Northwest Dive Club

I did a couple of dives in the San Juans this past Sunday and had a couple of interesting finds. The first was a violet colored Dirona albolineata . Down here in south puget sound they're typically white or somewhat salmon colored, but this is the second time that I've seen one that was violet purpl...

Thanks everyone! Viz was about 35 feet the first day, a bit less the second day. As a puget sound diver I confess to a bit of annoyance with the surge, taking macro shots while being tossed back and forth is a real challenge!

Last week I had the good fortune to spend a few days diving in Monterey, CA with a couple of friends from the area. Here's a few photos and a short video from my GoPro. http://hershman.smugmug.com/Underwater-Photography/Cold-Water-Diving/Monterey-April-2015/i-8Vsbp9G/0/M/_DSC4613-M.jpg The BeachHopp...

Mark and I went to Keystone Jetty on monday to take advantage of good currents, sunny weather and a long weekend. We were hoping to find one of the King Crabs spotted there. Didn't find them, but I did run across this brightly colored Butterfly Crab sitting on one of the rocks. http://hershman.smugm...

it seems a bit stout for a tube Anemone.... but alas I don't have a shot from a different angle.

Dan

Was diving at Fox Island West Wall and saw this.... thought at first that it was some kind of tube worm but then looked closer and thought it might be a burrowing anemone of some kind. Anyone know? http://hershman.smugmug.com/Underwater-Photography/New-Underwater-Photos/i-6zGs8kk/0/M/_DSC3950-M.jpg ...

oh my! if its a blackbelly it sure is in bad shape.

Thanks Jan!

I did a night dive at Redondo last night and saw this guy down around 45 feet. I don't think I've ever seen one before, at first I thought it was a snailfish of some kind but it was much larger and had protruding eyes. Anyone know what it is? Thanks! Dan http://hershman.smugmug.com/Underwater-Photog...

its neat that your setup allows you to do both macro and wider angle shots without changing lenses. I take it that's with the Olympus OM?

Janna, I was diving Saltwater State Park reefs yesterday (January 3, 2015) and came across this very gravid Black Rockfish. I remembered this post and thought I'd share it. http://hershman.smugmug.com/Underwater-Photography/Marine-Life-of-the-Pacific/Rockfish/i-xKZkVGx/0/M/_DSC3498-M.jpg In addition...

I'm not very familiar with YS strobes as I use Ikelites, but I would second the suggestion that you make sure that you get a strobe that is advanced enough that you won't feel the need to replace it if (when) you upgrade your camera. You'll save a bundle if you pay a bit more upfront. As for TTL, it...

Jan K wrote:Nice, especially the second shot with all the Sailfin sculpins

Thanks! Most of the octo and wolf eels usually have a sailfin buddy or two 'hanging out' with them. I count 4, maybe 5 of them in this pic, all hanging upside down

I've observed that the adult female wolf eels at Day Island wall typically are brown, while they are blue elsewhere. Juveniles go through a color morph, changing to light blue as they mature of course, but the females at DIW seem to stay brown. Anyone with more fish knowledge than I have a reason? D...

One of my favorite little critters is the Winged Sea Slug Gastropteron pacificum . These guys are the size of a pea or smaller, and have a way of fluttering past your nose when you least expect. On those rare times when I manage to get a focused shot they show a lovely color pattern. This one was in...

A storm like that really does reshape the terrain, down to about 40 feet.

Went down to Redondo for a morning dive today and found this going on. Snow won't stop me, but 6 foot swells at high tide make for a tricky entrance and exit

http://youtu.be/XlwCjshud8M

we find that if we go too deep we miss it completely, then have to double back. If we stick to 40-45 feet at 180 degrees we hit right on it.

Nice! How was the viz? Any Giants around? We were planning on heading out there but had to bail last minute. Gotta get out there again soon. Viz was between 15 and 20 feet depending on location. We didn't see any Giants around this time, but we have seen some rather nice red-colored ones in the pas...

Mark and I went out to Fox Island West Wall yesterday for a change. This site is always a rather modest dive overall with a short wall at 45 feet (that is easy to miss) but the site always has lots of varieties of nudibranchs due perhaps to the variety both rocky and sandy bottom terrain. Here's a f...

oh my! (What a yucky name!)

Thanks!
Dan

This is a picture of a mass that was about 2 feet across, somewhat oblong shape suspended from some structure about 6 feet off of the bottom at Edmonds Underwater Park. When one of the 'feather-duster'-like creatures closed the entire mass jiggled like jello. I don't think I've ever seen this before...

thanks!

I was diving at Fox Island West Wall recently and spotted this small poacher sitting on the ledge. I got several shots of him before he swam off. Anybody know what kind? (I admit to being clueless about poachers) Dan http://www.hershmanphoto.com/Underwater-Photography/Marine-Life-of-the-Pacific/Fish...

I recently remembered that I did my first open water dive at Redondo in early June 2004, so I've officially passed the ten year mark of diving. I had a camera in my hand for nearly every dive over those years, so I had some fun this week taking a look back at how my photos and gear have changed. I'm...

Love the multiple lumpies shots