Dive Details

Location

Logged dive number

1792

Date

Sunday 14 June 2020

Time

2:21pm - 3:55pm

Buddy

Natalia Gale, John Duchatel

Seas

Slight current and some surge

Visibility

10 to 15 metres

Duration

93 minutes

Surface interval

Maximum depth

14.3 m

Average depth

10.5 m

Water temperature

17.7°C

Dive Profile from Citizen Hyper Aqualand

Tides at Botany Bay AEST

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

High

2:29am

1.46m

Low

9:13am

0.61m

High

3:37pm

1.39m

Low

9:25pm

0.85m

Details

I had planned to only do one dive today but as we hadn't found any Weedy Seadragons for John at The Monument, Natalia talked me into doing a second dive at The Steps where I was certain we'd not only see a Weedy Seadragon, we'd see a male with eggs ("Teardrop").

After a suitable surface interval we geared up and walked down the stairs. We jumped in, donned our fins and swam out on the surface. We descended and headed for the sand line. The visibility was a bit better here than The Monument and was up to 15 metres. It was a little warmer, too, at around 18°C. There was still some surge and the tide was still coming in so some current. We turned right and headed towards Big Rock.

We hadn't gone very far along the sand line when we came on a male Weedy Seadragon. This is the same one I saw yesterday, without eggs, I took my usual identification shots and then let John have a go. I expected to see the female but I couldn't find her.

I went on ahead along the sand line to Pipefishes Hole as I knew "Teardrop" would be nearby. He was. I took a number of photographs of him while the others caught up.

I headed along the sand line a short distance before heading up the reef to the rock where the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish has been. I took some photographs and when the others caught up I pointed it out.

I swam diagonally back towards the sand line to the rock where I'd see the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish yesterday. It wasn't on the same rock but I then spotted it on the next rock towards Little Big Rock. More photographs and then pointing it out to the others. John initially couldn't see it but I kept pointing it out.

I headed along the sand line towards Little Big Rock and then up to the rock where the seahorses used to be. "Ash", the black Painted Anglerfish was still in the red chimney sponge where it had been yesterday. I took some photographs and pointed it out to the others. I then looked on the rock below the rock where the seahorses had been and the other orange Red-fingered Anglerfish was still there. I pointed it out.

I went down to Little Big Rock hoping the Weedy Seadragon I'd see there yesterday was still there. It wasn't.

We moved slowly towards Big Rock just up from the sand line and I led the others to the basket star.

We headed down to the flattish rock where there used to be pygmies and then I led the others to the Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch.

We next visited the red female pygmy pipehorse. I still haven't managed to find a male nearby. While the others were photographing the pygmy, I looked around for the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish I'd seen nearby a couple of weeks ago. All I found was an octopus.

We continued along the reef to the rock before Long Rock. I looked for and found the juvenile pygmy. I pointed it out to John and then looked for more pygmies on that rock. I was surprised to find the large male near the top of the rock. I hadn't seen it for the last few dives. I couldn't find the female.

We turned and headed back towards The Steps. I wanted to find a tube-building amphipod to show Natalia. I instead found a pink juvenile pygmy.

After our previous dive, Natalia had told me about commensal shrimp on Mosaic Sea Stars. I turned one over and spotted two of the shrimp. How cool.

I looked on some of the red finger sponges for the red Icilius sp. amphipods. Often there are many but I only found a few. I pointed them out to Natalia.

We headed back to the rock where the seahorses had been and "Ash" the black Painted Anglerfish and the orange Red-fingered Anglerfish.

We swam back via the grey Red-fingered Anglerfish and the other orange Red-fingered Anglerfish.

John indicated he only had 40 bar left and Natalia showed me she was into deco (her computer is very conservative!). I took them to the boulders and we ascended to 5 metres while swimming to Split Rock. John was doing his safety stop along the way and Natalia was able to start her deco.

When we got to Split Rock I indicated to John the way to the exit and that I'd stay with Natalia while she finished her deco - she had 14 minutes! While we waited we were watched a female Spotted Wobbegong moving around the rocks. After finishing her deco stop, Natalia and I swam underwater to the exit and got out.