Gary and David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 76 minute and 1 x 71 minute dives in water depths from 13 m to 19 m. 15 m viz, 20 C water temp and moderate surge.
Earlier in the week Sunday looked like the most promising day however the weather forecast kept fluctuating and only looked suitable again late on Saturday. We headed for Old Woman Island with the intention of anchoring in the lee just in case the winds belied the forecast again. Unfortunately the swell was quite powerful (long period) which creates uncomfortable surge in shallow waters so, for this excursion we opted to visit a site we have not searched in almost 6 years. Back in 2012 was our last visit here when we were still operating the inflatable. On that visit we recorded 27 species but the viz at that time was only 5 m. Trench is one of our closest sites to the Mooloolah River entrance but still provides good depths to help mitigate the effects of the swell down below. As it happened the wind did not get above 10 knots except for a short period around midday. Today’s excursion turned up some interesting finds, some in pairs, such as: Crimora edwardsi, Verconia alboannulata, Verconia romeri, Diversidoris crocea and Hypselodoris zephyra. Other finds worth a special mention include Actinocyclus verrucosus together with its egg mass and the elegant coloured and patterned Goniobranchus coi. We concentrated our search on the northern wall that drops in a series of terraces to the sandy gutter - a wonderful variety of substrate. Next time we will swim across the Trench and explore the southern escarpment. Altogether a most rewarding excursion at a long neglected site.
Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count
Actinocyclus verrucosus -/1
Ardeadoris rubroannulata 1/-
Ardeadoris sp. 2 1/-
Bulbaeolidia alba 1/-
Cadlinella ornatissima 1/-
Chromodoris elisabethina 3/1
Chromodoris kuiteri 4/1
Crimora edwardsi -/2
Dermatobranchus rodmani 1/-
Diversidoris crocea 2/-
Doriprismatica atromarginata 1/-
Flabellina exoptata 2/-
Flabellina rubrolineata -/1
Flabellina sp. 1 -/1
Glossodoris rufomarginata 1/-
Glossodoris vespa 1/1
Goniobranchus coi 1/-
Goniobranchus decorus 1/1
Goniobranchus splendidus 1/-
Hypselodoris zephyra -/2
Phyllidia ocellata -/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/-
Pleurobranchus peronii 1/-
Sagaminopteron ornatum 1/-
Tambja morosa 2/2
* Thuridilla splendens 5/1
Verconia alboannulata -/3
Verconia romeri -/2
Verconia simplex 2/1
From the archives - here is our old ride
the RIB - RV Beagle, - 6 years ago
The current ride - More Mischief
Surface conditions
Substrate
Cadlinella ornatissima
Goniobranchus splendidus - note the
purplish rhinophores of this specimen
Chromodoris kuiteri
Dermatobranchus rodmani
The rolled rhinophores of Thuridilla splendens
Glossodoris vespa - endemic to SE Qld.
Looking, looking, looking.
Bulbaeolidia alba
Chromodoris elisabethina
Verconia alboannulata
Verconia alboannulata - note the different
colour accents and patterning
Crimora edwardsi
Goniobranchus decorus
Phyllidia ocellata
Flabellina rubrolineata
Flabellina sp. 1
Actinocyclus verrucosus - an uncommon find
Distinctive spawn of Actinocyclus verrucosus
Pleurobranchus peronii
Goniobranchus coi
Ardeadoris rubroannulata
Flabellina exoptata
Glossodoris rufomarginata
Sagaminopteron ornatum
Tambja morosa
Verconia simplex - with spawn
Diversidoris crocea - a pair
Verconia alboannulata - a pair,
photo bombed by a brittle star
Crimora edwardsi - a pair
Verconia romeri - a pair
Hypselodoris zephyra - a pair
