Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1778

Date

Sunday 10 May 2020

Time

8:53am - 11:09am

Buddy

Wilson Leung, Mandy Durand, John Farrant, Kathy Law

Seas

Strong current at times

Visibility

1 to 15 metres

Duration

136 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

12.8 m

Average depth

10.8 m

Water temperature

16.2°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

Low

4:40am

0.31m

High

10:40am

1.45m

Low

4:15pm

0.57m

High

10:45pm

1.94m

Details

I had planned to dive The Leap today with Cody but his sinuses were playing up yesterday and decided not to dive. Instead I joined Mandy and John to dive The Monument. They promised to show me the Painted Anglerfish that I missed yesterday. Kathy and Wilson also joined.

It was a very cold day and we were all glad to get into our drysuits. We walked down to the protected entry point between the bronze humpback whales and The Steps. As I was washing my mask I noticed the water was warmer than the air. We waded out and donned our fins after dropping off the edge of the shelf. The water looked beautiful: blue and very clear. I was warmer in the water than I had been in the air.

We descended and swam to the sand line. The visibility was at least 15 metres and looked fabulous. There was some current with the incoming tide but barely any surge. The water temperature was around 19°C. We turned left and drifted with the current.

John went on ahead as he knew where the tine pink Painted Anglerfish was. We hadn't gone very far when he stopped and pointed it out. He took some photographs and then it was my turn. After I had taken a few photographs I moved on and let Wilson have a go.

I hadn't moved far along the sand line when I spotted a small Reaper Cuttlefish. A little farther I spotted a Tube-worm Blenny.

I continued to the rock where I'd seen the pale yellow Red-fingered Anglerfish yesterday. It was no longer on the side of the rock. I looked over the rock and initially didn't see it. I was about to check the nearby rocks when I spotted it on the top of the rock. I took some photographs and then looked for the others to show them. They were still some way away (which I could tell because of the great visibility). While I was waiting I checked the next to Carijoa covered rocks for pygmies. I didn't find any pygmies but I did find a large number of small Tritonia nudibranchs. Wilson swam up and I pointed out the anglerfish to him and I also showed Mandy the tiny Tritonia.

I had a look on Block Rock and the surrounding rocks for seahorses and anglerfishes but found nothing of interest.

I dropped down to the rock on the sand line where Cody found the pair of pygmy pipehorses. I initially couldn't find either of them, even though I'd seen both of them yesterday. I eventually found the female. To get photographs of her I had to go low down on the sand. This put me into a position to spot the male. I pointed them out to the others.

I continued along the sand line a short distance when I spotted a Weedy Seadragon. It was heading into the current, towards The Steps. I took some photographs as it continued.

I looked along the rocks before the wall and then headed back behind the rocks to Pygmy Hollow. I haven't seen any pygmies there for months but I thought I'd check for them. I still couldn't find any but I did find an Okenia atkinsonorum nudibranch.

I headed along the wall to Pygmy Playground. I found both of the regular pygmies on the side of the square rock in the purple sponges. I looked on top of the rock and along the ledge in Pygmy Playground but found no more pygmies.

I looked along the rock behind Pygmy Playground for seahorses and then continued along the wall looking in the sea tulips. All I found was a small Blotched Hawkfish.

Near the end of the wall I spotted a Weedy Seadragon out in the kelp. I photographed it.

I headed up over the wall and looked in the kelp for seahorses. I didn't expect to find any but as there had been a pregnant male Pot-bellied Seahorse in the area I figured that maybe there was a female around, too. I found a weedfish.

After going over the top of the wall I looked on the rocks for the small grey Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd found a few weeks ago. I didn't find it. I also checked the sponges for seahorses.

I swam over to the orange sponge where there has been a small pygmy pipehorse. I'd seen it yesterday and it took me a bit of time to find it today.

I moved over to the flattish rock where Cody had "shown" me two pygmies yesterday. I was able to find one but not the other.

The others still hadn't caught up to me so I headed back to Pygmy Playground. John pointed out two pygmies on the rock above the square rock. I photographed them and then Mandy showed me another pygmy and a Lamellaria australis hypsegastropod. I looked for a second pygmy near the first one but couldn't find one.

We continued along the wall. The visibility had dropped significantly was now only around 5 metres. We went up and over the wall. I pointed out the small pygmy near the orange sponge to Mandy and then went looking for the two pygmies on the flattish rock. This time I found the other one and then the first one again. I took some photographs and pointed them out to Mandy and John when I was done.

The visibility then dropped to less than 2 metres and the water temperature dropped to under 17°C. I reminded Mandy that she was to show me the Painted Anglerfish. We headed over Split Rock to the large orange Red-fingered Anglerfish. I took some photographs and then Mandy showed me where the small black Painted Anglerfish she'd spotted two weeks ago was now hiding. No wonder I couldn't find it.

Mandy then took me to the large orange Painted Anglerfish. After that she waved me goodbye and headed for the exit. I still had some air left so I continued along the reef.

I had to swim into the current to get to Four Pygmies Rock. I started to look for the male pygmy where I'd seen him yesterday but he wasn't there. Then I spotted a small White's Seahorse. This is the third time I have spotted a White's Seahorse on this rock but not every time I've looked. I wonder if it has been there all along and I missed it or it has been moving to other rocks. I eventually found the male pygmy.

I looked on the next rock but one for the small pygmy Cody spotted a couple of weeks ago. I found it. It is growing!

I only had 20 minutes of air left so I headed straight up the reef to the top of the wall and cut across to the shallow wall. It was tough going due to the current. I had my eye out for Red-fingered Anglerfish because I often see random ones when I cut the corner. As I approached the shallow wall I spotted an orange Red-fingered Anglerfish on one of the rocks.

I followed the shallow wall to the corner and then looked on the shelf for the pygmies there. Yesterday I has seen the white female pygmy on the Carijoa. Today I couldn't find her. The current was strong and I didn't have much time so I didn't have a good look.

I swam along the base of the East-west Wall to the west. I swam past the area where the seahorses have been earlier in the year. I looked in the sea tulips where I'd last seen "Jose" but he was not there. I did not have time to look more carefully.

I arrived at the area where the latest seahorses have been. I spotted "Starlight" in some sargassum weed on the sand. I then spotted a male seahorse on the rock above "Starlight". I didn't recognise him at the time but after checking my photographs I realise it is "Harry" and he's gone darker. I looked around for any other seahorses and eventually found "Sunny" on one of the other rocks. I did a sweep for more but found none.

I was quite low on air now so I ascended the wall. The current was heading east so rather than swimming into it I followed the reef around to the east and then south-east while doing my safety stop. After completing my safety stop I headed for the rocks and got out near the Humback Whale sculpture.