Northwest Dive Club

Hi Janna, Here is a picture of gravid Copper Rockfish taken in the area of Friday Harbor on April 6th 2014. We were on Bandito Charter out of Anacortes. We did 2 dives one was along Canoe Island (between Shaw and Lopez Islands) and second was referred as a Pinnacle Rock (Submerged 30 feet down rock ...

Pac NW underwater nature carvings 4 Halloween - part 2 What is the story about pumpkins & Plumose Anemones ?: OK, the story goes like this. There are many accounts where human behaviors is impacting and altering Animal & Plant Kingdom behaviour. For example some birds in the forest have lea...

Pac NW underwater nature carvings 4 Halloween Within last year I have completed more than 125 dives, each with average duration 63 minutes and 99% of them with the camera. I have taken over 21 thousands of underwater pictures of Puget Sound and Lake Washington and when you spend that much time unde...

Some serious considerations please. Scuba divers life and safety is at stake here. I know, for some of you this sounds like fun. Please note that all the pictures might sound as Sea Lion at the distance but they were all taken with Super Wide Angle Lens – Fish Eye Lens (The lens has a 16 mm effecti...

Bizarre encounters with Steller Sea Lion female at Possession Point Fingers south end of Whidbey Island. I have made two dives on Tuesday 10/21/14 at Possession Point Fingers and had very strange encounter with Steller Sea Lion female. At the end of the first dive in a bit silted surface water I no...

Jan K was the one who first observed, documented and published this Mouth & Teeth Cleaning behavior for Lingcod by Longfin Sculpin and Scallyhead Sculpin. :notworthy: :joshsmith: Before Jan’s finding Scientific Community believed that this Teath & Mouth Cleaning behavior happens only in the ...

Mouth & teeth cleaning by fish for Great Sculpin instead of Lingcod ?! I was diving Whidbey Island yesterday Driftwood park and later Keystone Pilings & Jetty. In Driftwood part visibility was really bad for taking pictures 5-10 ft therefore I focused on the close ups. I got really excited ...

Third and last part of the main posting: Buffalo Sculpins continue: Please click on each picture you want to zoom in. Twice for largest zoom. Buffalo red brown color domination: PICT5267-buffalo-sculpin-red-brown.JPG PICT4742-buffalo-sculpin-red-brown.JPG PICT2887-buffalo-sculpin-red-brown.JPG Buffa...

Thank you Greg !
What a surprise with the blue Sculpin !
I knew I could count on you to verify the classification.
I will make updates accordingly.

Continuation: RILs with dominant yellow color: Please click on each picture you want to zoom in. Twice for largest zoom. PICT2783-2-red-irish-lords--more-yellow-broad-base-tunicate.JPG PICT2795-red-irish-lord-more-yellow.JPG PICT5589-RIL-more-yellow.JPG RILs with dominant red yellow color: PICT5662-...

HUNT for RED LORD & BUFFALO SCULPIN My goals here are: 1. Present critters in their natural environment from shore dive sites within ~ 50 miles of driving distance from Kirkland (where I live), 2. help other divers to find, identify and distinguish these critters 3. provide references I will no...

Curt "Oldsalt" told me that Mukilteo area used to be abundant with Starry Flounders. I have only seen them ocassionally in this area over last two years. I am adding two pictures for the reference: Please click on each picture you want to zoom in. Twice for largest zoom. PICT1639-starry-fl...

Thank you Lynn, Jan, Curt ! :notworthy: Your feedback gives me more encouragement to pick up new research subjects and topics. Yes, I do enjoy Diving (I just came from another two dives today with good material for another posting), I enjoy to share what I learn as I go and I am having a blast work...

Thank you so much Greg ! :notworthy: :joshsmith: These examples are so clear and easy to compare I am sure many divers from NWDC forum will now be able to better distinguish these species. If it could have been Sculpins I would have first refer to your free Christmas Present book “Pacific Northwest...

HUNT for RED OCTO BER –BER +PUS Yes, I have seen the report and video on Red Octopus escaping from Copper Rockfish nibbling “This happened on our dive today” and decided to help other divers to find, recognize and identify “Reds” or “ROs”. Majority of divers know how to look for GPO or better known...

Flatfish Baseline around Mukilteo Emilyrc opened a posting recently titled "funny colored sole at mukilteo". I could have responded again directly to that posting but decided to make it into separate much wider posting. I think for all new divers and the old ones who started an interest i...

OK, now I even more pay attention to what is happening above, shadows, movements and here is what I caught on Friday 6/6/14: Deception Pass: O No ! That is not a Cormorant. :BDub: It is Jan K friend - Jack passing above. Veteran of Deception Pass diving for last 30 years 1000+ dives just in Deceptio...

Hi I'm pretty sure I saw one at the I Beams once. 80 feet deep! Do you think they do the Scyzoryk/Pocket knife? This is actually a good question YellowEye ! Thank you ! I think in most cases birds dive transitioning from the flight in the air to dive / flight underwater. From what I have seen, this...

Does anybody experience anything similar? Birds diving beyond 50ft down and going horizontally that deep ?! I am frequently diving Mukilteo Lighthouse park because there are so many critters I do not see anywhere else like today several cute Red Octopuses, Snake Pricklebacks, Stout Shrimps, Brittle ...

OK, I was diving today 6/4/14 Mukilteo Lighthouse Park clay ledges and was also first puzzled by one flatfish coloration. After comparing my picture with the latest edition of Andy Lamb "Coastal Fishes of the Pac. N.W." I conclude that it is a C O Sole. Have a look if this is the same or s...

Regarding: “Star Wasting Syndrome” It is a first time I see any critter got interest in consuming the affected sunflower stars. Before I could see no critter even close to deteriorating stars until recent dives in Driftwood Park. It seems like a large party of Hermit Crabs swarmed several affected ...

DRIFTWOOD PARK AKA TIRE REEF PARK AKA DRIFTWOOD BOTTLE FIELD Driftwood Island County Park, Whidbey Island, WA, This is another report following in Jan K footsteps at Whidbey Island dive sites. This park is just about 1 mile east from Keystone Jetty. You just drive straight towards the shore / park ...

Hi ratfishlvr, You can use my pictures of Wolf Eels that are in the open documented in: "Moved from Whidbey Island Critters - in footsteps of Jan K" http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=22845 Scroll down 3/4 and just click on the pictures for higher resolution and download th...

Dear Jan, You are a Great and Extraordinary Man with Extraordinary life. Furthermore You are such a Humble Modest Man. I have in recent years picked up and continued watching on YouTube episodes of “Sea Hunt” (B&W series from 1950s) I missed before with fictional figure “Mike Nelson” acted by Ll...

Possession Point Fingers (known also as Possession Point State Park) Please note that this Park is to the south of Possession Point County Park I mentioned before when you take a right hand turn before County Park following the S Franklin Rd. I consider diving with Jan special and privilege. :notwo...