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
