Curt, it is moments like this what keeps me diving the same spots again and again.
Personal satisfaction to find something I did not see before ...
When the Mottled sea star touched the Plumose anemone, the anemone did not like the breach of social distancing rule and released stinging defensive filaments and the offensive ray of the star immediately moved away. When looking closer at the Blood star hugging the Tan Finger sponge, I noticed tiny critter inside the sponge. Of course, my old eyes did not noticed it when the picture was taken.
My God. I hope you're ashamed for missing that critter when you were on site! I mean, that thing had to be at least a half millimeter in diameter.
If it's not obvious, I'm kidding.
It did look like two or three other 'fingers' had similar occupants. With luck, maybe somebody knows what they are.
Deception Pass, Saturday June 13th. Third dive in this tide cycle, this time the Little North Beach parking filled with cars. Many divers, so it was like a reunion for us, it was nice to see friends again. Four fishermen choose to cast their hooks exactly at the spot where divers enter and exit the water, which wasn't cool at all...
The Slug Site featured today the unassuming Aldisa tara I found at Deception Pass as the BOW (Branch of the Week).
The posting was the collective effort of my friends, Dave Behrens helped with the identification, Hans Bertsch did the the write-up and Mike Miller runs the great site which deals with slugs from around the world. Not bad way to start the summer. https://slugsite.tierranet.com/
Only sure way is to see the slug laying the eggs. I guess the ones I see from past experience and if there is that slug nearby. You can search for match on line http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1790
Fish, ascidians, anemones, amphipods, medusae - a wonderful diversity of animals. Seeing your picture of the instructor with the "follow me" caption reminds me of a divemaster I followed years ago. She had one brightly colored blue fin, and an equally bright yellow fin. No problem picking her out in the group. Thanks agin. -Curt
Jan: I've come across the odd sand dollar in Puget Sound, but you seem to find them in abundance in Holmes Harbor. I know a spot off Bainbridge Island where they were found in abundance. Have you encountered them anywhere else?
-Curt
I see sand dollars sometimes when walking on Double Bluff beach as the tide is running out, I dont dive there as it is too shallow for a long ways and visibility not so good.
June 21, Langley Harbor sea star survey. The resurgence of Sunflower stars is a very welcome sight.
June 26, 2020. It is official now, in the State of Washington, wearing mask is mandatory, where and whenever social distancing is not possible. This Friday, at the Deception Pass, it was not necessary, since there were only three of us, the DP addicts, Eric, Scuba Jess and I.
Possession Point Fingers, June 23rd. Regardless how many times I dive the few places on Whidbey Island, there is a pleasant surprise to find something new. At first I thought that the slug on the Speckled compound tunicate is just a color variation of the Stearn's Ear Shell I sometimes find on Keystone Jetty feeding on White glove leather tunicates. But looking closer at the mantle, there are obvious differences. Who knows? Maybe we are talking about something new.
Keystone Jetty, June 29th. Returning to search for the elusive Ear shells and the baby Lumpsucker every, but me found here. I am happy to report that I did find what I was looking for, but my point& shoot camera in my hands did not do well capturing the cute little fish hopping around the blades of the kelp which was moving crazily in the strong current... I had more luck with the Stearn's Ear Shell. Amazing how its mantle matches the tunicate upon it feeds...
Driftwood Park, July 2, 2020. After seven years, thus little medusa appeared again, this time encountering totally different environment. Back in 2013 it found home on Dead Mans Fingers algae , Codium fragile. Now it clings to Green Hair Algae, very hard to get to it with camera, but obviously, it did not escape the hungry Many-ribbed medusa...At 3 millimeters, it doesn't seem to be a big meal...
When I noticed on my recent dive something very different with the Three spine stickleback, I was curious what is happening with the common fish. Well, it is a rather interesting story about one parasite's way to reproduce involving one specie of fish, the Three -spine stickleback. Probably not the most endearing story to start the morning, but intriguing story nevertheless.
It was a busy week . Tuesday July 7th. visited the south end of Whidbey Island. the Possession Point Fingers. Schools of bait fish as I sometimes call silvery small fish of various species. Little bigger fish - Decorated warbonnet and Painted greenling, the largest fish I found was the Great sculpin. Unfortunately the days of large Lingcod seem to be history. As it is in many other locales here on Whidbey.:(