COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

The weather gods are feeling happy and we finally have some reasonable conditions. With the swell down and visibility up, we headed down to Horseshoe Bay for an early morning dive. Conditions were lovely although visibility varied from about 5m in the bay to about 2m outside of the bay. We found the Gymnodorid fairly early in the dive and thought it a sign of good things to come, alas it was not to be. Although we did end up finding a few critters, we are still not seeing multiple numbers or much diversity. Fortunately the lovely corals and huge variety of fish give you something to admire when you need a break from staring at the substrate.

Taxonomic data:
Three of the four sighted species were nudibranchs, with 2 being dorids comprising 1 x phanerobranch (non-retractile gill), 0 x porostome (suctorial feeders  of the Phyllidiidae family), 1 x cryptobranch (retractable gill) and 1 x cladobranch comprising 1 x aeolid, 0 x arminid and 0 x dendronotinids. A single sacoglossan (sap-sucking slugs) completes the species count. A total of 5 specimens were recorded.

Historical Data:
– We have now completed 19 survey dives at this site since our first survey here on 12/06/2018.
– We have recorded 45 species at this site.
– We did not record any species on this survey that we have not recorded here previously. 
– The species we record most often at this site are Gymnodoris citrina (58% of dives), Elysia sp. 30 (32%), Samla bicolor (26%), and Jorunna funebris (21%). Only the first species in this list was recorded on this occasion. 
– The most prevalent species we record here are Gymnodoris citrina (1.2 per dive), Elysia sp. 30 (1 per dive), Samla bicolor (0.6 per dive), and Bulbaeolidia alba (0.5 per dive). 
– Our last survey at this site was on 29/04/2025.

Guide to Symbols:
+++ New Species
+ First time sighted in Whitsundays
# Most commonly sighted at this site with %

TOTAL SPECIES SIGHTED: 4

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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