A single shore entry dive by Julie, Terry and David of 136 minutes. Maximum depth 6.0 m, 26 C water temperature and 3 m viz.
The crowds were out and about taking advantage of the beautiful weather we are enjoying and putting parking spaces on the riverside at a premium. Unfortunately this weather is accompanied by wind and swell that have precluded offshore diving in our boats. Nevertheless the River is there to enjoy as it has been for us in such circumstances for almost 5 years now. We were joined by Pete and Kylie Lightower, underwater videographers from Sydney, up here for the Christmas holidays and keen to sample and record the finds in our River. More than half of our finds were aeolids most of which feed upon hydroids that take advantage of the tidal current to feed and bloom. One exception was Phyllodesmium undulatum, a species that feeds upon the polyps of certain red/yellow Melithaea gorgonian corals.
Species and number thereof sighted
* Species with highest specimen count
Cratena lineata -3
Dendrodoris arborescens -3
Facelina bourailli -1
* Flabellina rubrolineata -33
Goniobranchus daphne -3
Goniobranchus geometricus -1
Goniodoridella savignyi -2
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -6
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -2
Hypselodoris obscura -1
Philinopsis speciosa -1
Phyllodesmium opalescens -1
Phyllodesmium undulatum -2
Pteraeolidia semperi -1
Tenellia sp. 29 -1
Thuridilla carlsoni -1
Unidentia sp. 1 -1
Unidentia sp. 2 -1
Unidentia sp. 4 -1
Unidentia sp. 7 -1
Looking upstream from the entry point
Hypselodoris obscura
Cratena lineata
Goniodoridella savignyi
Flabellina rubrolineata - abundant
Goniodoridella sp. 1
Facelina bourailli
Dendrodoris arborescens
Philinopsis speciosa
Pteraeolidia semperi
Phyllodesmium undulatum on Melithaea
Tenellia sp. 29
Phyllodesmium opalescens
Goniobranchus geometricus
Gymnodoris sp. 10
