Dive at Bare Island, La Perouse, NSW on Tuesday 31 December 2019

Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1738

Date

Tuesday 31 December 2019

Time

8:23am - 10:24am

Buddy

Cody Sheridan, Ron Walsh

Seas

Slight current and almost no surge

Visibility

3 to 10 metres

Duration

123 minutes

Surface interval

1 day 21:59 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

17.9 m

Average depth

13.5 m

Water temperature

15.0°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

12:38am

1.26m

Low

6:03am

0.64m

High

12:30pm

1.63m

Low

7:18pm

0.47m

Details

For my last dive of 2019 I planned a long dive at Bare Island. There was a large north-easterly swell which ruled out Kurnell. I dived with a 15L with 32%. Cody joined me with 2 x 7L side-mounted tanks although he only had air. Ron joined us, too, but was diving with a 12.2L tank and so wouldn't stay for the whole dive.

It was quite warm so Cody and I took our gear down to the island first and then walked down half dressed. We geared up on the rocks near the "swimming pool".

We jumped in on the western side of the island and swam out on the surface. We descended into quite green water and the visibility was less than 5 metres. The water temperature was around 17°C. We headed south towards the wall. We were heading into the current from the incoming tide.

On reaching the wall we dropped down the wall. The visibility improved to around 10 metres but the temperature dropped to around 15°C. I was so glad I was in my drysuit. We turned right at the bottom of the wall.

We swam along the reef looking for pygmy pipehorses and other things of interest. What was weird was that it felt like we were swimming into current when we should have had the current with us. I spotted a tiny Paliolla cooki nudibranch. A little farther along Cody called my back and pointed out a pair of pygmy pipehorses (IL2019123101, IL2019123102) that were hanging together.

We continued along the based of the wall and I spotted juvenile pygmy pipehorse (IL2019123103) and pointed it out to Cody as I couldn't see Ron.

We stopped at the large rock with sea tulips where the Pot-bellied Seahorses had been. Vicki had said before the dive that the female was missing but she'd seen the male yesterday. We looked all around the rock but were not able to find any seahorses at all. Ron left us here.

We continued to end of the wall and I looked carefully on the rock where I'd see the Girdled Pipefish a few months ago. I spotted a whiteish male pygmy pipehorse (IL2019123104). While I was looking for its partner, Cody called me to the other end of the rock to point out a cryptic female he'd found (IL2019123105). I then started looking for its partner when Cody called my back to the male I'd found to point out its partner (IL2019123106). I kept looking on the rock and spotted a cryptic male (IL2019123107) was this the partner of the cryptic female? I looked or more but couldn't find any.

We followed the reef along to the west. I looked for the Sawtooth Pipefish Greg had pointed out a couple of months ago bit could not find it.

We then headed north over the sand. I spotted a Red Indianfish. While I was photographing it Cody pointed out a second less than a metre away.

We hit the shallower reef and headed west again. I spotted a red finger sponge with amphipods on it and stopped to take photographs.

We continued around the edge of the island and I headed up to the area I'd seen the pair of Upside-down Pipefish. While I was looking for the spot, Cody called me back to point out a cryptic female pygmy pipehorse (IL2019123108). I looked for a partner and found a pinkish male. Cody was into deco now and so left me to go shallower.

I looked for the Upside-down Pipefish but instead found and Eastern Frogfish.

I headed past the caves to the base of the slope. I looked on the back of the ship shaped rock for the male pygmy pipehorse that has been there for ages. I found him (IL2019063002) immediately. I looked around for a female but could not find one.

I moved slowly up the slope looking for pygmies in the usual spots. I looked closely on Juvy Rock and found none. I checked a few more rocks but it wasn't until I reached the sea tulip covered rocks near the top of the slope that I found another pygmy (IL2019063005). It was another one that I have seen previously. I looked for more but couldn't find any. While I was there George and Paula swam up and I pointed out the male pygmy.

I swam to the top of the slope and then across in front of the boulders. I started my safety stop near the outboard motor and continued to the exit. I spotted a small Marbled Flathead on the sand and stopped to take photographs.

I exited near Carol's plaque to find Cody waiting.

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

Photographs

Depth information, where present, indicates the depth of the camera when the photograph was taken and can be used to approximate the depth of the subject.

Nudibranch, Paliolla cooki. 17.4m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123102). 16.9m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123101). 16.9m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123102). 16.9m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123103). 17.6m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123104). 16.1m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123105). 15.8m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123106). 16.2m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123107). 15.8m.

Red Indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 15.4m.

Red Indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 15.3m.

Red Indianfish, Pataecus fronto. 15.2m.

Amphipods, Icilius sp. 13m.

Amphipods, Icilius sp. 13.1m.

Female Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123108). 13.7m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019123109). 13.5m.

Eastern Frogfish, Batrachomoeus dubius. 14.1m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019063002). 12.9m.

Male Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse, Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, (IL2019063005). 9.7m.

Juvenile Marbled Flathead, Platycephalus marmoratus. 5.8m.

Juvenile Marbled Flathead, Platycephalus marmoratus. 5.7m.