Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1747

Date

Sunday 2 February 2020

Time

12:05pm - 1:52pm

Seas

Slight current

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

106 minutes

Surface interval

 7 days 1:22 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

13.0 m

Average depth

9.9 m

Water temperature

16.0°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEDT

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

High

2:58am

1.36m

Low

9:03am

0.74m

High

2:56pm

1.25m

Low

9:16pm

0.61m

Details

I'd been struggling with a cold all week. I had not been well enough to work and even yesterday I was not up for a dive. Today would be my only dive for the weekend. It had been very hot yesterday and I expected much the same today. I figured it would be too hot for a drysuit so I only brought my wetsuit. I nearly packed the drysuit anyway, just in case. It was actually not that hot at Kurnell when I arrived and I realised I should have brought the drysuit, especially as there had been a north-easterly swell over the last 2 days which can bring in cooler water.

I got ready and walked down to the water. I was quite hot even in the wetsuit and thought briefly that the wetsuit wasn't such a bad idea.

I got in at the protected area a third of the way to The Steps and waded out to the edge of the platform. I pushed out off the edge of the platform and put my fins on. I got my rig ready and descended. The upper layer of water was a bit milky but once I swam to the sand line the visibility improved to over 5 metres and closer to 10 metres. My computers said it was 18°C but it was definitely colder as they were still warm from the air. It was close to 16°C. I wondered how long I'd last in my wetsuit. I turned left and headed towards Sutherland Point.

I swam along the sand line with a gentle current. There was barely any surge. I looked for Weedy Seadragons but found none. I was also checking some of the rocks on the sand line for pygmy pipehorses - anything to get my mind off the cold.

I was looking on a rock on the sand line straight out from Block Rock when I spotted a male pygmy pipehorse (IL2020020201). I took some photographs and looked for a female. It didn't take long for me to find a female (IL2020020202).

I swam up to Block Rock and the adjacent sponge covered rock to see if I could find anything interesting. I didn't.

I continued along the sand line to the wall and then swam along the wall to Pygmy Playground. I looked for the white male pygmy on the square rock but could not see it. I spotted a cryptic female. I also spotted a juvenile Eastern Smooth Boxfish.

I checked out the ledge area for more pygmies but couldn't find any. I was already pretty cold which made concentrating a but difficult.

I swam along the bottom of the wall and through the kelp looking for Weedy Seadragons. I got all the way to Carijoa Rock before I found a female weedy. I took some photographs of her and then looked around some more and spotted a male. I had seen him with eggs recently but he had no eggs now.

I headed up to the reef and looked around for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen 10 days ago. I looked on just about every rock but was not able to find it.

I continued along the reef. I was swimming through thermoclines. It was nice to hit some warmer water but it didn't last long and I'd be cold again. I swam to the crevice above Split Rock. It was still full of mysids however I managed to catch a glimpse of the pair of Upside-down Pipefish before they disappeared. There was also an Eastern Frogfish in the crevice but it was impossible to photograph because of the mysids.

After Split Rock I looked for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen on the last few dives. I spotted it out in the open and took some photographs.

I followed the reef to the rock where the Dendronephthya used to be. I looked for the pygmies that used to be on that rock but I couldn't find them. I looked around the adjacent rocks for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish but had no luck.

I was so cold I was just going through the motions. I headed towards Valley of the Pygmies and spotted a sea star on the way.

I looked on the Castle in Valley of the Pygmies for pygmies. I spotted a juvenile on the side of the rock facing The Steps. I then spotted the whiteish male I'd seen 10 days ago. He looked very pregnant so I thought the female might still be around but I couldn't find her.

I headed over the the base of the wall and the three large rocks there. I spotted the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found on my dive with Josh on 18 January.

I followed the wall to the end and then swam up and over the corner, swimming past the large Carijoa covered rock. I looked on the rock before the shelf for the pygmy I'd spotted 10 days ago. I eventually spotted it. I looked for a partner but found none.

I looked on the rock below the shelf for the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd spotted 10 days ago. I found it on the same rock not far from where it has been. I also spotted a juvenile Eastern Smooth Boxfish nearby.

I swam along the base of the wall to the area where the Pot-bellied Seahorses have been. I looked on the "main" rock but found none of them. I then looked in the kelp and spotted "Skye". She seems to be in the kelp quite often. She moved onto a nearby rock for a short time before heading back to the kelp.

Despite being very cold, I searched the area for more than 15 minutes looking for the males. I eventually found "Tim" in the large orange finger sponge on top of the high rock. This was the same rock where I first found "Skye" a month ago. I took some photographs and then had to leave as I was so cold.

I ascended the wall and then swam west along the top of the wall doing my safety stop. I turned south-west at the gap in the kelp and then headed south to the beach after clearing my safety stop. I swam until it was too shallow and then I waded out.