Whidbey Island Critters

Fish & Invertebrate sightings and descriptions, hosted by resident NWDC ID expert Janna Nichols (nwscubamom).
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Since there was so much interest in the Driftwood Park dive site, I returned on Tuesday to snap more pictures with wide angle lens. Here are more snapshots from there. As you can see, the artificial reef is not a thing of beauty. The two concrete pillars are the spot where I usually enter the water, the tire reef is slightly to the right, on the bottom of the slope. Can't miss it.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Webster added selfie into the new edition of their dictionary, so here is mine with the fragile beauty of Egg Yolk, aka Fried Egg jelly stranded on Coupeville wharf piling. Others were floating through a thick planktonic soup only hundred feet away in deeper water. Usually, the shallower water will be the one with lousy visibility due to plankton, here it was the layer below 15 feet, above it, I could see for good 20 feet...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

And now the bad news. Wednesday dive at Coupeville was not only about the fragile beauty of jellyfish, but the reason I dive there is to monitor the health of sea stars. Since the terrible die-off in recent years, 2017 looked like the worse is behind, since although the water temperatures were really high, I did not see any wasting. Until now. Still, most of them are still healthy, but Friday, I was checking Langley, I found some wasting there as well. And today, at Skyline, I found wasting Six-rayed stars which were not affected by the last calamity. Divers, keep your eyes open ! :(
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Another Sea star survey, Langley Harbor. And yes, wasting disease is back with us. :(
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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It was not all gloom and doom at Langley Harbor :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Keystone Jetty time. Calm seas, plenty of sunshine and decent visibility.
I don't know how many times I dived here, I still enjoy it...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tangfish »

I just love your photos and illustrations, Jan, in case I haven’t let you know lately!

Every time I’m gingerly doing something with the Board’s database, this thread and Down the Memory Line are the two things I have in my head that cannot ever be lost!

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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Tangfish wrote:I just love your photos and illustrations, Jan, in case I haven’t let you know lately!
Every time I’m gingerly doing something with the Board’s database, this thread and Down the Memory Line are the two things I have in my head that cannot ever be lost!Image
Thank you for your kind words and also for providing a platform for sharing our underwater experiences with others... :supz:


Death and life - one supports the other. Keystone Jetty sample...
Fish, sea star and chiton.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

What a beautiful day. First message on Facebook this morning confirmed that I will not be alone diving the Deception Pass today. My friends Eric and Jessica taking advantage of what might be the last summer-like weather for while. And it was a worthwhile trip indeed, in spite of my problems with the camera strobes ...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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few more from Thursday dive at Deception Pass.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Saturday dive at Deception Pass.
Scooter men, sponges, anemones, fishes, starfish = lots of color underwater, rain clouds moving in as we surfaced.
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ScubaJess
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by ScubaJess »

Beautiful snaps!!! It was soooo fun diving with you & Yelloweye! I really love the pic you made of me with the fish! I'm in my happy place under the sea! :-)
Live Long And Prosper!!!

Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions. :luv: :partydance: :eric: :taco:
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Mixed bag of critters from Keystone Jetty.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Regular sights at Skyline...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Yesterday at Keystone Jetty, while swimming through the Bull kelp fores in the shallows, I noticed many new Bull kelp plants starting to rising up from the seafloor. What strikes me that it is only October, and I don't see new kelp until January, most of it coming up in March. October is time when the adult Bull kelp begins to break up, twisted and home to many Northern Kelp Crabs feasting on the aging plant. The seafloor now is still covered by other seaweed, so the new holdfasts are attached to that instead to rocks, therefore condemned to early death on the beach as soon as the flotation bulb becomes large enough to lift the lightweight seaweed too. :(
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by ScubaJess »

These are excellent!!! I love the Shrimp!!! Also I love your little guy hanging on the Kelp. He gave me a smile. :-)
Happy Friday!
Live Long And Prosper!!!

Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions. :luv: :partydance: :eric: :taco:
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Thank you Jess, Happy weekend ! :)

Possession Point Fingers, Thursday dive. Hopefully the Orange sea pens are coming back.
So far only juveniles are gracing the scene...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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The rest of critter encounters from the Possession Point Fingers dive.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

Jan: When the orange sea pens "take root", doesn't that lead to a herd of striped nudibranchs stampeding through, or have you noticed that the sea pens can survive in one location for some period of time?
-Curt :questionmarks:
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Hi Curt, In the past, it did not take long for the Tritonia and Armina to show up and snack on sea pens. This time I did not see any slugs yet, but I would be not surprised if they do, and soon.

And because today is OCTOber EIGHT.
Happy World Octopus Day. :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Driftwood Park. The Cockscombs are hard to identify in the field, some guide books mention stripes on jaws for the Slender, but to differentiate between "Fleshy crest" and "Moderate Flashy Crest" to distinguish between the Slender and High Cockscomb sounds too subjective for me.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Lots of Cross jellies in local waters now. Some carry hitchhikers...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skyline, Fidalgo Island. Not great on visibility, but great on colors of its marine life.
And when the sun shines, pretty above the water as well.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Usually, when we talk about DMZ (Demiliterized Zone), we don't think about marine life, even less when the warring parties are somewhat limited in their movement, as are in this case the Aggregating anemones. But apparently, they do fight. I was lucky to see the combatants on my dive at Skyline. Here are some pictures from the battlefield. :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

October 11th, Keystone Jetty dive. Some of the kelp is definitely marking the change of seasons, the Wrack kelp is almost completely covered with encrusting bryozoan, Bull kelp tangled stipes and missing the most of their blades. I am still puzzled by the new sprouting Bull kelp beneath the aging canopy ...
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