Northwest Dive Club

After being given a heads up by whatevah on another forum, I can identify your fish as a plainfin midshipman, Porichthys notatus, a noisy little animal that dies off as part of the breeding cycle. Thanks for posting your photos.
-Curt

I don't know how to bring in a quote from another forum, but deepdiver reported a bunch of dead fish on a recent dive in Hood Canal. He speculated that they were at the end of their life cycle. I don't know of any sculpin type fish which have a calendar driven life cycle such as our anadromous fish ...

Josh: While the math and physics of Ekman transport may seem daunting to you literate types, the conclusion seems straight forward. Actually, if you think literally, the conclusion is skewed 90 degrees. We expect the surface current generated by the wind to be 90 degrees to the right of the wind dir...

Since I suffer from the ailments that result from not dying young, have endured MRI's, many surgeries (all injuries, no illness), and long recovery periods, you would think I might have some wisdom to offer. If so, you would be wrong. Encouragement yes, wisdom, no. Regarding patience, my son answere...

Bob: Wonderful write-up. When you real divers post your adventures for we cyberdivers to enjoy vicariously it is a blessing. To someone like me who will never dive an honest-to-God cave, or own a CCR or scooter, these narratives give us insight to what the rest of the world does. -Thanks, Curt :rawl...

A great end of the holiday by diving at Mukilteo. The dismal visibility was more than compensated for by my partners Coulterboy and Paulicarp. Thank you for electing to let me join you. I hope to dive with you again, and I will try to avoid silting out the bottom at the boat. Sorry. We saw a small o...

I dived Fort Worden a couple of times. My sailboat was anchored at one of the bouys so I started my dive there. Mostly sandy bottom but with some artificial reef type junk on the bottom that harbored the normal stuff: octos, rockfish, nudibranchs, etc. Lots of crab in the sand. I don't consider it a...

While serving in the Navy in Vietnam, a grenade detonated next to me rupturing both tympanic membranes. (It was the least of my problems at the time.) I was surprised at how much sound I could detect without eardrums. The ear doc told me I was hearing through my bones. I think I get the same sense w...

Good show! See you this afternoon at the Muk.
- Curt

I think your jellyfish was a comb jelly, or ctenophore. Probably Mnemiopsis. I haven't been able to get a picture of one, but Mr. Google should be able to help.
- Curt

I plan to be there for the first dive.
-Curt

My thanks to Scott for giving us a heads up. I turned on my TV and watched the segment on a channel I didn't know I had. The show emphasized the history that lies beneath the surface and limited the sensationalism. I appreciate the efforts of all involved.
- Curt

Wonderful video. They are such a magnificent fish that I seldom see. Dozens of egg cases were near Navigational Beacon #1 west of Everett last winter, but no fish were seen on the dive. While watching whales from my sailboat at the same spot last week, a sea lion surfaced with a huge skate in its mo...

Bob: Sorry I messed up. I hope this works.
- Curt
http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/dep ... manual.pdf

You dive professionals can judge better than me, but I think the college's dive manual looks pretty complete. If they were following its provisions, I don't see where there is much more that the college could do and still put people in the water. When I was teaching high school oceanography, my dist...

Eric: I've dived Richmond Beach several times, but it has been awhile. There used to be concrete anchors and ropes to guide you to the different "features", mostly rocks and concrete blocks. By swimming around you can find bottom types which include mud and gravel/pebbles. One of the mosqu...

Sandra: You probably did all you can do. Your account reminds me of a story by Loren Eiseley, "The Star Thrower". In it, a man walks the beach seeking starfish to throw back into the water. While we attempt to advocate a diving culture which values responsible behavior, I still occasionall...

Ron: The title of the posting sounds a lot like Mitch Albom's "Tuedays with Morrie", in which Morrie was terminally ill. Despite that, it is great to be diving with you again. You do everything better than I do, including taking pictures. Your decorator crab is wonderful. I loved all the c...

Amazing. Sidescan sonar, ROV's, submersibles...they all help but nothing succeeds as well as the efforts of a couple of talented, persistent people. Well done to both of you.
- Curt

Daniel: Wow! That's the kind of picture I want to get. Is that Mnemiopsis ? (I gave my keys away, so I have to count on the people on this board for ID's now.)
- Curt

Yeah. Like I see one of these on every dive.
Sarcasm aside, thanks for the link.
- Curt

For me, the abundance of Ctenophores and small hydromedusae mark the arrival of spring. Although my books tell me they are here all through the year, for some reason I notice them at this time of year. On an otherwise uneventful dive with Uncle Pug yesterday I took delight in the many comb jellies. ...

Ashi: You're right. This is a friendly fish and is a regular sighting for those who frequent the T-docks. There are a lot of pictures posted of this particular wolfy. On my last dive there she/he came out so quickly, did a lap around and back into the tube that the only picture I could get was this:...

Could it be the result of the radiation from the Japanese nuclear power plants? I think I saw a movie about that once.
-Curt

Phylogenists!
-Curt