Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1767

Date

Saturday 11 April 2020

Time

8:24am - 10:29am

Buddy

Cody Sheridan, Emiko Kawamoto

Seas

Slight current and surge

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

124 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

13.7 m

Average depth

10.4 m

Water temperature

19.2°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

4:51am

0.29m

High

10:55am

1.55m

Low

4:45pm

0.47m

High

11:10pm

1.87m

Details

Easter Saturday and the park was still closed (it was going to be closed all long weekend). Cody, Emiko and I had planned to dive The Leap today but it was too far to walk to from outside so we settled for The Monument again. Cody bought a cart to lug his gear and he took my tank and weights. I still dived in my wetsuit but didn't do it up until we got closer to the entry. Emiko had a hand trolley for her gear. Perhaps I should have brought my hand trolley, too and dived dry.

We geared up on the grass at the top of the path down to the water and walked to my usual entry point. We waded out and dropped over the edge of the platform and put our fins on. We descended and swam to the sand line. The visibility didn't look as good as yesterday and was probably around 10 metres. It may have just been the sunlight (which was missing yesterday) that made it look worse. The water was cooler, too, at around 19°C. The current seemed a little stronger than yesterday. We turned left and headed towards Sutherland Point.

We drifted along the sand line to Block Rock. I had a look over Block Rock and the adjacent sponge covered rock. I'm ever hopeful that seahorses will show up here again.

We continued to the wall and then to Pygmy Playground. I found the pinkish male pygmy straight away but it took me some time to find the female. I pointed them out to Emiko but unfortunately her camera wasn't working. I swam over the rock above the ledge to see if "Dane", the Pot-bellied Seahorse, was still there. He was!

We followed the wall until near its end and then went up and over. I decided to check out the two rocks just over the wall and was pleasantly surprised to find a small grey Red-fingered Anglerfish. This is only the second small grey Red-fingered Anglerfish I've seen.

I went to the other side of the area to the small white female Pygmy Pipehorse. She was still there. The Girdled Pipefish was still there, too. I showed them to Emiko and Cody.

I continued along the reef ahead of Cody and Emiko. I was hoping to find the small orange Red-fingered Anglerfish again but I couldn't. It is odd that I see it twice 6 days apart but I don't the day after last seeing it. I also couldn't find any pygmies in the area. The others caught up with me while I was looking.

I checked out the crevice with the Upside-down Pipefish but could not see them at all.

We headed past Split Rock and on to the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs. Again the eggs were quite obvious.

We continued along the reef to Four Pygmies Rock. I had an even harder time today than yesterday finding the male pygmy, even through he was in more or less the same spot. I pointed him out to Emiko and Cody. I looked for the female but couldn't find her.

We headed up to the well camouflaged Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs. The eggs weren't as obvious today.

We made our way to Valley of the Pygmies. I looked out on the sand for the weedies but they weren't there today. I then looked for the pygmies in the valley and found the same small female I saw yesterday. I wasn't able to find any others.

We started towards the point. I was determined to find the weedies so I stuck to the sand line. I found them.

We swam over the two large Carijoa covered rocks on the sand line. I'm still looking for that male Pot-bellied Seahorse.

We started up to the upper reef. I spotted an octopus on the way.

We swam past the large Carijoa covered rock near the corner and on to the shelf. Both white pygmy pipehorses were there. The male was in the Carijoa and the female in the algae behind it.

We headed along the base of the wall. I paused in the area where the seahorses had been before the storm and check out some of the sponges before continuing to the newer seahorses.

I found "Sunny" first. He was on the same sponge he had been on yesterday. "Harry" wasn't on his usual rock but then I notice he and "Starlight" in the kelp below his rock. They were courting. "Harry" had his pouch all puffed up. They moved to the sea tulips just above them, back to the kelp and then back to the sea tulips again. I went looking for "Adam" but couldn't find him. When I got back, "Harry" and "Starlight' were not together.

We continued along the base of the wall. I was hoping to find more seahorses. I found what I initially thought was a small male Pot-bellied Seahorse but it turned out to be a White's Seahorse.

I headed up the wall thinking Emiko and Cody were just behind me and started my safety stop. I swam along the top of the wall and when I turned around I'd lost them. I was low on air so I continued, turning south west and then south and headed for the beach. I kept swimming until it was too shallow. When I surface I spotted Emiko and Cody not far to the north east from me. I waded out and let them know I'd walk back on my own as they had their cart ad trolley.