Species List: 22-04-2025, Route 66 and back, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

5 species sighted at Route 66 and back, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. 22-04-2025.

A single solo shore entry dive with Gary of 84 minutes, 1.2 m, maximum depth 4.9 m, 25 C water temperature, up to 3 m viz.

The water has cleaned up a bit after a cyclone, wind, rain and swell! After the profiler scraped the bottom for a week the amount of sand that fallen on the dive substrate is overwhelming. So much sand. There was a metre of fresh water on the top and below the vis was quite good, all things considered. I was so surprised to see so many Cratena pawarshindeorum and Murphydoris cobbi today. 5 species for what I was thinking would be none. Sadly only 1 Coryphellina lotos and 1 Murphydoris puncticulata were seen today. The sad part of the dive was that there is no more Fish Cage gone, no more Seal Rock gone and the Slab is nearly buried.

Species and numbers recorded:

Coryphellina lotos -1

Cratena lineata -15

Cratena pawarshindeorum -Hundreds and hundreds!

Murphydoris cobbi -Hundreds and hundreds!

Murphydoris puncticulata -1

Entry

Clarity

SW winds surface

Substrate upon descent

Murphydoris cobbi 

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum on the sand

The float

Murphydoris cobbi 

Murphydoris cobbi 

Murphydoris cobbi party

The Pipe

Murphydoris puncticulata

Murphydoris cobbi party

Murphydoris cobbi party

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum in the jungle

Cratena pawarshindeorum party

Murphydoris cobbi 

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum pair jousting

Substrate

Cratena pawarshindeorum party

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Lots of sand

Murphydoris cobbi hundreds out on the sand

Dead Gorgonian

Murphydoris cobbi party

Substrate

Gothum City

The Slab

Cowrie!

Cratena lineata 

Cratena lineata 

No more Seal Rock!!

Plenty of sand

Thanks mate!

Murphydoris cobbi party

Cratena lineata 

Channel Rock

The only Coryphellina lotos 

Murphydoris cobbi 

Cratena pawarshindeorum 

Murphydoris cobbi party

Species List: 07-04-2025, Fish Cage to Point Rock and back, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

 3 species sighted at Fish Cage to Point Rock and back, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. 07-04-2025.

A single solo shore entry dive with Gary of 89 minutes, 1.2 m, maximum depth 4.8 m, 26 C water temperature, up to 3 m viz.

After a few days for rain and swell, the river had no ambient ligh on the bottom for 4-5 days. I was worried that fresh water might have reached the bottom, I was right. Everything on the bottom has died except a lot of Murphydoris cobbi, two Cratena pawarshindeorum and one Murphydoris puncticulata. On March 29 I witnessed hundreds and hundreds of Cratena pawarshindeorum... WOW how sad. The Gorgonians, sponges and corals are all dead as well as some fairly large shelled animals. There was also a lot of silt and particulate in the water column.

On a more positive note, I was very happy to see Murphydoris cobbi thriving and mating and laying eggs.

A new slate is presented...

Species and numbers recorded:

Cratena pawarshindeorum -2

Murphydoris cobbi -48

Murphydoris puncticulata -1

Entry

Clarity

Surface

Substrate upon descent

Murphydoris cobbi

Murphydoris cobbi

Murphydoris puncticulata

Murphydoris puncticulata

Murphydoris cobbi 

Pockets of silt

The pipe

Murphydoris cobbi 

Substrate

Dead soft coral?

Dead hyroids

Murphydoris cobbi laying spawn

Dead shelled animal

Murphydoris cobbi 

Lots of fish looking for food

Dead hydroids

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Dead Gorgonians

Dead Gorgonians

Cratena pawarshindeorum

Gothum City

Dead soft coral?

Murphydoris cobbi

Murphydoris cobbi

Murphydoris cobbi x3

Dead Gorgonians

Seal Rock

Dead shelled animal

Dead sponge

A large unknown egg mass - who did that??