Terry and David on this excursion comprising 1 x 86 minute and 1 x 79 minute dives in water depths of 14m to 18m. 5m viz, 25C water temp and lots of surge.
Feeling just a little adventurous and tired of waiting for the perfect weather forecast we decided the wind and waves would be manageable and so it was as we traversed the Caloundra Bar without incident. The seas were short and steep at 1.5m on top of a 1.5m swell making our trip slow with many "holes" to be avoided. Once in the water and on the bottom however it all became worth the effort. Although the surge obviously limited our species count it's all about the joy of the search and the expectation rather than the count. Highlights included the very large Marionia cyanobranchiata, the Elysia pusilla that posed for us nicely and the two Phyllodesmium sp. 2 coaxed out of the substrate. It also proved to be a good shakedown for Terry's new chart-plotter/depth sounder with the latest touch screen operation.
- Number of species sighted: 1st dive/ 2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count
Aegires flores -/1
Bornella anguilla -/2
Chromodoris kuiteri -/1
Cratena lineata -/1
Dermatobranchus cf. primus 2/1
Dermatobranchus ornatus 3/5
* Doriprismatica atromarginata 4/7
Elysia pusilla 1/-
Goniobranchus albonares 1/1
Goniobranchus albopunctatus -/1
Goniobranchus cf. reticulatus -/2
Hypselodoris bullockii -/2
Marionia cyanobranchiata 1/-
Phyllidia ocellata 5/4
Phyllidia picta -/1
Phyllidiella lizae -/3
Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/1
Phyllodesmium magnum 1/-
Phyllodesmium sp. 2 -/2
Pteraeolidia ianthina 1/-
Roboastra luteolineata -/1
Sagaminopteron ornatum 3/6
Tritoniopsis alba 1/2
Dermatobranchus ornatus
Doriprismatica atromarginata
Pteraeolidia ianthina
Marionia cyanobranchiata - head shot
Marionia cyanobranchiata
Sagaminopteron ornatum
Phyllidia picta
Elysia pusilla
Dermatobranchus cf. primus
Goniobranchus albopunctatus
Goniobranchus cf. reticulatus
Hypselodoris bullockii
Tritoniopsis alba
