continued along the sand line to Pipefishes Hole. I haven't seen anything in the hole for some time and was pleasantly surprised to see both a Sawtooth Pipefish and an Upside-down Pipefish. It is cool they are back.

Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 13.5m.

I looked in the kelp just past Pipefishes Hole and found the large juvenile Weedy Seadragon. This one has been in the same area since at least March.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.3m.

I headed up the reef towards Di's Rock. I spotted a large Green Moray on the way.

I swam along the top of the reef looking for anglerfishes but found nothing. The visibility had improved to at least 10 metres. I made my way to the large rock above Little Big Rock to look for the seahorses. I found "David" straight away He was on the sea tulip on the side of the main rock. With a bit of searching I found "George" low down under the white honeycomb sponge where he often is. I looked around for "Skye" but could not find her. While I was looking I noticed a Weedy Seadragon nearby. I took some photographs of the weedy and then had another unsuccessful sweep of the area looking for "Skye".

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

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("George"). 12.3m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.1m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 12.1m.

I continued on towards the basket star. I looked for the black Painted Anglerfish on the rock it has been for the last few weeks. I'd seen it last week so I was surprised it wasn't still there. I looked around the nearby rocks and still couldn't find it.

I swam to the rocks above Diversity Rock and found the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. It had moved to the next rock but hadn't gone far from where I first saw it in July. I looked for the other one but couldn't see it. I also checked out the basket star.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.7m.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 12.4m.

I headed down to Diversity Rock and looked for the Miamira magnifica nudibranch. It was on the same rock I'd seen it last Sunday and so it was easy to find.

Nudibranch, Miamira magnifica. 13.9m.

I followed the reef towards Big Rock. I was looking for pygmy pipehorses and anglerfishes along the way. I stopped at the rock where Cody had pointed out the pink female pygmy pipehorse 3 weeks ago. I found her (IL2019100503) straight away. I looked for the male I'd spotted 3 weeks ago and found him (IL2019100601) out in the open. I looked around for my pygmies on the rock and found a new male (IL2019102701).

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100503). 13.7m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100503). 13.6m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100601). 13.6m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102701). 13.6m.

I continued along the reef to the orange sponge with blue eyes. It was in its usual spot.

Doughboy Scallop, Mimachlamys asperrima. 14.3m.

Doughboy Scallop, Mimachlamys asperrima. 14.4m.

I swam to the long rock where Cody and pointed out a small male pygmy pipehorse. I couldn't find the male but I found a female (IL2019102702). I looked some more for the male but still couldn't find him.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102702). 14m.

I headed towards Big Rock checking out various rocks where I have previously seen pygmy pipehorses. I went to the sponge where "Ouz", the yellow White's Seahorse has been but I couldn't find her. The visibility around Big Rock was around 15 metres.

I turned around and started back towards The Steps. I continued to look for pygmy pipehorses but found one of Penny's tube building amphipods instead.

Tube-building amphipod, Kapalana wadei. m.

I visited the pygmies I'd seen on the way down as I headed back: the single female and the female with two males. I also visited the Miamira magnifica nudibranch and orange Red-fingered Anglerfish.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102702). 13.8m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100503). 13.6m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100503). 13.3m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102701). 13.4m.

Nudibranch, Miamira magnifica. 13.9m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.6m.

When I arrived back at the seahorses, "David" had moved down with "George". I had another look for "Skye" but couldn't find her.

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David" and "George"). 11.8m.

I headed back to the large juvenile Weedy Seadragon near Pipefishes Hole and also checked out the pipefishes in the hole.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.3m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 13.2m.

Upside-down Pipefish, Heraldia nocturna. 13.4m.

I was now low on air and so headed up the reef towards the boulders. The current was quite strong so I ascended to 5 metres as soon as I reached the boulders and started my safety stop. I didn't have far to swim to Split Rock where I finished my safety stop. I swam underwater to the exit and got out.

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