Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1766

Date

Friday 10 April 2020

Time

8:21am - 10:23am

Seas

Slight current and some surge

Visibility

5 to 15 metres

Duration

121 minutes

Surface interval

 5 days 16:28 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

14.1 m

Average depth

10.7 m

Water temperature

19.5°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

3:54am

0.24m

High

10:01am

1.69m

Low

4:00pm

0.36m

High

10:21pm

1.91m

Details

It is Good Friday and the conditions are good and the tides are OK, but NSW is in lockdown and the national park is closed. I decided I would still dive (as diving has been approved as exercise) and I'd walk in from outside the park.

It was overcast with the potential for light rain so I decided to wear my wetsuit and I figured I'd get very sweaty in the drysuit plus I'd be carrying extra weight. It was also a chance to try out my new Seatec external vest.

I geared up across the road from the Endeavour Cafe and walked along the path to my usual entry point. It was a very long walk and I had to stop multiple times along the way for a rest. I was very sweaty by the time I was ready to get in. I waded out over the shelf and dropped over the edge and put my fins on. I descended and swam to the sand line. The visibility was at least 15 metres. It was stunning. There was a slight current. The water temperature was around 20°C. I turned left and headed towards Sutherland Point.

I drifted along the sand line checking out the rocks as I went. I checked out Block Rock and the adjacent rocks. I didn't spot anything of interest until I reached Pygmy Playground. I found the pinkish male pygmy and the whiteish female, which is becoming more cryptic.

I looked around the area for seahorses as I have been ding and was pleasantly surprised to find a male Pot-bellied Seahorse in the sea tulips on the back of the rock above the ledge. New Pot-bellied Seahorses seem to be appearing more frequently.

I searched the kelp at the end of the wall for Weedy Seadragons before swimming up and over the wall. I swam up to the small white female pygmy pipehorse. It was on the same alga it has been since John showed it to me. I took some photographs and looked for a male. I didn't find another pygmy pipehorse but I did find a Girdled Pipefish.

I continued along the reef looking for the pygmies and small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd spotted last Saturday. I couldn't find the pygmies but I did find the small orange anglerfish. I also wasn't able to find the pygmies I'd found on my birthday.

I swam up to the crevice where the Upside-down Pipefish have been. There was some kelp in the crevice but I manage to glimpse one of the pipefish although it was somewhat obscured by mysids.

I dropped down to Split Rock and then along the reef to the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs. The eggs were quite visible.

I continued along the reef to Four Pygmies Rock, scanning rocks for pygmies and anglerfishes as I went. I initially couldn't find the male pygmy as he wasn't in his usual spot. I surveyed the rock and found him about half way up the rock. I couldn't find the female.

I swam up to the well camouflaged Red-fingered Anglerfish. It was still there with its eggs which were visible.

I headed down to Valley of the Pygmies. I spotted two Weedy Seadragons on the sand in front of the main rock. I believe these were the same two I saw last Saturday a little farther along towards the point.

I looked in the Valley and spotted one of the pygmies I'd seen last Saturday. I looked for the other one but couldn't find it. I also did a quick sweep of the castle and found no pygmies.

I swam along the bottom of the wall and looked over the three rocks. The visibility was still 10 to 15 metres if not better.

I continued to the two Carijoa covered rocks out on the sand. I looked for the Pot-bellied Seahorse John had shown us the Sunday before last but I couldn't see it.

I headed around the corner and up the reef to the top. I looked for the white pygmy I'd found last Saturday when the viz was poor but couldn't find the spot now the visibility was good.

I swam past the large Carijoa rock and on to the shelf. I spotted an Eastern Smooth Boxfish on the way.

I found both white pygmies on the shelf. The male was in the Carijoa and the female was just behind it.

I headed along the base of the wall and spotted a moray eel before I had gone very far. The visibility dropped but it was still at least 5 metres.

I swam past the area where the previous Pot-bellied Seahorses had been and on to the area where the newer ones are. I couldn't find any of them until I reached the rock where "Harry" has been. He was there on the rock in the orange finger sponge. I swam around the area looking for the others. I then spotted "Starlight" farther east from where I'd last seen "Adam". I thought "Adam" might have been nearby but I couldn't find him. I slowly worked my way back to "Harry" looking for "Sunny". He wasn't in the sea tulips where I'd seen him on the last few dives. I then spotted him low down near the rock where "Harry" was. I did another sweep looking for "Adam" but couldn't find him.

Knowing that I'd have to walk back out of the park, I continued along the wall with the aim of getting out as far west as I could. I was also hoping of spotting the White's Seahorse I'd seen last Saturday but I couldn't find it. I ascended the wall and then headed south west towards the beach while doing my safety stop. I continued until it was too shallow and I waded out at the beach and then walked back along the path and back to the car.