17 species sighted at Route 66 and back, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. 31-03-2024.
A single solo shore entry dive with Gary of 190 minutes, 1.2 m, maximum depth 5.6 m, 25 C on one computer, 23 on the other, water temperature, up to 3 m viz.
After quite a bit of rain and runoff there is finally ambient light on the bottom. With a top layer of fresh water the ambient light on the bottom was Martian style. Shot some vids for the doco and the hunt was on. Cratena lineata were in mass! A Dendrodoris arborescens was nice to record. Idaliadoris maugeansis was the first species to be found at the first bommie. All in all it was a nice challenge!
Special note! Lots of sand has made it's way to the site. Fish Cage is nearly buried. Table Rock is all but gone and the Rocky Field is pretty much gone as well, sad. I feel that the dredging at the river mouth is causing this.
Species and numbers recorded:
Cratena lineata -200+
Dendrodoris arborescens -1
Eubranchus sp. 10 -2
Flabellina lotos -8
Flabellina pseudolotos -1
Goniobranchus daphne -5
Goniodoridella unidonta -1
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -1
Gymnodoris sp. 27 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -2
Idaliadoris maugeansis -2
Liloa brevis shell -1 (blew into a hole)
Murphydoris cobbi -10
Tenellia sibogae (yellow) -3
Tenellia sp. 70 -5
Unidentia sp. 1 -9
Unidentia sp. 14 -1
Entry (rain in 15 minutes!)
Clarity
Substrate upon descent
First Bommie
Idaliadoris maugeansis
Tenellia sibogae
Flabellina lotos
Cratena lineata
Gymnodoris sp. 27
Dendrodoris arborescens
Cratena lineata
Cratena lineata
Flabellina lotos
Substrate
Murphydoris cobbi
Tenellia sp. 70
Tenellia sp. 70 x2
Unidentia sp. 1
Unidentia sp. 1
Murphydoris cobbi
Flabellina pseudolotos
Murphydoris cobbi x2
Look a hard boiled egg!
Gothum City
Fishing must be banned
Goniodoridella unidonta
Tenellia sp. 70 and Tenellia sibogae
Murphydoris cobbi
Flabellina lotos x2
Goniobranchus daphne
Hypselodoris obscura
Substrate
New food source
Flabellina lotos
Flabellina lotos x2
Seal Rock after a Ray stirred it up
Gymnodoris sp. 10
Cratena lineata party
The Icon
Top of Big Rock
Hypselodoris obscura
Murphydoris cobbi x2
Fish Cage nearly swallowed up by sand
Goniobranchus daphne party
Unidentia sp. 14
Table Rock all but gone
