Species List: Point Cartwright, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 23-04-2016

9 species sighted at Point Cartwright, Buddina, Sunshine Coast during a two hour search of the rocks and tide pools.

Julie, Gary and Terry on this two hour search of the tide pools and under the rocks at Point Cartwright.  A relatively clear sky and building winds made the searching comfortable and a reasonable number of species were sighted for this area.

Number of species sighted
*Species with highest specimen count

Aplysia argus - 17
Cratena simba - 2 (both missing tails)
Dermatobranchus sp. 7 - 1
Dendrodoris fumata - 1
Dendrodoris nigra - 2
Elysia coodeensis -30
Hamineoa sp. 1 -38
Phidiana bourailli - 3
*Vayssierea caledonica - 40+

Cratena simba

 Hamineoa sp. 1

 Phidiana bourailli

 Dermatobranchus sp. 7

The team searching a rock pool

Photo - Debi Thornely 

Species List: Shelly Beach intertidal, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 21-04-2016

4 species sighted at Shelly Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Australia intertidal area. Julie and Terry spent two hours searching the same areas as we did on the last couple of visits to this site. Conditions were good with a cloudless sky and only a moderate wind to ruffle the surface of the rock pools. We found fewer species on this visit than previously.

Aplysia argus – 12

Dendrodoris nigra - 1

Elysia coodgensis – 2

Vayssierea caledonica – 54

 Vayssierea caledonica

Elysia coodgensis

Species List: NW Reef, Old Woman Island, Sunshine Coast, 17-04-2016

34 species sighted at NW Reef, Old Woman Island, Sunshine Coast.

Julie, Terry, Gary & David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 102 minute and 1 x  93 minute dives in water depths of 10 m to 12 m. 8 m viz, 25 C water temp and surge.

We had arranged to dive the La Balsa Park site in the Mooloolah River but in one of those inspired moments Terry read between the lines of the weather forecast and suggested diving Old Woman Island would be possible. We took him up on the offer and four keen branchers headed to the Island. As it transpired the weather could not have been much better, the viz too was ok. The only blight on the day was contending with the surge in 11 m of water. This may have something to do with the lack of surge experienced in all our river dives of late. It seemed at the time that our finds at the island were few and far between however on combining our sighting we came up with an excellent count of 34 species. Reviewing our images on return turned up three species new to our list. Altogether an excellent result. This site continues to deliver - with effort.

Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count

Ardeadoris sp. 2 1/1
Berthellina citrina 2/5
Bornella anguilla 1/-
Chromodoris striatella 1/1
Cratena simba 1/-
Dendrodoris fumata -/1
Dermatobranchus oculus 1/1
Dermatobranchus sp. 8 2/1  Our 660th species
Diversidoris sp. 1 1/-  Our 662nd species
Doriprismatica atromarginata 3/2
Elysia sp. 11 1/-
Flabellina bicolor 2/-
Goniobranchus reticulatus -/1
Goniobranchus splendidus 1/3
Goniodoridella savignyi 1/-
Hypselodoris jacksoni -/2
Hypselodoris obscura 1/-
Hypselodoris sagamiensis -/1
Hypselodoris whitei -/1
Miamira magnifica 1/-
Phyllida coelestis -/1
Phyllida elegans -/1
Phyllidia exquisita 2/2
Phyllidia ocellata -/1
Phyllidia varicosa -/1
Phyllidiella cooraburrama -/1 Our 661st species
Phyllidiella lizae -/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/3
Thorunna daniellae -/1
Thuridilla carlsoni 3/1
Thuridilla sp. 1 1/-
* Thuridilla splendens 5/7
Tornatina sp. 1 -/1
Tritoniopsis alba 1/-

Miamira magnifica

Flabellina bicolor

Phyllidia ocellata

Hypselodoris whitei 

Off the NW side of Old Woman Island

Hypselodoris obscura

Berthellina citrina

Doriprismatica atromarginata

Tornatina sp. 1

Dermatobranchus sp. 8 - our 660th species

Phyllidia varicosa

Chromodoris striatella

Phyllidiella lizae

Substrate

Diversidoris sp. 1 - our 662nd species

Goniobranchus splendidus

Ardeadoris sp. 2

A gaggle of Thuridilla splendens

Thuridilla splendens

Thuridilla carlsoni 

Dendrodoris fumata

Phyllidia exquisita

Thorunna daniellae

Phyllidiella cooraburrama - our 661st species

Species List: Moffat Beach intertidal, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Quieensland, 25-04-2016

7 species found on this intertidal search at Moffat Beach, Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.

