The macrofaunal composition of 240 samples from the continental shelf of Crete, Greece, taken at four different depths and in six different months of the year, were used in order to test the performance of neutral model analysis in comparison to more traditionally used diversity indices. It was found that neutral model analysis produces less repeatable results in comparison to most of the diversity indices. The deviation statistic V was found to be negative in most of the samples (88%) and significantly negative in 34% of these. However no other indication of disturbance was found at the community level as far as the species composition was concerned.