A single shore entry dive by Julie, Terry and David of 126 minutes. Maximum depth 5.4 m, 20 C water temperature and 5 m viz.
The River beckoned once again, enticing us below her busy Sunday morning surface with the promise of documenting both common and uncommon finds through our lenses. The incoming tide soon moderated, furnishing just sufficient water movement to carry away any offending stirred-up silt, providing excellent conditions for the portrait taking of our favourite sea life. The rocking rhinophores of Bulbaeolidia alba were sighted frequently but not as often as the white specks in the silt that represented Goniodoridella sp.1. The red-speckled plump white form of Goniobranchus daphne challenged for the title of most abundant but fell just short of the line. Sixty percent of species-type recorded were aeolids. Finds worth special mention include Philinopsis speciosa, a burrowing head-shield slug, Hypselodoris kanga, that rarer almost facsimile of Hypselodoris obscura and Facelina sp. 8 a species that we are not entirely sure of its generic placement in the Facelinidae. The especially cryptic Elysia sp. 11 betrayed its presence in the silt-covered substrate with the characteristic head-rocking motion it shares with the aforementioned Bulbaeolidia alba. The river bed profiling works have caused significant changes to the topography of sections of the submerged portion of the southern river bank. Some sections of growth covered rock are now completely buried under sand. We emerged, not only satisfied with our finds, but also with our efforts at recording them.
Species and number thereof sighted
* Species with highest specimen count
Bulbaeolidia alba -7
Cratena lineata -7
Cratena simba -2
Elysia sp. 11 -1
Facelina sp. 8 -1
Flabellina rubrolineata -8
Goniobranchus daphne -18
Goniodoridella savignyi -6
* Goniodoridella sp. 1 -22
Hypselodoris kanga -1
Hypselodoris obscura -6
Philinopsis speciosa -1
Pteraeolidia semperi -5
Tenellia sp. 23 -1
Tenellia sp. 24 -2
Tenellia sp. 44 -1
Unidentia sp. 1 -3
Unidentia sp. 2 -1
Ready to descend
Unidentia sp. 1
Goniobranchus daphne
Hypselodoris kanga
Pteraeolidia semperi - large, mating pair
Facelina sp. 8
Unidentia sp. 2
Cratena simba
Cratena lineata
Bulbaeolidia alba
Goniodoridella sp. 1
Hypselodoris obscura - gill circle, open
posteriorly, accommodating anal papilla
Flabellina rubrolineata
Philinopsis speciosa
Tenellia sp. 24
Elysia sp. 11
Tenellia sp. 23
