My Recent Dives - October and November
Posted by Michael on 05 October 2009 17:27
Monday 5 October 2009 - Shiprock
Had to cancel Sat and Sun Club boat dives due to weather. Lots of fish, cuttlefish, many Vercos and fine-lined tanjas. Many nudis laying eggs. No sea horses. Found a very large spotted eel near pineapplefish normal location. Nice easy dive. Visibility fair.

Sunday 11 October 2009 - Shiprock
Crap weather all week, 12 m seas on Thursday. A bit of stuff floating in the water, but not as bad as it might have been. Did normal dive. No sea horses, a lot of small cuttlefish near end, no pineapplefish. Lots of sweet chromadoris, everywhere. Some fine-lined tamjas. Easy dive. Visibility fair.

Thursday 15 October 2009 - Shiprock
Club twilight dive. Had to swim into current for the first bit and then it went as should. No sea horse, two pineapplefish. Lots of small cuttlefish, some mating, many sweet chromadoris everywhere. Some fine-lined tamjas and Vercos tamjas. Visibility fair.

Saturday 17 October 2009 - Shiprock
Boat getting repaired. Very strong current heading in, then when it ran out, very light and sometimes eratic. One small Whites sea horse on second bommie. Lots of sweet chromodoris, some Vercos and fine-lined tamjas. One pineapplefish. A small stinkfish. Heaps of bream, small snapper, one larger snapper, some whiting, heaps of yellowtail, luderick and more. Very nice dive. Visibility good.

Sunday 18 October 2009 - Shiprock
Much more moderate current than yesterday. Turned as it should and ran out. Same sea horse as yesterday. Found the two pipefish that Ron found on Thursday. Also found another one. Two pineapplefish. All the same nudibranchs as recent dives. Lots of cuttlefish mating. Heaps of fish. Near exit a huge school of large whiting. Also a juvenile slender seamoth, very strange looking fish. Visibility fair.

Thursday 22 October 2009 - Bass and Flinders Point
Club night dive, 11 attended. Went looking for bay Port Jackson sharks. Headed SE from entry over sand for about 5 mins. Saw none. Turned E and within a min saw 1. Then another. Then, dozens. Most were about 2 fingers wide and as long as tip of thumb to little finger. Headed N after a while till reef. Less here, went back in a loop to S and W and N. More. Some a little bigger. Also some tiny squid (10mm) and lots prawns. Probably over 100 PJs. Amazing. Back to shore. Visibility fair.

Thursday 29 October 2009 - Oak Park
Club night dive with near record 15 members. Seas pretty flat so went off back of pool. A bit surgy, especially above 10 metres. Lots of sand floating around (also a lot of rain in last week). Went along lower wall to second reef. Saw a blue devilfish just before crossing over. Quite dirty out here. Then to cave and urinal, but could not find (may not have went far enough). Back and then lost for a bit on the sand before rehitting the main reef. One giant cuttlefish. Lots of mado, some other fish, but overall, pretty bare. Visibility poor.

Saturday 31 October 2009 - Pizza Reef
A strong NE wind. Very dirty on top 10 m but warm. Below this very cold and clear. At least 40 bastard trumpeters N end of gap. A blue devilfish S end of gap. Lots of fish around. Very nice dive. Visibility very good.

Sunday 1 November 2009 - Minmi Trench
Club dive and BBQ, 37 attending. Very strong NE wind and got quite choppy. Just after high tide. Dirty on top but good on bottom. Very cold, 14.7C. Lots of yellow/red sea spiders, some bream, a sea dragon and lots of nudibranchs. Great day. Visibililty good.

Wednesday 11 November 2009 - Pizza Reef
My 2,900th dive. Good to be back in water after poor weather for last 10 days. First ever dive in Sydney with steel tank. Slight current from N and very slight S wind when we entered. Very dirty on top and at 16 m opened out to 20 m viz. Extremely cold on bottom, 13.5C!! A new nudibranch, rose-ringed nembrotha seen. Lots of bastard trumpeters near cave and heaps seapilke E side. Current increased as did wind while down. Now clear from 10 m up. Visibility on bottom very good.

Saturday 14 November 2009 - Shiprock
Had to swim into strong current at first but then when it should have been behind, none. Kelly had sinus trouble so did not go past last rock. Saw the sea horse in normal spot, some Verco and fine-lined tamjas, one eel. Lots of seapike, luderick, whiting and all normal fish. A couple of cuttlefish. Amazed that there were 6 other divers here this early. Nice dive. Visibility fair.

