Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1768

Date

Wednesday 15 April 2020

Time

11:27am - 1:55pm

Buddy

Cody Sheridan, Emiko Kawamoto

Seas

Slight current and strong surge at times

Visibility

5 to 8 metres

Duration

147 minutes

Surface interval

 4 days 0:59 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.5 m

Average depth

14.1 m

Water temperature

18.7°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

2:00am

1.61m

Low

9:09am

0.57m

High

3:15pm

1.21m

Low

8:33pm

0.83m

Details

I have been frustrated by not being able to dive a The Leap either due to conditions, tides or the park being closed. I decided a mid-week dive would be a good chance to make up for all those missed dives. Cody and Emiko joined me. I'd be using my twin 10.5L tanks with 32% and Cody would be using side-mounted 10.5L tanks. I lent Emiko a 15L with 32%. She would be able to stay with us the whole way but should have a long dive.

Cody and I took our tanks and weight down first and then walked down half dressed. It was quite warm and even without a top on I was hot and sweaty by the time we geared up. The tied was low enough for me to use the low platform but the swell was larger than I expected and so at times there was quite a bit of water ver the platform. It wasn't unsafe, just deeper than I expected.

Once we were ready on the surface, we descended and headed at around 45° towards the sand line. There was quite a bit of surge that made swimming a little difficult. We reached the sand line in the middle of the amphitheatre. The visibility was only just over 5 metres and there was a lot of particulate matter in the water. The water temperature was under 19°C and while the surge was less than it was on the way here, it was still quite strong.

Before we even started for The Steps , I spotted a Weedy Seadragon. I took my usual head and flank shots and then turned right and spotted another two Weedy Seadragons.

After the three weedies I started on my way to The Steps. I stopped at First Rock and looked for pygmies but found none. We then continued along the sand line and I looked on the usual rocks, including Bob & Lucy Rock and Ian's Pygmy Rock for pygmies but found none. I also kept an eye out for weedies as I went. I was also looking for ghostpipefishes.

Just before Seahorse Rock I looked for the Robust Ghostpipefish I'd seen a couple of weeks ago bit I couldn't find it. I did find a pair of Reaper Cuttlefish and one was hunting. I looked on the rock behind Seahorse Rock for pygmies but found none.

I went on ahead to the overhang. I spotted the larger of the two juvenile weedies. There was also an adult weedy that headed behind the overhang and I had to swim around to get photographs. I came back out and looked for the smaller of the two juveniles. While I was looking, Cody pointed out the female weedy that used to hang around with Clyde. I still haven't seen Clyde since the last storm.

I looked on the rock above for the white pygmy pipehorse I've seen there on the last couple of dives. I found a whiteish female but will need to check my photographs to see if it is the white one that has changed colour or it is a new one. I pointer her out to Emiko.

I looked for the two Ceratosoma brevicaudatum nudibranchs that Nicolas spotted on the last dive here but couldn't find them.

I headed along the sand line towards Seadragon Alley. Cody was ahead and Emiko was behind. I had a look over Southern Cross Rock for seahorses but couldn't see any.

I continued into Seadragon Alley and spotted a very pale juvenile Eastern Smooth Boxfish at the start. I caught up to Cody and swam past him. Just after I passed Cody, I spotted another weedy. At the end of Seadragon Alley I spotted yet another weedy.

Just after the end of Seadragon Alley I looked around on the sponge covered rocks for seahorses. Cody caught up to me and Emiko wasn't far behind. I then spotted a Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch. It has been ages since I have seen one. A little father along the sand line I spotted another weedy. This one was missing part of its tail. Cody and Emiko caught up again.

I went on ahead. I swam past Big Rock without seeing anything of interest. I looked around the rocks near Big Rock for pygmies but found none.

I continued to Long Rock. I looked for pygmies but instead found a small Ceratosoma brevicaudatum nudibranch. I pointed it out to Cody and Emiko when they caught up. I didn't find any pygmies on Long Rock.

I looked on the next rock for the female pygmy I have seen recently. I couldn't find it but I did found a male. Perhaps it was the partner that I couldn't find previously. I pointed it out to Emiko and then looked at the top of the same rock for the male I have seen previously and found it pretty quickly.

I continued on to the rock where I had previously seen a pair of whiteish pygmies. I wasn't able to find either of them. I then spotted another weedy on the sand line and went down to photograph it.

A little farther along the reef I spotted a Asterodiscides truncatus sea star. These sea stars are quite large and I didn't even think to try to take a whole body shot and instead took some close-ups. Emiko swam up and indicated she was down to 50 bar and was heading for the exit.

I looked on some rocks where I have recently seen pygmies but could not find any. Cody then indicated he'd found a pygmy. It was a female. I took some photographs and the looked nearby and found a male.

We continued to Diversity Rock. I looked on the long rock before Diversity Rock for pygmies but found none. I also looked on Diversity Rock. I then checked the rock above Diversity Rock that had the white pygmies but they were gone. I visited the basket star before checking out the nearby rocks but found nothing of interest.

We headed to Little Big Rock. I found a Eastern Smooth Boxfish and a small Green Moray nearby. As I was looking over Little Big Rock, Cody spotted another Weedy Seadragon.

I swam up to the rock where the seahorses had been and looked on the nearby rocks for pygmies but found none.

We swam along the top of the reef towards Di's Rock. I looked on the side of the rock where the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish with eggs had been but there was nothing there. I then checked the larger rock beside it which has lots of sea tulips. There was a grey Red-fingered Anglerfish there in the same spot as the one I'd found when guiding Natasha. I pointed it out to Cody.

We continued to Di's Rock and then down to Pipefishes Hole. I looked in the hole but could not see any pipefishes.

I started along the sand line and came across "Teardrop". Last time I saw him he was way up from the sand line. It's good to see him in his more usual area.

Before I'd gotten much farther along the sand line, Cody pointed out another weedy. That made 13 for the dive!

Followed the sand line to Jodi's Rock and then on to the rocks in front of the exit. I did a sweep looking for anglerfishes but found none.

We ascended to the boulders and started our safety stops at Split Rock. After completing our safety stops we swam underwater to the exit. The water was only just over the shelf and the exit was easy. Emiko was there to help with our cameras.