Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands-
234 PM PDT Fri Apr 26 2019
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...
TONIGHT...W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A slight chance of showers after midnight.
SAT...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
When I saw the weather forecast, I decided to take a break from diving today, in spite of the favorable tides and currents.
Instead, I looked at some of the pictures from yesterday .

[Jan K]

Sunday at Deception Pass. The parking lot at Little North Beach was full when I arrived there, had to squeeze in next to the dumpster to gear up. Too many divers and tourists mixed on the afternoon scene, Scuba Jess could not muster the divers for the customary group photo. But the weather was beautiful, unlike on Saturday, the seas were calm.

[Gdog]

Awesome!

[Jan K]

Last day of April, another dive in DP. I learned that one of the casualties of Saturday wind storm at Deception Pass was the loss of somebody's GoPro, I found it. I soaked it in fresh water, it looks OK, now waiting to be handed over to its rightful owner

[fmerkel]

OUTSTANDING! I'll forward the picture and see how he wants to handle the next step.
Thank you.

[Jan K]

Monday April 29th, Deception Pass.
No other divers today, beautiful weather above and spawning sea stars in the calm waters below ...

[Jan K]

Whidbey Island LOST & FOUND department.
Diving in Langley harbor today, looking for critters and finding cameras instead. Tuesday it was a GoPro, today it was a DJ Phantom drone. The Go Pro, being inside a housing survived better,the drone less so, barnacles started to take residence on it ... I recovered the card which has videos and few stills, last taken on July 25, 2018. But nothing from Langley or Whidbey as far as I can tell. So maybe somebody can recognize the house, boat ???

[orcasc205]

I think the float pictured on July 20, 2017 may be at the state park in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island.

[Sharkb8]

We just saw a bunch of stimpson sun stars spawning at Skyline this evening. Pretty neat to watch!

[Jan K]

Somehow British Columbia Aeolid managed to hide from my old eyes during all these years I dived Deception Pass.
Last week I added it to my list of slugs.

[Jan K]

Blood stars spawning, Deception Pass April 2019.

[Scubak]

You surely present the critters in a beautiful light.
Kirsten

[Jan K]

Thank you Kirsten ..

Langley Harbor hosting Spotted Aglaja slug love fest.

[Jan K]

The sea star situation in Langley Harbor remains stable with few wasting Ochre and Mottled, majority of them hanging on. The Sunflower stars still very sparse. Only two 6" juveniles and one 1" baby. Plenty of Pink short-spined stars. Squid hanging egg mass on abandoned crab trap.

[Jan K]

Another critter going through a name change. One of many in these taxa challenging times...
Nudibranch, common in our waters .

[Jan K]

Saturday May 11th. Deception Pass divers. Thanks Eric for delicious after dive barbecue!

[Jan K]

Sunday May 12. I am sure mother would approve for me to spend morning with friends

[Jan K]

Few snapshots from Saturday dive. It was amazing how fast the fog moved in. Fortunately, we bring sun (although only artificial), with us. Once we turn on our underwater lights, the world around bursts with colors. Deception Pass always delivers

[Jan K]

More from the Saturday dive at Deception Pass.
Diving with Maya was an additional treat..

[oldsalt]

Jan: I love these posts. Several comments. In my recent trips through Deception, I tell those with me to check these posts because amazing as the pass is, it is more so underwater. Many times I would leave port in my sailboat, cruising through the magic of a sunny morning, just to encounter a curtain of fog at the pass. I am sure meteorologists can explain it to us. And yes, while you are blessed with wonderful dive buddies, diving with Maya has to be the best.
-Curt

[Jan K]

Thank you Curt.
You are absolutely right, the Pass is magical, above and below. The sudden weather changes adding to the feeling of wilderness, although fog being not that welcome when sailing through a busy waterway...

Sunday dive at Deception Pass. No fog, but marine layer over the area. Gray topside, colorful underwater.

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, Monday May 13. Nobody else shows up for diving, not even the fishermen on beach or in their boats. The sun does appear, a welcome sight after two days of overcast here. Some of the fishies ...

[Jan K]

Encounter with some of the crabs in Deception Pass. Eat, mate, fight or be eaten, it is all part of life under the waves

[Jan K]

And last few composites from the mid- May dives at Deception Pass. Dwarf stars, Velvet snail, fish inside sponge and some of the anemones ...

[Jan K]

Another new discovery, this time in the world of sea anemones. Canadian diver Neil McDaniel, marine naturalist, great photographer and keen observer noticed, that there are differences in anemones which till now were classified as Cribrinopsis fernaldi, the Crimson anemone. One prefers soft substrates and sports a white columns while the other, typical pink form is found on walls and boulders in current-swept channels. He collected samples and with help of anemone taxonomists proved that there are indeed two different species living in our waters. Thank you Neil for sharing the manuscript. Here I am trying to share your findings with my own encounters with the beautiful sea anemone.