Sunshine coast corals, algae, acans and nudibranchs, Danny and myself headed up Saturday 20/08/14.

We left at 5.30 am for this one, due specific conditions.
When you have had south west to north westerlies and north to north easterlies with not many easterlies and not many days of winds from the south south-east, then combine this with no major rain for some time, that’s when the sunshine coasts ocean visibility will shine, well and truly!
So we had a window of south westerlies till maybe lunch time from what I could gather, so if we were not to go far off the shoreline, as the south westerlies are off shore winds that blow from the shore making conditions close to the shore none wind affected, then it was going to be an epic mornings free diving.
It was very nice!
We had 20c water temp, which is rare that it is that warm in the water at this time of year on the sunshine coast, by August it use to be always 16c to 17c at the most.
We had 15 to 18 metres vis and it is hard ti find it clearer that close to the shore on the sunshine coast.
We hit the waters from just north of Dickies reef to Currumundi reef that were no deeper then 28 to 30 feet deep, the average was 8 to 25 feet.
The sunrise not far before the Caloundra turn off.


A view of the gorgeous ocean conditions off kings beach before we went to the boat ramp and headed off.
No swimming from the shore for us today, we didn’t have the time as I would think the wind would turn south east between 12 and 2 pm.


Oceans surface had off shore a 6 inch chop and six inch swell, quite calm, lol.


You could see the bottom next to te boat even with the suns early morning rays that makes it hard to make out the vis.


Nice in the spot I call the canyons at a max of 18 feet.




Lots of sponges, but these stood out and Danny or I can not find them in our books.




This is an encrusting sponge that takes over flexible coralline algae forms.


Our local Halymenia or red algae.






















This is a semi rare of this coloration gorgeous algae except for where I go up the coast where I find it in one area, it does very well in the aquarium but every one wants eat this algae, its name i have no idea!












Orange flexible coralline algae.


Some and a flat worm.








These were cute coral polyps encrusting a large area.


Blue Padina coralline algae.




Acans everywhere and i mean everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A single polyp




































A chunky ray ready for action, I just speared something near to it and I wasn’t going to let it or a wobby near by as well get it.

haha you got a fortune in acans there! In the us they are expensive especially for rainbow colored ones

Its a spot where you are allowed to collect corals, but I was only after some halymenia that day. The sunshine coast is jammed with acans, that's for sure!

stylaster wrote:haha you got a fortune in acans there!  In the us they are expensive especially for rainbow colored ones

Where in the US do you come from?

Im in washington state.  We have cold water reefs over here.  No 3 mil wetsuits though lol  We use dry suits.  We get some huge anemones and starfish over here.  Not much in the way of corals, some coldwater gorgonians thats about it

stylaster wrote:Im in washington state.  We have cold water reefs over here.  No 3 mil wetsuits though lol  We use dry suits.  We get some huge anemones and starfish over here.  Not much in the way of corals, some coldwater gorgonians thats about it

Cool, got any photos, lol, as many as you like if you don't mind

I counted about $4500 in acans and leathers on this page, lol. My tank would be Acan central if I lived there. Hell, who am I kidding, it's becoming acan central and I'm 10,000 miles away. Beautiful pics guys!