Dive at The Leap, Kurnell, NSW on Sunday 17 November 2019

Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1725

Date

Sunday 17 November 2019

Time

10:45am - 12:39pm

Buddy

Mike Scotland

Seas

Some current and surge

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

114 minutes

Surface interval

7 days 0:57 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.6 m

Average depth

14.7 m

Water temperature

17.8°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

12:11am

1.28m

Low

5:43am

0.58m

High

12:15pm

1.74m

Low

7:03pm

0.40m

Details

I'd tentatively agreed to dive with Dom and Dimitry at The Leap meeting at 10am but while I was waiting for them to confirm Mike called me and we agreed on the same time and place. Lily also joined Dom and Dimitry. Mike and I were ready a bit before the other three although I took longer getting into the water as I had to set my computers to Nitrox so that Dom, Dimitry and Lily headed off first. It was actually quite rough on the surface and I slid down the wall.

Once I swam out to Mike we descended and headed at around 40° towards the sand line. We must have been moved by the current or I didn't follow my compass closely as we ended up somewhere near Ian's Pygmy Rock although I wasn't too sure. As we approached the sand line, Dom, Dimitry and Lily came along from our right. I also spotted a large Green Moray. The visibility here was 10 to 15 metres. There was a small amount of current and surge. The temperature was around 18°C. We turned right and headed towards The Steps.

Green Moray, Gymnothorax prasinus. 21.2m.

It was only as we approached Seahorse Rock that I was certain of where we were. I went to the rock behind Seahorse Rock to look for the red male pygmy pipehorse (IL2019102001) I'd seen here 4 weeks ago. I found him almost straight away in pretty much the same spot. I pointed him out to Dom (whose camera was set-up for wide-angle), Dimitry and Lily. Mike, who had gone on slightly ahead, swam back and I pointed it out to him while I looked for the female. I couldn't find her. By the time we'd finished, Dom, Dimitry and Lily had continued on and we didn't see them again.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102001). 20.5m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102001). 20.4m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102001). 20.3m.

We swam on to the overhang. I was expecting to see "Clyde" there with eggs but there were no Weedy Seadragons under the overhang. I swam on to the next gap and found the female weedy there. I then started to look around the area for "Clyde". Mike indicated there were two weedies in the gap and I hoped the other one was "Clyde" but it turned out to be the large juvenile. I wasn't able to find "Clyde" at all.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 19.8m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 19.6m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 19.8m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 19.7m.

We continued along the sand line to Southern Cross Rock. I was hoping we'd see "Clyde" along the way but we didn't. I did find a reaper cuttlefish on the way. I had a quick look for pygmy pipehorses in the side of Southern Cross Rock but found none.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 19.5m.

We headed to Seadragon Alley. I spotted another reaper cuttlefish at the start of Seadragon Alley and then a Weedy Seadragon.

Reaper cuttlefish, Sepia mestus. 18.8m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 18.5m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 18.3m.

Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 18.4m.

As we swam through Seadragon Alley I was hoping to see the large juvenile weedy but couldn't find him. I looked in the red algae near the end of Seadragon Alley for red Stigmatopora sp. pipefish but couldn't find any. It has now been 12 months since I last saw any.

We followed the sand line to Big Rock. I headed up after Big Rock to look for "Ouz", the yellow female White's Seahorse. I looked in all the pale yellow finger sponges but could not see her.

I headed over to the long rock to look for the male pygmy pipehorse that Cody pointed out a few weeks ago and also the female that I'd found. I found the female (IL2019102702) almost straight away. As I was taking photographs of her, Mike called my up the reef to show me a large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish he'd found. I swam up and took some photographs. It looks like the one George found months ago near Big Rock but had made its way slowly towards The Steps.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019102702). 14.1m.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.8m.

I took Mike back down to show him the pygmy pipehorse. While he was photographing the female, I looked for and found the male (IL2019100502).

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

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100502). 13.8m.

We headed along a couple of rocks and I pointed out the Doughboy Scallop to Mike.

Doughboy Scallop, Mimachlamys asperrima. 14.4m.

Doughboy Scallop, Mimachlamys asperrima. 14.5m.

I went on ahead to the next pair of pygmy pipehorses. I found the pink male (IL2019100601) hiding but couldn't see the female. Mike swam up and I pointed out the male while I looked for the female. I eventually found her (IL2019100503) and pointed her out to Mike after I'd taken some photographs. Mike then left me as he was low on air.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019100601). 13.8m.

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

I continued on to the red male pygmy pipehorse I'd found last Sunday. It (IL2019111001) was in the same spot. I looked for a female but couldn't find one.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019111001). 13.7m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019111001). 13.6m.

I then realised that I hadn't paid much attention to where the anglerfish had been so I headed back to find it. It was on the rock on the Big Rock side of the rock where the one-eyed White's seahorse had been.

Red-fingered Anglerfish, Porophryne erythrodactylus. 12.9m.

I swam back to the red male pygmy pipehorse and had another look for a female.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019111001). 13.7m.

I continued on to Diversity Rock. The Miamira magnifica nudibranch was pretty much in the same area it's been for the last few weeks and so was very easy to find.

Nudibranch, Miamira magnifica. 13.9m.

I headed up towards the basket star and looked for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish but couldn't find it. I also looked for the black Painted Anglerfish without any luck.

Basket star, Astrosierra amblyconus. 12.5m.

I swam on to Little Big Rock and up to the rock behind with the Pot-bellied Seahorses. I looked for "George" where he usually is but could not see him. I found "David" in the sea tulips on the lower rock. I initially couldn't find "Skye" but then spotted her on one of the lower rocks to the north-east of the main rock.

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

Female Pot-Bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("Skye"). 12.6m.

Male Pot-bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, ("David"). 12.8m.

I swam along the sand line towards Pipefishes Hole. I looked in the kelp on the way for the large juvenile that Georgia found in March. I didn't find it but I did find a male with eggs just before Pipefishes Hole. I initially thought it was the new one I'd found last week but it turns out it was "Teardop", the one I found with brand new eggs last week.

Eggs on the tail of a male Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, ("Teardrop"). 13.3 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, ("Teardrop"). 13.3m.

Eggs on the tail of a male Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, ("Teardrop"). 13.1 m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, ("Teardrop"). 13.1m.

Weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, ("Teardrop"). 13.3m.

I looked in Pipefishes Hole and could see a Sawtooth Pipefish and an Upside-down Pipefish. I managed to get some photographs.

Upside-down Pipefish, Heraldia nocturna. 13.4m.

I headed up to Di's Rock and had a look around for Red-fingered Anglerfish before heading back to Pipefishes Hole for another go at photographs.

Upside-down Pipefish, Heraldia nocturna. 13.5m.

Upside-down Pipefish, Heraldia nocturna, and Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 13.5m.

Sawtooth Pipefish, Maroubra perserrata. 13.6m.

I followed the sand line to the last large rock, expecting to find "Teardrop" (as I thought I hadn't seen him yet) but didn't find him as I had already found him.

I headed to the rocks in front of the entry/exit and looked for Red-fingered Anglerfish but found none. I then ascended to Split Rock and started my safety stop. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit. It was after high tide but the was still a lot of water over the platform. I was able to swim in and stand up. There were a few large waves but I managed to get my fins off and walk out without too much trouble.

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