Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1769

Date

Saturday 18 April 2020

Time

1:28pm - 4:15pm

Buddy

Emiko Kawamoto, Cody Sheridan

Seas

Slight current and surge

Visibility

5 to 10 metres

Duration

167 minutes

Surface interval

 2 days 23:34 (days hh:mm)

Maximum depth

21.2 m

Average depth

13.9 m

Water temperature

16.8°C
                                       

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

5:12am

1.54m

Low

11:48am

0.55m

High

6:00pm

1.39m

Low

11:48pm

0.71m

Details

After so few dives at The Leap this year it was great to get two dives in under a week. Cody and Emiko joined me again. We took our tanks and weights down first and then walked down with our drysuits undone to try to avoid the heat of the middle of the day. As we were walking down the steps I spotted a Yellow-faced Whip Snake sunning itself half way down. I even managed to get a photograph of it.

We put our gear on and Emiko and I got in from the low platform, while Cody jumped in from the top. We swam out on the surface before descending. We headed at around 50° to the sand line and arrived in the amphitheatre. The visibility was around 10 metres. The water temperature was around 17°C. I looked for Weedy Seadragons but saw none. Cody told me after the dive he saw two.

I swam to First Rock. I looked for pygmies but found none. I spotted a weedy in the kelp next to First Rock.

We swam along the sand line. There was a slight current so we had to swim. I looked for weedies and pygmies but found none. Just before Seahorse Rock I looked again for the Robust Ghostpipefish but couldn't find it. I started to look for pygmies on the rock behind Seahorse Rock when Cody called me back to point out a Weedy Seadragon.

I swam around the outside of Seahorse Rock and had a quick look for seahorses. I then headed towards the overhang, spotting an Eastern Smooth Boxfish on the way.

As I approached the overhang, Cody pointed out the juvenile weedy. Emiko swam up and nearly crashed into the juvenile weedy and I had to grab her to point it out.

A little farther along, Cody pointed out the adult female Weedy that is usually in the area. I looked on the rock above and found the pygmy that has been there.

I wasn't sure where Cody was but Emiko was behind me as I headed for Seadragon Alley. I looked at the sponges on Southern Cross Rock for seahorses.

I got to Seadragon Alley before Cody. I must have passed him somewhere. About halfway through Seadragon Alley I found anther Weedy Seadragon.

I continued through Seadragon Alley to the end where Cody caught up to me. I looked for the weedy I'd seen at the end on Wednesday but couldn't find it.

As I headed for Big Rock I looked for the Nembrotha purpureolineata I'd seen on Wednesday but couldn't find it. I then spotted the weedy with the chopped tail. As I was photographing the weedy I noticed the nudibranch.

I continued on my way to Big Rock and spotted a Fiddler Ray and a juvenile Bridled Triggerfish. I saw one in this same spot last year.

I swam past Big Rock and started to look for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish George had posted on Facebook. I looked near all the white honeycomb sponges but couldn't find it.

I looked on Long Rock for the Ceratosoma brevicaudatum nudibranch I'd seen on Wednesday but it was no longer there.

I looked on the lower end of the next rock for the male pygmy pipehorse I'd seen on Wednesday but could not find it. I did find the male higher up the rock. I looked around for a female but could not find one.

I continued along the reef looking for pygmies and was 10 or so metres along when Cody called my back to show me the female he'd found. I knew there'd have to be a female there. I also spotted two tube-building amphipods that appeared to be wrestling.

Emiko was running low on air and left us at this point.

I kept on looking for pygmies. Cody pointed out the two pygmies he'd found on Wednesday on the flat rock not far before Diversity Rock.

I swam over Diversity Rock and looked carefully for pygmy pipehorses but found none. I then looked on the rock where there had been three white pygmies a couple of weeks ago. I'd found none there on Wednesday but today I found a pinkish male. I looked for a female but couldn't find one.

I checked out the basket star before heading towards Little Big Rock. I had gone around 20 metres when Cody called me back to point out a pink male pygmy pipehorse right next to the basket star. I looked for a female and found a cryptic one.

We continued to Little Big Rock which I looked over before heading up to where the seahorses had been. I looked around the adjacent rocks for pygmies but found none.

We headed along the top of the reef. I looked for anglerfishes along the way. We got to the large rock with sea tulips and the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish was still there. I took some photographs and while Cody was photographing it I looked for more and found an orange one on the other side of the same rock.

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

I headed along the sand line and came on "Teardrop". I took some photographs and started to look for the second weedy we'd seen on Wednesday. Cody held up his hands as if to say "where is the second one?". It was right in front of him. he he.

We continued along the sand line to the rocks in front of the entry. I still had a bit of gas left so I checked out all the rocks for anglerfishes. After finding none I headed for the boulders and spotted a juvenile Günther's Butterflyfish. Not that unusual but worth noting.

We swam to Split Rock and started our safety stops. After finishing our safety stops we swam underwater to the exit and got out. Emiko was there to take our cameras.