Julie and Terry spent two hours battling the conditions to look in tide pools and under rocks at low tide.  Strong winds (>25 knots) had produced a sizeable swell that made it difficult to access rocks in the lower tidal area and also made looking into the tide pools difficult.  We persevered until searching under the rocks any longer would have meant risking loosing our balance because of the swell.

 Number of species sighted
 * Species with highest specimen count.

Aplysia argus - 1
Berthella stellata - 1
Dendrodoris nigra - 3
Elysia coodgeensis - 6
Haminoea sp. 1 - 13
Haminoea sp. 2 - 1
Tayuva lilacina - 1
"Vayssierea caledonica - 53

 Berthella stellata

 Vayssierea caledonica

Haminoea sp. 2

Dendrodoris nigra

Tayuva lilacina

Secies List: Shellacey Reef, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 12-04-2016

26 species sighted at Shellacey Reef, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Gary and Terry on this excursion consisting of 1 x 93 minute and 1 x 80 minute dive in water to 17.1 m deep, 20 m viz, 26 C water temp.

Various factors have prevented us diving the reefs off Moolooaba for a while so with conditions forecast to worsen over the next week or so, we decided to grab this chance while conditions allowed.  The substrate on the Gneering Shoals, where this site is located, are quite different from those at Currimundi where we have done a lot of our recent off-shore dives.  There is a lot more hard coral and fewer of the soft corals so abundant at Currimundi.  The visibility is also usually better.

Great conditions on the way out for these dives.  The wind picked up sometime during the first dive and we surfaced in light chop with winds over 15 knots.  However, conditions below were too good to pass up so a slightly shorter than usual surface interval and back for the second dive.  A number of different species were sighted and, as forecast, the wind dropped a little during the dive making for a smoother trip home.

 Number of species sighted 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count.

Aegires citrinus -/1
Bornella anguilla 1/-
Bulbaeolidia alba 1/1
Chromodoris elisabethina 2/1
Chromodoris kuiteri 2/-
Chromodoris sp. 3 1/-
Dermatobranchus rodmani -/2
Diversidoris aurantionodulosa -/1
Diversidoris flava -/1
Doriprismatica atromarginata 2/-
Goniobranchus geometricus 3/1
Goniobranchus splendidus -/1
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -/1
Hypselodoris jacksoni -/2
Hypselodoris sp. 2 -/2
Hypselodoris whitei  1/–
Phidiana bourailli 1/-
Phyllidiella lizae -/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa 2/2
Phyllodesmium macphersonae 1/-
Thuridilla carlsoni 1/-
Thuridilla sp. 1 2/-
*Thuridilla splendens 6/6
Trapania vitta 1/-
Trinchesia ornata 1/-
Verconia simplex -/1

 Surface conditions

 Substrate

 Phyllodesmium macphersonae

 Goniobranchus geometricus - 

we have not seen this behaviour with

this species before

 Hypselodoris sp. 2

 Verconia simplex

 Diversidoris aurantionodulosa

 Chromodoris kuiteri

 Trinchesia ornata

 Chromodoris elisabethina

 Diversidoris flava

 Aegires citrinus

Species List: Point Cartwright intertidal, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 10-04-2016

5 species sighted at Point Cartwright, Buddina, Sunshine Coast during a two hour search of the rocks and tide pools.  There was a slight breeze making it difficult to see into some of the deeper pools.

Over the last couple of visits here, we have noticed that there has been a lot of sand washed up into the tide pools and around the rocks.  This has limited the food sources available to the nudibranchs and it will be interesting to see if things improve over the next couple of months.

Number of species sighted
*Species with highest specimen count

Aplysia argus - 28
Berthella stellata - 1
Cratena simba - 2
Elysia coodeensis - 2
*Hamineoa sp. 1 - 42

 Cratena simba

Hamineoa sp. 1