David undertook two dives on this excursion:
First dive at Coles Hole: 52 minutes in water depths from 17 m to 20 m. 15 m viz, 26 C water temp, slight surge.
Second dive at Clown Reef: 57 minutes in water depths from 15m to 20 m. 18 m viz 26 C water temp and some slight surge in the shallower parts.
These dives were organized by Sunreef Dive, Mooloolaba on their Nudibranch Day monthly charter. Twelve intrepid divers (9 women & 3 men) braved the rising seas to participate in one of their favourite pastimes - finding & photographing nudibranchs. Listed below are the species I sighted. Numbers sighted, both species and specimen, continue to be low. No aeolids sighted at either site. It appears there might be a "rhinophore nipper" at work out at Coles Hole as both the Halgerda and Diversidoris were missing their second one.
Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count
Cadlinella ornatissima -/1
Ceratosoma tenue 1/-
Chromodoris elisabethina -/2
Chromodoris kuiteri 1/1
Chromodoris sp. 1 1/-
Dermatobranchus oculus 1/-
Diversidoris flava 1/-
Doriprismatica atromarginata 1/2
Glossodoris vespa -/1
Goniobranchus geometricus -/1
Halgerda sp. 3 1/-
Phyllidia elegans 1/-
Phyllidia ocellata 1/1
Phyllidia varicosa -/3
Phyllidiella lizae 1/-
* Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/3
Thuridilla splendens 1/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa
Phyllidia elegans
Ceratosoma tenue
Diversidoris flava
Halgerda sp. 3
Thuridilla splendens
Phyllidia varicosa - mating pair
Chromodoris kuiteri
Goniobranchus geometricus
Cadlinella ornatissima
