COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

Good conditions greeted us today as we headed over to Middle Island. We decided to try a spot slightly east of our normal location. Unfortunately it was not as good with lots more algae and less coral cover. Visibility was still not great at depth so our dive remained shallow. We decided to try a spot on the western side, again not our normal location and this proved to be an algae field with really awful visibility so we abandoned this dive and went back around to the south side. Somehow we missed the mark and dove another unexplored spot, again not very productive. At least surface conditions continued to improve and it was amazing topside. We also saw squid on the anchor line, a juvenile spadefish hanging out under plastic mesh and sargassum (the plastic was retrieved), and a really cool jellyfish on the surface. The highlights of the day turned out to be topside.

Taxonomic Diversity:
4 of the 5 species sighted were nudibranchs all being dorids comprising 3 x porostomes (suctorial feeders – all of the Phyllidiidae family), 1 x cryptobranch (retractable gill – belonging to the Chromodorididae family). One Sacoglossa rounds out the species numbers. If diet is considered then 4 of the 5 species sighted are spongivores.

Our Historical Data:
– We have now completed 6 survey dives here since our first survey on 13/02/2023.
– 19 species have been recorded here.
– This is the first time we have recorded Mexichromis trilineata at this site.
– Too few dives thus far to draw any real observations.
– This site last surveyed 30/03/2023
(Historical data courtesy of Terry Farr, who extracts it from his comprehensive database.)

TOTAL SPECIES SIGHTED: 5

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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