Monday 16 November 2009 – Bubble Cave - North Solitary Island
As soon as on bottom saw a huge shovel-nosed ray. Was a sea horse here but I did not see. Went to Bubble Cave, large firefish here. Then out on flatter sand and to E and then back along wall to mooring. A huge wobbegong on sand. The information plaques are totally useless, covered in growth. Visibility very good.

Monday 16 November 2009 – Mackeral Run - North Solitary Island
Drift dive from W side of Anemone Bay to Canyons mooring. Saw a large turtle, small shovel-nosed ray, huge ray. A couple of enormous schools of unknown fish. A bit of a current from S. Another ray near mooring, also a large black cod/Qld groper. Nice dive. Visibility very good.

Tuesday 17 November 2009 – South End to Elbow Cave - North Solitary Island
Very open at start. Followed a wall to N till near Elbow Cave mooring.  Saw a turtle and huge ray on way. Then cut across shallower bit to deeper wall. Another turtle and large ray here. Went to W and then followed wall back to S and then E back to mooring. Then spent time shallower. Visibility excellent.

Tuesday 17 November 2009 – South End to Elbow Cave - North Solitary Island
Went NW to deeper part and then followed this N to Bubble Cave mooring. Went as little W and then back to E as boat was to be moored at the next mooring S. At least three turtles, two large rays, lots of wobbegongs. Nice dive. Huge S hit while underwater and very rough on ascending. Visibility very good.

Wednesday 18 November 2009 – Anemone Bay East - North Solitary Island
Eastern mooring. Went N across and down gutters. Two GNS here. Then looped to W and S back to wall. Then to W side of bay and back along wall. Then to snady gutter S of mooring. At least 3 GNS here. Visibility very good

Wednesday 18 November 2009 – Anemone Bay - North Solitary Island
Went to sandy gutter S of mooring and saw 2 GNS. Found a tooth here. Then back along gutter and across reef to the gutter that runs into island. No GNS. Then to close in mooring (where boat moved to) and then in towards island. Spent end of dive on sand and in area W of mooring. Two egg cowries on sand. Visibility very good.

Thursday 19 November 2009 – Pimpernel Rock - Solitary Islands
Went down on main rock and then through larger tunnel. At least 3 GNS in here. Went thru and around to right. Saw a lot of huge kingfish and one giant jewfish. A few cod, some eels, lots of sweep, mado and other fish. Excellent dive. Visibility good.

Thursday 19 November 2009 – Pimpernel Rock - Solitary Islands
Went down on smaller rock and then through the smaller tunnel. Then thru larger tunnel to W. Two GNS here. Went left out of tunnel and huge school of enormous jewfish. Some kingfish in between. At least three cod, all the fish seen before. Visibility good.

Saturday 21 November 2009 - Shiprock
No sea horse but two pipefish in same place as 18/10. Also 2 pineapplefish. Lots of Verco and fine-lined tamjas, two lots of schooling catfish, all the normal fish. Easy dive. Visibility fair.

Sunday 22 November 2009 - Bare Island Deep Wall
Only 2nd Bare Island dive in 5 months due to terrible viz from dredging. Tank was not full and due to computer not recording pressure till in the water for 4 mins, did not know had little air. Did a bit of Deep Wall and then cut back across shallows. Visibility much improved. Visibility fair.

Thursday 26 November 2009 - Oak Park
Club night dive. Went SE to wall and then back towards second reef join. Rocking horse has been moved further E and then came across a new object, a metal base and about 1.5m high metal section. Went to urinal, lot dirtier here. Then back along main wall to exit. Saw a few squid, a six-spined leatherjacket and some horned sharks. Not much else of interest. A bit surgy and moderate effort to exit. Visibility poor.

Saturday 28 November 2009 - Wattamolla Point
Club dive, 4 boats and 20 divers. Fishers on normal spot so had to dive towards cove. At least 3 and maybe 5 sea dragons. Lots of trevally, some bastard trumpeters, seapike and sweep. Went too far past anchor on way back and had to surface to find boat. Very slight current from S on top, from N on bottom. Wind blew up to 20 kts NE for trip back. Visibility poor.

Sunday 29 November 2009 - Bare Island Isolated Reefs
Went thru pool and then on inside. Looked for angler fish at start of IR1 but could not find. Huge quantities of jellyfish around IR1/IR2 join. Slight outgoing tide along here. On S side of IR2, 1 sea dragon with eggs and small sea dragon. Back towards main reef a little dirtier. A few eels, one out in open. More sea dragons back towards exit. Visibility good.

For more details about these dives and other dives this year, click here.