Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Slowly testing the waters for diving again. Beautiful sunny day at Keystone, except for focusing light not working and strobes intermittent firing issues, it was good to swim with the fishes again.

[Jan K]

After almost two months, I dived at Langley Harbor again and the welcoming party of rockfish, perch and gunnels made my day ! Whitespotted greenling was fending off tirelessly potential predators of eggs it was guarding. Mostly Copper rockfish followed me around at the tire reef as if they knew how much I enjoy their company. The gunnels were not as numerous as in the past years, but still fun to watch them peering from their hiding place.

[H20doctor]

wow .... great Pictures Jan.... i miss Langley tire reef

[Jan K]

Sea star surveys, November 2018
Since I got that nasty cold, my dives were few in the last two months. The stars are still wasting here and there, Langley Harbor is the only place on Whidbey where they are still numerous, except for the Sunflower stars ...

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers.
Fall colors underwater. Autumn Bull Kelp and more ...

[Jan K]

Coupeville Wharf, Penn Cove, Whidbey Island. The decline in numbers of sea stars continues...

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty Sunday. Besides meeting with friends, highlight of my dive was the encounter with Lingcod and its cleaner, Scalyhead sculpin. I had chance to see Lingcod being cleaned by sculpins many times before, but this time, the little fish inside the cavernous mouth ignored me completely and even came to take a look at me. I even took a selfie...

[Gdog]

Jan that is epic, love those photos! Crazy how the underwater world ecosystem relies on all residents!

[Jan K]

Thanks Gdog.
Few more from Sunday Keystone Jetty.

[Jan K]

Driftwood Park dive

[Jan K]

The Stones are coming, the Warbonnets are here ...

[Tom Nic]

And just when ya thought it couldn't get more epic.... Jan - "Hold my 'pencils'!"

[Jan K]

Thanks Tom

Red Irish Lord guarding eggs in Langley Harbor. In spite of its name, not easy to spot in the green underwater world.

[oldsalt]

The color specific name leads us astray, since they are capable of changing their color to match their surroundings. This fish does not want to be found.
-Curt

[Jan K]

Kelp Greenling. One of the few local fish you can easily tell which one is a male and which is the female.
And now, their eggs are showing up all over Keystone Jetty ...

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty. It is getting harder to walk down to the water :(

[Jan K]

Jan Kocian What a difference six years make. Keystone beach January 7, 2012

[Jan K]

It used to be a dilemma in using common name for the critters we encounter and photograph. For example: Noble or Lemon ?
Now a new game, " Name That Nudibranch", aka" If it is on the Internet, it Must Be True" spilled into the scientific arena.
So lets join the crowd of the confused ...

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers dive begins with a dock cart load down the forest road (easy) and ends with pushing that cart uphill after the dive. Not so easy... But the rewards are worth it.

[Jan K]

Some of the fish calling Possession Point Fingers home.
The season for Buffalo sculpin and Red Irish Lord egg laying is approaching...

[Jan K]

In case you didn't know or notice, it is windy up here ...
Inside the Point Defiance aquarium, it is so much easier to take pictures of fish... No wind, no waves and one can stay nice and warm

[Tom Nic]

Solid Choice!

Yikes! I'm guessing not the best conditions for my first "experiencing Keystone" dives!!!

[Jan K]

Few sponges and slugs from Possession Point Fingers

[Jan K]

Another dive at Possession Point Fingers. Maybe the exercise of pushing the cart down and up the forest road does have some benefits, I feel OK

[Jan K]

At Possession Point Fingers, the Red Irish Lords are guarding the next generation en masse.
The Buffalo sculpins can't be far behind, if local history is any indicator.