Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1740

Date

Friday 3 January 2020

Time

12:10pm - 1:44pm

Buddy

John Farrant

Seas

Moderate current and surge

Visibility

2 to 5 metres

Duration

94 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

14.1 m

Average depth

11.0 m

Water temperature

17.0°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

3:03am

1.28m

Low

8:43am

0.77m

High

2:48pm

1.37m

Low

9:31pm

0.56m

Details

John joined me at The Steps for today's dive. Even though it was 20-21°C on yesterday's dive I was in my drysuit and John was in his, too. It was a bit unpleasant in the air but we'd be ready it case the water was cooler.

It looked quite calm on the surface and the visibility appeared it might be okay. The entry was very easy and I put my fins on in the water. We swam out on the surface so that we were over the sand line. We descended and I headed back towards the shore to look for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I've seen near the entry/exit over the last few weeks. The visibility was only around 3 metres but the water temperature was around 20°C.

I looked on the rock that I last saw the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish but it wasn't there. I looked on the surrounding rocks and spotted it at the base of the sea tulips where a Crested Horn Shark egg has been attached for the last month or so. I took some photographs and pointed it out to John.

I headed back to the sand line and swam towards Big Rock. There was a bit of current so the going was not easy. As I approached the rocks where the Pot-bellied Seahorses had been at the end of 2018, I looked for the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that had been there recently. I hadn't found it last Sunday but had seen it on the previous couple of dives. I spotted it high up on the second rock from the sand line. I took some photographs and when John caught up I pointed it out to him.

I continued along the sand line. I hadn't gone far when I spotted "Teardrop", the male Weedy Seadragon, in the kelp. He was wasn't in his usual spot. I took some photographs before continuing on to Pipefishes Hole.

I looked in Pipefishes Hole but saw no pipefishes.

I headed up to Di's Rock and then swam along the top of the reef to the rock where Mike had shown me the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs last week. I checked the hole but it was no longer there.

I continued along the top of reef towards the seahorses behind Little Big Rock. I looked for anglerfish as I went. I arrived at the rock with the large green sponge and looked for the pair of pygmy pipehorses there. I spotted the male but was not able to find the female. When John caught up I showed him the male pygmy pipehorse.

I swam over to the rock where the seahorses are. I spotted "David" on the sea tulips on the lower rock. I found "Skye" on the side of the main rock and "George" hiding under the end of the rock where he often is. I pointed the 3 seahorses out to John.

I looked on the next rock for the pygmy pipehorses I'd seen there. After a bit of searching I found a male but was not able to find any others. There was a bit of surge which made photography difficult. I pointed out the male pygmy to John but he continued on ahead. I stayed to look for more pygmies without success. I then realised one of my strobes had not turned on properly and so took a few more photographs of the seahorses.

I headed on towards the basket star and caught up to John. He'd spotted another orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on the rock below the rock where I last saw the black Painted Anglerfish.

I swam on to the rock where Cody spotted the greenish make pygmy pipehorse a few weeks ago. It was still there but I could not find the female. I pointed the male out to John.

I swam on to the basket star and then down to Diversity Rock. I had a quick look on Diversity Rock for pygmy pipehorses before continuing along the reef to Sponge Hollow. I looked on the nearby rock the pair of pink pygmy pipehorses. I found the male in his usual spot on the side of the rock. I took some photographs before looking for the female. I eventually found her on the lower side of the back of the rock. When John swam up I pointed them out to him.

I continued along the top of the reef past High Pygmy Rock and looked for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that has eggs a couple of weeks ago but couldn't find it. I also looked for the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranchs and couldn't find them either.

I dropped down to the long rock and passed John on the way. I looked on the side of the long rock for pygmy pipehorses. I managed to find two males. There was quite a bit of surge and current which made searching and photography difficult.

I headed towards Big Rock and bumped into John near Slope Rock. He'd found the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish that had had eggs. I took some photographs and we turned and headed back towards The Steps.

The going back was a lot easier because we were going with the current. I drifted fairly quickly to Diversity Rock when I lost John as he headed for the exit. I revisited to pygmy pipehorse behind Diversity Rock and took some more photographs but my strobes were playing up.

I headed past the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish and on to the seahorses. I took some more photographs of the seahorses and the male pygmy pipehorse on the rock with the large green sponge.

I continued along the top of the reef to Di's Rock and then dropped to the sand line near Pipefishes Hole.

I swam along the sand line to "Teardrop" and took some more photographs with both strobes working this time.

I revisited the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on the rock where the seahorses had been in late 2018 before swimming to the rocks near the exit and the other orange Red-fingered Anglerfish for some more photographs.

I ascended to Split Rock and started my safety stop. I finished my safety stop and swam underwater to the exit. The exit was easy.